What do the concepts of elegance and innovation represent for you? What does it mean to innovate without sacrificing elegance? And what role does beauty play?
These are difficult questions.
Clearly, I don not intend to take away from humanity’s ever relevant meaningful questions: where are we, who are we, where do we go and above all… will Milan ever win the Champions League again?
But given the current times, I believe that with the right spirit and the correct attitude, these are also issues to be addressed.
For many, elegance represents something innate, a dress someone is born wearing, for others elegance emerges through good manners, ways of approaching people, behavioral characteristics. For others still, however, elegance coincides with the need to stand out, innovate – without falling into kitsch of course.
Personally, I find all the representations previously mentioned to be spot on. Nonetheless, wanting to give a more concise personal connotation, I see elegance as an essential concept made of style, sophistication and ease .
But what about the field of watchmaking? Are there timepieces that perfectly embody these features? Are there objects created by mixing the gentle soul of elegance with strong character for those who know what they want?
We, at IWS, try to answer the question by presenting the seven records of a unique family in its kind, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo.
The importance of Octo in modern watchmaking
“Congrats Bulgari because now we have a new challenge!”.
This is precisely how the world of haute horlogerie pays homage to the historic Roman maison and to Octo Finissimo collection specifically.
2014 – 2021, seven years, around 60 international awards that not even Messi and Ronaldinho’s Barcelona would aspire to compete with, and seven world records to be placed on the fireplaces of the four historic manufactures in LeSentier, Saignelégier, Chaux-de-Fonds and Neuchâtel.
Last but not least, the very prestigious Aiguille d’Or won last November at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar was awarded not only as the “best watch of the competition”, but as the 2021 most representative timepiece of the industry.
We already understood since its foundation in 1884 that Bulgari was very keen on innovation and the tendency to surprisingly overturn tradition. Actually, the introduction of precious elements juxtaposed with prêt-à porter accessories is in itself innovation.
Although some may think that the history of Bulgari is solely linked to high jewelery, Fabrizio Buonamassa told us how the brand’s first watches were born and how they gave life to a new chapter of their journey. To see our interview with him click here.
With Octo Finissimo the maison turns the world of haute horlogerie upside-down. Do not be fooled by its simplicity, you will find out below how much the Octo has impacted the industry.
Taking a few steps back we try to better contextualize the steps with which Octo makes its way into a world that had hitherto been rigorously dominated by some renowned brands.
The influence of Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth
We are at the outskirts of the new millennium. Bulgari acquires brand and technical know-how of two important artisan realities: Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth . The savoir-faire of the two brands immediately blends perfectly with the DNA of the Roman brand, as if it were the necessary puzzle piece to develop their own innovative style.
The first 2000 are years of study and testing within which the meticulous technical research traces a very specific path towards what the whole world recognizes today as a real revolution of modern haute horlogerie.
Practical examples that well describe the work of those years are the Octo Black Spirit, through which the current case shape of the Octo is recognizable , stunning from the technical point of view for its rertograde turbillon, and the Octo 48-Month Perpetual Calendar , a technically stunning perpetual calendar too.
We cannot fail to mention the 2010 Grand Sonnerie where Bulgari was for the first time associated to Gérald Genta , and the Octo Chronograph of the following year, a generous 45 mm model, which has gone down in history for being equipped with four retrograde hands.
The path is traced. The journey taken is undoubtedly the right one, but both the market and the insiders of the Maison feel that something is still missing from the definitive consecration.
The timepieces produced until then are astounding pieces from a technical point of view, but perhaps they do not yet fully embrace the distinctive style that makes Bulgari one of the most popular brands recognized in the world. Let’s face it folks, Bulgari’s goal is that of excelling by distinguishing itself, rewriting the rules of haute horlogerie by launching new icons of contemporary design . And where to look for the missing ingredient… if not at home?
The definitive consecration
As it often happens, the solution is at hand. Keep in mind that we are not talking about technique, that has always been there and also one of the highest level.
It is rather a question of recognizability. That is, giving the object a precise style, linking the maison’s past with its future. It is therefore a question of enhancing the work carried out to date by projecting it into an international perspective, able to propose a series of bold, elegant timepieces that well represent the magnificence of Italian design .
So let’s jump in 2012. They keep the fundamentals and the nature of Gerald Genta’s expertise. However, the new Octo is reborn with a revised and lighter case.
The lacquered dial is clean and powerful. The mechanical movement is self-winding. The new Octo version is immediately a success. Critiques even mentioned sacred cows such as Nautilus, Royal Oak and Ingenieur. Little to add guys, it’s a hymn to substance, beauty and concreteness.
With good certainty, we can attest that at Bulgari no one has ever given weight to the Maya calendar, so much so that 2012 represents the real watershed, the moment from which the rise of the Octo becomes unstoppable.
It is the beginning of a magnificent journey that finds its definitive completion in 2014 with the presentation to the world of what is indexed by many as the icon of this century, the Octo Finissimo.
It is a jubilation. Both the market and all the great exponents of the haute horlogerie immediately intuit that they are dealing with something that will revolutionize forever the way of thinking and producing watches.
To make a football parallelism we can compare the advent of the Octo Finissimo to the historic Holland of the 70s, to the magnificent Milan of Sacchi in the 90s, or Guardiola’s more recent Barcelona of the 2000s. Innovation, recognizability and beauty. Teams capable of flipping the standards of football known up to then and, above all, capable of ringing successes, trophies and indeed records …
The Records of the Octo Finissimo
Personally I have always been fascinated by honors and medals. I find that there is no higher recognition of one’s work and sacrifices than a certificate from other people.
Of course, at Bulgari, perhaps they could have guessed a possible success, but receiving the prizes and recognitions from an independent jury is completely different. Octo‘s affection for records is not only proof of the technical and design excellence that is the basis of the maison‘s project , but it also represents the continuous spirit of innovation, of incessant research and of innate tendency towards perfection.
Again to use a football metaphor, we can summarize Bulgari’s thoughts imagining the Octo as our favorite team’s top striker who constantly works day after day with the obsession to reach the ballon d’or and raise as many trophies as possible.
Are you wondering what these trophies and records are? Well, since 2014, seven world records have been pulverized … let’s discover them together.
2014 Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Manual – 5 mm
Just like the first love, the first record is never forgotten…
Equipped with the world’s thinnest hand-wound flying tourbillon movement , the 1.95 mm thick BVL 268 , just under a twenty cent coin, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Manual immediately bursts into the international scene as one of the main characters in terms of innovation.
The peculiarity of this timepiece lies in the cage without upper bridge and mounted on ultra-flat ball bearings instead of above traditional rubies. The variable inertia balance wheel beats at a rate of 21,600 vibrations / hour and the winding spring allows an autonomy of about 55 hours.
The octagonal case with a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 5 mm is characterized by a succession of shiny and opaque surfaces, while it is possible to admire all the beauty of the ultra-slim mechanism made up of 249 components through the transparent caseback.
Unlike the titanium models that will follow in the “Finissimo” collection, the thinner Tourbillon in the world had a platinum case and an alligator strap.
2016 Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater – 6.85 mm
The second record is always the most difficult one…
Two years go by. It is difficult to quantify the countless certificates of recognition for the Roman maison during this timeframe. Despite the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Manual sails at full speed becoming quickly one of the most desired timepieces by the public, in the minds of Bulgari’s insiders echoes a precise desire, inextricably linked to that feeling of wanting to conquer the industry.
And if with sounds and challenges you have to test yourself what is better than competing with the queen of all complications? The minute repeater… so finally Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater arrives in 2016 .
Getting perfect resonance in a case of such reduced volumes like the one of the Octo Finissimo is an outstanding challenge in itself, if we put in reduced thickness of the movement, you understand that the problem assumes an enormous level of difficulty.
However, Bulgari engineers are not easily frightened. Quickly, they find optimal solutions to meet the problems caused by the repetition gongs (those wires of metal that are hit by hammers). The solution is found and introduced with the BVL caliber362, 3.12mm thick, inserted inside a case of 40mm in diameter and just 6.85mm in thickness.
However, the materials change: titanium is chosen for being a metal with excellent diffusion properties. The second intuition comes with the use of open and engraved indexes on the dial, as well as the minuterie of the small seconds at six, to act as resonance amplifiers inside the cabinet (brilliant!). With this model Bulgari also introduces for the first time Octo’s integrated bracelet.
The rest is history…
2017 Octo Finissimo Automatic
Good things come in threes
It was understood since its conceving that the Octo hinted at significant developments for the future. Bulgari creatives and engineers are well aware of the fact that they constantly work to make the most of it. It is an evolutionary path that does not only embrace the field of materials, but also a series of complications destined to show all the savoir-faire of the family.
Producing an ultra-flat automatic watch is a real dilemma.
It is 2017, and the new rookie in the company is therefore the Octo Finissimo Automatic . The new 5.15 mm case houses the high-quality ultra-thin self-winding BVL 138 movement of 2.23 mm thick, decorated entirely by hand with Côtes de Genève and perlage . It’s the thinnest automatic ultra-flat watch in the world, it’s a record, and it’s the third one!
About this watch you can find out another very interesting story in our interview with Fabrizio Buonamassa on our Youtube Channel
2018 Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon – 3.95 mm
Poker…
New year, same rules as always. This time it’s the 3.95 mm of thickness of the automatic version of the BVL 288 Tourbillon caliber. For this achievement Bulgari’s had to adopt new and ingenious constructive solutions, which they necessarily had to combine with the aesthetics of the Finissimo.
The study developed on the basis of the 2014 older brother movement. The BVL 288 manages the automatic winding through an innovative peripheral oscillating rotor, positioned on the back of the movement. The 1.95 mm caliber is contained in a very elegant 42 mm titanium case. A clear example of less is more, the breathtaking dial is pure exaltation of aesthetics.
2019 Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic – 6.90 mm
Manita!
If we thought we had seen it all… we would be wrong! Bulgari rewrites the canons of high watchmaking once again, conquering the title of thinnest automatic chronograph in the world with its 6.90 mm.
The main feature of the prestigious BVL 318 caliber, the real beating heart of the chronograph, is its 3.30 mm thickness. To achieve these thinness, the engineers of the maison adopted a peripheral oscillating weight in platinum and aluminum. This choice allowed to get a considerable thickness reduction of the movement by slightly increasing its diameter. Hence the 42 mm case.
If the chronograph wasn’t enough, a second time zone is easily set through a push button located at nine o’clock. Finally, the picture is completed by the charm of chronograph indicators, which give a unique feeling when you look at it on the wrist.
If you want to learn more about this piece, I refer you to the complete article covered in our magazine.
2020 Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic – 7.4 mm
Can’t stop it
Numbers speak for themselves and say sixth record in six years at Bulgari. The Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic Chronograph, a wonderful chronograph of only 3.5 mm, takes the honor this time. The new BVL 388 caliber uses the peripheral rotor already seen in the little brother Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic from 2018, with the difference that the new 388 is not a flying tourbillon.
Equipped with a horizontal clutch and column wheel, we must highlight the ingenious solution of having incorporated the wheel friction around the tourbillon in such a way as to ensure reduced thickness for the entire movement.
The caliber beats at 21,600 vibrations / hour with a power reserve of 52 hours.
The 42 mm diameter and 7.4 mm thick sandblasted titanium case together with the dial results in this watch being a true masterpiece. The arrangement of the dial is a perpetual game between the symmetries of the continuous seconds, the chronograph indicators at 3 and 9 o’clock, the tourbillon at 6 o’clock and the view of the spring barrel at 12 o’clock.
Thanks to the skeletonization, the components seem to float in the dial, between the different shades of grey. Finally, the transparent caseback grants us a jaw-dropping view of the movement.
2021 Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar – 5.80 mm
Into the top corner!
During the year in which Italy took home virtually any trophy on the face of the Earth, the seventh world record of the Roman company could not be missing. Moreover, this year marks another equally important achievement: the very prestigious “Aiguille d’Or” won at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
The thinnest Perpetual Calendar in the world is another demonstration of how Bulgari masters to perfection the aesthetics of mechanics and how technical issues are cleverly resolved by symbiotic moves of engineers and designers.
The neat complexity of the dial of this magnificent object recalls the rare style of Gérald Genta, deeply embedded in the maison’s DNA .
At 12 o’clock we find the large retrograde date counter at 225 degrees, while at 4 o’clock we have the month indicator. On the left, at 7 o’clock it is possible to read the days of the week. To complete the opera we find at 6 o’clock the retrograde indicator at hours of the leap year at 130 degrees.
The new BVL 305 caliber of only 2.75 mm thick remains the most notable aspect of this incredible timepiece. An extraordinary example of innovation, the movement is made up of 408 components perfectly contained within the astonishing 5.80 mm of the case. Once set correctly it requires no adjustments except in secular years ending in 00, it means you can rest easy for the next 79 years.
For more information, check out our article.
Conclusions
What can I say, after having made a wonderful journey inside the Octo Finissimo collection , relived the influence of visionary talents such as Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth and savored the triumphal air of record and medals, the time has come to take stock, trying to better focus on the essence of the Bulgari company launched in the Octo adventure.
Let’s start first by saying that since its introduction on the market the collection has undoubtedly given us a glimpse of its potential, strongly linked to the development possibilities of both materials used and the new complications to be introduced.
But I want to go further, friends of IWS , trying to better explain the underlying concepts of the true essence of the company. To do this, please grant me a small license useful for the introduction, to always stay on the subject, let’s be clear, of those who are my very personal ones records to be given to the Roman house.
The very first record goes to technical prowess for thinking, engineering and developing with unique competence, an object that, although modern and contemporary, comes to life from a Grand Complication.
The second very personal record goes to the mixture of technique and design, one at the service of the other, with the common goal being the exaltation of the technical structure through the aesthetic synthesis.
To close, the third is not really a record but what I consider a true strength behind Octo‘s success. It is the maison’s ability to develop the collection with breathtaking rhythms, taking full advantage of its incredible potential, and applying to all intents and purposes as a guide for the renaissance of fine watchmaking.
Author: Jacopo Invernizzi
