The Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic once again pushes all known Haute Horlogerie limits with a new world thinness record at just 3.95mm, while the new sandblasted Octo models magnify contemporary masculine elegance and Italian refinement.
OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON AUTOMATIC
Octo Finissimo sets for the fourth time a world record, a perfect blend of technical sophistication and aesthetic refinement.
A new year brings yet another accomplishment for Octo Finissimo, as Bvlgari presents a new breakthrough on the front of extreme slenderness. At just 3.95mm thick, Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic claims a new watch industry record for the fourth time. The new Automatic movement equipped with a Tourbillon follows the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic: this new landmark eloquently expresses Bvlgari’s mastery of the watchmaking art – duly acknowledged at last year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève which rewarded both the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton and the Octo Finissimo Automatic.
In the case of this new Tourbillon Automatic model, the Maison had to find technical solutions in the overall construction in order to achieve this degree of slenderness combining exceptional expertise with respect for a certain aesthetic and a model that has achieved icon status. Working on the basis of the Finissimo Tourbillon movement launched in 2014, this new development – Calibre BVL 288 – handles automatic winding via an innovative and attractive peripheral oscillating weight positioned on the back of the movement. It is made of white gold and aluminium, two metals whose contrasting density enables the circular weight to oscillate in a particularly regular manner. The movement also incorporates a flying tourbillon equipped with a ballbearing system contributing to the reduced thickness.
Measuring just 1.95mm thick and endowed with a 52-hour power reserve, Calibre BVL 288 Finissimo is housed in a sandblasted titanium case revealing the entirely openworked skeleton movement displaying all its internal organs. Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon also indicates the hours, minutes and small seconds. An opening on the back of the watch, depicting the stylised motif adorning the entrance of the boutique on the Via Condotti in Rome, provides a chance to admire both the tourbillon and the oscillating weight in action.
This is clearly a case of the watchmaking art serving innovation and style, as Bvlgari has been vividly demonstrating since 2014 with the successive Octo Finissimo launches. The development and production of an ultra-thin watch is a very distinctive undertaking. It in no way represents a mere miniaturisation of an existing model, particularly with the benchmark Octo Finissimo.
Its complex, finely structured case draws its strength and beauty from design. Ridges and angles create light effects and perspectives that are unique on the watchmaking scene. Octo Finissimo gives free rein to its modern character by proving it has its finger firmly on the pulse of the most contemporary Italian design trends. In both these respects, Octo can now be regarded as the watch that turns its back on re-editions or vintage themes, given its shape and its case that are firmly entrenched in the 21st century.
While powerfully expressed through audacity, this modernity stems from the beauty of the watchmaking art. The slimness of a watch is based on an ability to rethink, redesign and remodel volumes. It is a global approach relating to all elements of the watch, meaning the case and bracelet as well as each movement component. Bvlgari has chosen an ultra-contemporary material, titanium, to guarantee a combination of sturdiness and lightness.
In just 3.95 millimetres, Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic redefines the frontiers of Haute Horlogerie.
OCTO FINISSIMO MINUTE REPEATER CARBON
Futuristic high-tech materials dedicated to Haute Horlogerie, acoustics and aesthetics. Much like a stealth plane, it is so light and slim that one could easily forget it is even on the wrist, elegantly offering a new journey through time leading straight to the future.
This year, the world’s thinnest Minute Repeater appears attired in black. Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon follows on from the model that in 2016 set a new standard in the striking watch category. Clad in its high-performance black livery, this new execution picks up the fundamentals of its predecessor in an interpretation oozing strength, technology and a touch of mystery.
The Maison had opted for a titanium case two years ago. This ultra-light and highly resistant technical material is endowed with impressive acoustic properties. This year, Bvlgari is unveiling a superlative model. Its daring and original case features a high-tech contemporary material. The case, the bezel and the caseback are made from an epoxy thermosetting resin called Carbon Thin Ply (CTP). It includes extremely thin carbon fibres that guarantee robustness despite their ultra-thin structure. The 40 mm-diameter case measures 6.85 mm thick.
This unprecedented high-tech material has been chosen as much for its powerful and distinctive aesthetic as for its physical properties, since these polymers feature rare and surprising acoustic properties that endow the Minute Repeater with powerful sound output. The small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and the hour-markers, also made of CTP, are strategically incised. These openings serve to amplify resonance inside the case housing Calibre BVL 362 and compensate for the absence of substantial internal volume, the latter being the customary precondition for effective sound propagation. Cutting-edge technology meets horological tradition, since this in-house manual-winding Minute Repeater movement is the thinnest in the world to date, at just 3.12mm thick. Once cased up, it serves to keep the total thickness of the watch down to just 6.85mm.
Bvlgari has chosen to affix the circular cross-section gong-rings directly to the case. The extreme miniaturisation of the 362 components inside this extremely thin case is exemplified by the centrifugal governor featuring a diameter of just 3.3mm including its two poising weights. The striking mechanism pusher, equipped with a safety feature, is positioned at 9 o’clock on the case middle. The case is teamed with an extremely supple carbon bracelet.
Weighing in at just 47 grams, the supremely futuristic Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon offers a refreshing new take on tradition.
OCTO FINISSIMO AUTOMATIC SANDBLASTED
Two new executions for a cult watch epitomising Italian style. Available in rose gold or sandblasted rhodium-plated steel versions, Octo Finissimo Automatic propels watch design into a whole new dimension.
Vivid, luminous colours expressed through a matt-type approach preserving the chromatic gleam of the metal: Octo Finissimo Automatic returns to centre stage with two new interpretations in rose gold and rhodium-plated steel. Following on from the titanium version launched in 2017, their sandblasted surfaces flaunt a resolutely contemporary and unexpected look to create a distinctive chromatic trilogy. The original surface treatment of these two Octo Finissimo Automatic models accentuates the sophisticated structure of an emblematic case that has – within just a few years – become a shining example of contemporary design firmly anchored in the 21st century.
Before being slipped onto the wrist, the eminently tactile Octo Finissimo Automatic deserves to be held and observed as the light plays across its angles and facets, while caressing its distinctive satin-brushed surfaces. This pleasing feel applies not only to the case itself, but also to the bracelet links featuring metal every bit as supple as leather, creating an almost liquid touch. In these two versions attired in rose gold or rhodium-plated steel, the two matt exteriors offered by Bvlgari proclaim a resolutely modernistic style.
The combination of sophisticated craftsmanship and formal design is truly entrancing. With these two versions complementing the titanium watch presented in 2017, Bvlgari demonstrates the extent to which its experience enables it to master and exalt metals. These two watches not only proudly carry the company logo, but also embody its inimitable touch, its style and one of its emblematic signatures.
The new Octo Finissimo Automatic models instantly draws the eye to the material finish. The sandblasting technique ensures that the rose gold is warm without glinting, luminous yet not dazzling. Rhodium-plated steel also takes on elegant and silkily shimmering shades. It’s all a question of subtlety and elegance, without any overkill or ostentation.
Both versions are driven by the world’s thinnest mechanical self-winding movement: Manufacture self-winding Calibre BVL 138 Finissimo. Adorned with a Côtes de Genève motif and circular-grained, powered by a platinum micro-rotor, it delivers a 60-hour power reserve. While they both express the sophistication and rigorous standards of Haute Horlogerie, these two variations also represent an exercise in contemporary style admirably suited to a model that has achieved widely acknowledged cult-watch status.
OCTO FINISSIMO SKELETON SANDBLASTED
Spectacular yet elegant, the new Octo Finissimo Skeleton enables the most discerning Haute Horlogerie connoisseurs to immerse themselves in the heart of the movement. Devotees of precision will be captivated by the incredible slim and easily understandable skeleton version with its understated yet complex architecture dressed in a rose gold sandblasted case.
Each component, fashioned with infinite precision, becomes part of a precious lacy pattern creating the precious, sensual impression of a watch clothed in gold. A voluptuous and fiery watch that is exceptional in terms of both its extreme slenderness and its finishes and is equipped with Manufacture Calibre BVL 128SK, a mechanical hand-wound movement powering small seconds and power-reserve displays. This skeleton mechanism measuring barely 2.35 mm thick is endowed with an approximately 65-hour power reserve. Several technical and aesthetic feats are daringly united within a highly contemporary watch.
OCTO L’ORIGINALE TITANIUM
The Octo L’Originale watch, representing the origins of the Octo line, appears this year in a new and eminently contemporary exterior. Titanium is a technical material greatly prized in watchmaking, as well as in industry as a whole, due to its numerous qualities, including thermal, mechanical and corrosion resistance. Historically, aeronautics and the aerospace industry were the first to use titanium. It goes into the making of most aircraft in the form of forged parts. While military equipment manufacturers see it as an essential component of modern armour-plating, medicine and surgery have leveraged its salutary potential in developing artificial limbs, joints and implants. Lightness is one of its key virtues. Titanium boasts a density 40% lower than that of steel, combined with excellent resistance to mechanical stress, fire and corrosion. Better still, titanium is biocompatible, as are gold and platinum.
The case and dial of the two new models are made from this metal. The three-hand version is equipped with a mechanical self-winding movement, Calibre BVL 191 Solotempo, driving the hours, minutes, seconds and date functions. It has a 42-hour power reserve. The chronograph is powered by the high-frequency mechanical self-winding BVL 328 Velocissimo movement. This column-wheel chronograph with a silicon escapement has a 50-hour power reserve.
OCTO ROMA
In another vein and yet clearly part of the same heritage, Octo Roma enables style to take on substance.
Bvlgari is presenting three new references. The first flaunts its elegance devoid of any superfluous elements on a sunburst anthracite dial framed by a steel case. It is fitted with a black alligator leather strap secured by a steel pin buckle. The second heightens its presence by teaming the steel case with a matching articulated-link bracelet. The finishing details and the contrasts between the polished and satin-brushed elements instils luminous touches accentuated by its extremely luminous sunburst blue dial.
The third version, unsurprisingly for a Maison with jewellery-making origins, showcases gold, reinforced by the black touch typical of Italian contemporary design. Octo Roma is also available with a steel case featuring a rose gold bezel and winding-crown, while the two-tone bracelet combines gold and steel.
Technical specifications
OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON AUTOMATIC
Movement: Manufacture skeleton automatic movement equipped with a Tourbillon carriage mounted on a peripherally-driven ultra-thin ball-bearing mechanism, Caliber BVL 288 with flying tourbillon system; indication of the hours, minutes and small second; 1.95mm thickness, 52- hour power reserve.
Case and dial: 42mm case in sandblasted titanium, 3.95mm thick; numbered sandblasted titanium crown with ceramic inlay; solid caseback with opening shaped like the entrance door to the Via Condotti boutique in Rome, water-resistant to 30m; skeletonised open dial.
Bracelet : Sandblasted titanium bracelet fitted with a triple-blade folding clasp.
50-piece limited edition.
OCTO FINISSIMO MINUTE REPEATER CARBON
Movement: Manufacture-made manual-winding minute repeater Calibre BVL 362, driving indications of the hours, minutes and small seconds; 3.12mm thick, 42-hour power reserve; Côtes de Genève motif, chamfering and circular graining.
Case and dial: 40mm case in Carbon Thin Ply (CTP), a carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy matrix composite, 6.85mm thick, numbered crown in titanium treated with DLC (Diamond Like Carbon); water-resistant to 10m. CTP dial with openings (hour-markers and small seconds) serving to amplify the sound output.
Bracelet : Carbon bracelet with titanium treated with DLC folding clasp.
50-piece limited edition.
OCTO FINISSIMO AUTOMATIC SANDBLASTED
Movement: Manufacture-made mechanical movement with automatic winding via a platinum micro-rotor, Calibre BVL 138 Finissimo, adorned with Côtes de Genève motif, chamfered bridges and circular-grained baseplate, 2.23mm thick, 36.60mm in diameter, 21,600 vph, 60-hour power reserve.
Case and dial: 40mm-diameter sandblasted 18kt rose gold or sandblasted rhodium-plated steel, transparent caseback, 5.15mm thick; rose gold or steel crown with ceramic inlay; water-resistant to 30m; 18kt rose gold or steel dial, faceted rose gold or black rhodium-plated hands.
Bracelet: Sandblasted 18kt rose gold, sandblasted steel bracelet with folding clasp or integrated black alligator leather strap with steel ardillon buckle, according to the version.
OCTO FINISSIMO SKELETON SANDBLASTED
Movement: Ultra-thin entirely skeleton-worked Manufacture movement, mechanical hand wound, Calibre BVL 128SK; indication of the hours and minutes, small seconds at 7 o’clock, 65-hour power-reserve indication between 9 and 10 o’clock; 28,800 vph, 2.35mm thick, 36mm in diameter; surface finishes: black-coated baseplate and bridges, with circular satin-brushed decoration and chamfering.
Case and dial: 40mm-diameter sandblasted 18kt rose gold case, total thickness 5.37mm; screw-lock 18kt rose gold crown set with a ceramic insert, sapphire crystal caseback; skeleton dial displaying minute circle, small seconds and power reserve; 18kt rose gold skeleton hands; water-resistant to 30m.
Strap: Integrated alligator leather strap with 18kt rose gold titanium pin buckle.
OCTO L’ORIGINALE TITANIUM
Movement: Manufacture mechanical self-winding movement, Calibre BVL 191 Solotempo, chamfered, snailed and adorned with Côtes de Genève motif; indication of the hours, minutes and seconds, 42-hour power reserve.
Case and dial: Titanium case, 41mm in diameter, titanium crown and transparent caseback, titanium dial with applied hour-markers.
Strap: Integrated rubber strap with folding clasp in DLC-coated (Diamond Like Carbon) steel; water-resistant to 100m.
OCTO L’ORIGINALE TITANIUM CHRONOGRAPH
Movement: Manufacture mechanical high-frequency (5Hz) column-wheel chronograph movement with a silicon escapement. Calibre BVL 328 Velocissimo, – chamfered, snailed and adorned with Côtes de Genève motif; 50-hour power reserve.
Case and dial: Titanium case, 41mm in diameter, titanium crown and transparent caseback, grey dial with applied hour-markers.
Strap: Leather and rubber strap with folding clasp in DLC-coated (Diamond Like Carbon) steel; water-resistant to 100m.
OCTO ROMA
Movement: Manufacture mechanical self-winding movement, Calibre BVL 191 Solotempo, chamfered, snailed and adorned with Côtes de Genève motif; indication of the hours, minutes and seconds, 42-hour power reserve.
Case and dial: Steel or steel and 18kt rose gold case depending on the version, 41mm in diameter, steel or 18kt rose gold crown depending on the version, fitted with a ceramic insert, transparent caseback, water-resistant to 50m; anthracite, blue or brown dial with applied hour-markers.
Strap: Black alligator leather strap or bracelet in steel or steel and 18kt rose gold with steel pin buckle or folding clasp, depending on the version.
