After presenting the thinnest Tourbillon watch and movement (Baselworld 2014) and thinnest minute repeater (Baselworld 2016), Bulgari is backt in the spotlight withits newest ultra-thin watch, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique.
This third world record for ultra-thin watchmaking to be seized by Bulgari is powered by the in-house a staggering thin BLV138 self-winding movement only 2.23mm thick, at 36.60mm in diameter.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique
In place of the power reserve indicator, which is visible at the back of the calibre BVL128, a micro-rotor has been cleverly integrated instead. Due to their smaller diameter, micro-rotors have a lower degree of inertia, hence a denser metal, in this case platinum 950, is used.
Every one of the approximately 130 components in the movement has been significantly reduced to its minimum.
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique is housed in the Octo Finissimo collection’s very distinctive faceted case; in this instance, executed in sandblasted titanium.
Several years in the making, and taking cues from its predecessors, the new Octo 41mm Finissimo Automatic watch reaches out past the competition in terms of thinness. The previous holder of the record for thinnest automatic movement on the market, Piaget, offers a movement that is 2.35mm thick and, when cased, the finished watch is 5.25mm thick. The new Bulgari record setter has a movement that is 2.23mm thick and the final watch when cased measures just 5.15mm in thickness. Keep in mind that this means the watch is just about 1/5th of an inch thin. Incredibly, it offers 60 hours of power reserve.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique
And although the watch is an impressive record-breaker, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that – the first things clients will notice are the case, dial and magnificent bracelet of the watch.
The decision to use titanium came out of lessons learned on the 2016 minute repeater, which emphasised the benefits of a super-light, super-strong material for an ultra-thin case. Next came the new face for the new movement and, for the first time, a full titanium bracelet. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique will retail for $13,000.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatique
