An absolute success since its launch, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo collection has established itself as an elegant fusion between Italian design and Swiss mechanical mastery, under the sign of the ultra-thin. Discover all the records achieved.
2014 – Octo Finissimo Tourbillon
Record Thickness for a Tourbillon Movement
The first superlative Octo appears in 2014, in full commemoration of of Bulgari’s 130 years, and favors the inclusion of a tourbillon escapement that, on its debut, immediately wins the title of the world’s thinest watch to integrate this complication. With a hand-wound movement of just 1.95 mm thick (thinner than a 2-euro coin), it turned out that the height of the flying tourbillon of this watch was to define the measure of the caliber itself.
Usually, the tourbillon cage is quite thick, a feature that compromises the integration of this complication in an extra-flat concept. It was therefore necessary to develop an innovative construction methodology, which eventually emerged in the form of a mono-plate designed to receive all components, including the tourbillon, which, applied to a bearing system mounted around instead of on top of the cage, ended up saving at least 1 mm of thickness, still in the planning stage. An unprecedented solution, which allowed the doubling of the barrel spring thickness, thus expanding the autonomy to close to 55 hours. With 249 components incorporated in a platinum case, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon totals 40 mm in diameter and represents Bulgari’s first step in the field of ultra-thins.
2016 – Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater
The Thinner Minute Repeater ever
The initial study carried out for the minute repeater will have given rise to the final version, in terms of volume and aesthetics, of the Octo Finissimo line, even before the presentation of the inaugural version with a tourbillon escapement. Still being considered as the most demanding complication in the world of mechanical watchmaking, the minute repeater requires a considerable number of specificities and rules in its construction, as well as a total mastery of certain arts, in order to achieve the best possible result: a uniform and regular beating sequence with a crystal clear and intense sound, as soon as the mechanism is activated. A demanding challenge, amplified by the norm that the greater the volume of the case, the greater the volume of sound produced. Only in this case, the thickness of the model does not exceed 6.85 mm, while the BVL 362 caliber is satisfied with a small 3.12 mm to accommodate no less than 362 components.The solution to this challenge was found in the combination of aesthetic and technical aspects, as was the case with the option of titanium for the case that, in this case, enhances the reverberation of the gongs. In the case of the dial, where the number 12 and the indexes are cut, the resulting openings assume a very appealing aesthetic character, but also technical, by allowing the sound of the gongs to pass through and thus propagating through the total volume of the case. An excellent example where aesthetics does, indeed, undergo the function.
2017 – Octo Finissimo Automatic
The thinnest self-winding movement ever
Three years after the presentation of the Tourbillon, and just one year after the presentation of the minute repeater, Bulgari returns to the load and unveils the Octo Finissimo Automatic, the thinnest extra-flat automatic winding watch on the market. With only 5.15 mm of total thickness, for a diameter of 40 mm, and incorporating a movement with only 2.23 mm, the Roman brand explored once again the limits of the feasible. A micromechanical exercise where each component, without exception, had to be thought from its genesis in order to achieve the smallest possible thickness, which encompasses any and all elements of the case, and even the bracelet. The result is the BVL 138 caliber, whose oscillation frequency of 21,600 vph guarantees an autonomy of 60 hours from a platinum micro rotor.
2018 – Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon
The World’s Thinnest Automatic Winding Tourbillon
Accumulated the knowledge resulting from the launch, in 2014, of the Finissimo with tourbillon escapement and, in 2017, of the automatic winding BVL 138 caliber, 2018 sees the logical combination of the skills gained with both. The launch of the Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon takes contemporary male elegance to the top, where the 3.95 mm mark represents a world record again. As for the movement of the Caliber BVL 288, the small 1.95 mm seems to be enough to redefine the boundaries of contemporary haute horlogerie. According to Guido Terreni, since the beginning of the project that the choice of the Octo line, as well as the dimensions of the model, were defined and should contribute to the creation of a top-of-the-range model that would simultaneously allow it to be used as a daily watch.
2019 – Octo Finissimo GMT Chronograph
The World’s Thinnest Mechanical Chronograph
In 2019, Bulgari returned to surprise by achieving the brand’s fifth world record. This is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT, the thinnest mechanical chronograph ever, only 3.3 mm thick. With an integrated manufacture movement – the BVL 318 caliber, with platinum peripheral rotor -, which exhibits the classic chronograph functions, this model also has a GMT function, which allows local time to be set via a pusher at 9h. Home time is indicated on a counter at 3h, with 24 hour and day / night indication. The chronograph minute counter is positioned at 6h, while the small seconds counter appears at 9h.
This Bulgari creation is presented entirely in titanium – 42 mm case, bracelet and dial – and represents the fifth element of the collection, being the quintessence of Octo, a fusion of design and technology in an extraordinarily thin body.
2020 – Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Automatic Skeleton
The World’s Thinnest Automatic Skeleton Chronograph Tourbillon
For the sixth consecutive year, Bulgari has a record-breaking Octo Finissimo. The new Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Automatic Skeleton represents the thinnest watch that combines automatic winding with a single-touch chronograph, tourbillon escapement and ultra-thin skeletonized caliber. This model takes knowledge of the versions launched in 2018 (automatic tourbillon) and 2019 (automatic chronograph), however, it combines these chronograph and tourbillon functions with others. For example, the entire movement is skeletonized and the chronograph on this year’s watch is a one-touch chronograph (not to be confused with a mono-pusher).
The movement of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Automatic Skeleton is the result of several years of development. The caliber consists of 388 components and is only 3.5 mm thick. This is protected by an Octo Finissimo case, only 7.4 mm thick. Bulgari’s master watchmakers were able to achieve this thickness using an integrated movement. This means that the caliber inside the watch is integrated directly into the case. The ultra-thin caliber BVL 388 sets the record for the thinnest movement with this combination of complications and functions and offers 52 hours of power reserve.
Octo Finissimo S
The World’s Thinnest Automatic Movement Waterproof Up to 100 Meters
Bulgari is breaking new ground again, this time with its Octo Finissimo S that combines the thinnest time-only automatic movement with a water-resistance of 100 meters.
Available in an ultra-thin 40 mm steel case with a black or blue dial, the Octo Finissimo S beats to the rhythm of the world’s thinnest time-only automatic movement and sees its water resistance increase from 30 to 100 meters.
Despite the technological “tour de force” represented by these Finissimo, it is the Italian design highlighted by Octo that stands out the most. Eminently pure, it is a style that rejects the reducing purpose of a purely decorative character, subject to the essential rules of proportion. Something perfectly normal, or if Fibonacci was not born in Italy.
