Released as part of Bulgari’s 140th anniversary celebratory novelties comes one of the coolest watches in the watch industry. Released in 18K rose gold or in stainless steel, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch features one of the most unique dials inspired by the hand-drawn sketches of Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani —the industrial designer that has led Bulgari to create some of the most incredible watches since he became the Executive Director of Product Creation for the brand in 2001.
Posts filed under Bulgari
Insider: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Power Reserve Rose Gold. A lot of Watch for the Money.
With a 40 mm case and an ultra-slim profile with a total thickness of 5.35 mm, comes the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Power Reserve in rose gold. Following the success of the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic, Bulgari’s mastery of the art of watchmaking was 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. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Power Reserve Gold is an impressive manual wound watch with a level of skeletonization above the rest. Available in a variety of colors and metal combinations, this is by far one of our favorite Octos.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Black Ceramic. Sandblasted for an Understated Look.
With its ultra-appealing look and uncompromisingly forward-thinking mechanics, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic in sandblasted black ceramic is the thinnest full ceramic mechanical watch. Following the success of the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic, Bulgari decided to add the beauty and understated look of black ceramic to its Octo lineup. Somewhat stealthy and very light, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic in black ceramic is not your run-of-the-mill timepiece but a feat of horology and mechanics with its ultra slim movement.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire. A Stunning Creation with Extreme Transparency.
Released a couple of weeks ago during Baselworld 2019, the new Bulgari Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire is not only a very photogenic watch but one of our favorite timepieces released by Bulgari this year. The purity of the lines of its unique case construction along with its sapphire crystal middle case and the blue tones of its strap and blued skeletonized bridges are flawlessly combined in a very attractive watch that can play well in the boardroom as it would while sailing on a mega yacht along the French Riviera.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Carbon. A Featherlight Masterpiece.
With a mere total thickness of 3.95 mm, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic now in Carbon is the world's thinnest self-winding watch. Setting the fourth world record under the Octo Finissimo line, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is simply incredible. The automatic movement equipped with a tourbillon follows the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic. Bvlgari’s mastery of the art of watchmaking was 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.
Insider: Bulgari Gérald Genta 50th Anniversary. Honoring the Greatest Watch Designer of Our Time.
Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 and acquired by LVMH Group in 2011. While it's more famously known for their jewelry creations, its watchmaking credentials continue to rank higher and higher every year since then. The history between Bulgari and Gerald Genta dates back to the year 2000 when Bulgari acquired Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth along with their manufacturing facilities at Saigenlégier, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Sentier in the Vallée de Joux. Today, Bulgari has become a watchmaking force and the new Bulgari Gerald Genta 50th Anniversary is the result of that.
Baselworld 2019: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic. Live Pictures & Price.
Setting a fifth world record as the thinnest ever mechanical Chronograph in watchmaking history comes the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT. Endowed with a case measuring less than 7 mm in thickness, this new chronograph from Bulgari makes things even better by also adding a second complication in the form of a GMT. This integrated movement is another demonstration of Bulgari’s skills in Haute Horlogerie. The Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic represents the fifth element for the collection. Neither round nor square, Octo has created its own codes since it was first released and, with its Finissimo collection, helped launch the industry trend for ultra-thin watches surpassing someone like Piaget in some ways.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon. The World's Thinnest Minute Repeater that it's Also Ultra Light.
he Bulgari Octo Finissimo Repetition Minutes —Minute Repeater— was first launched in 2016 following the huge success of the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo from 2014 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic. Bvlgari’s mastery of the art of watchmaking was 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.
Insider: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Power Reserve Titanium. A Masterpiece of Skeletonization.
With a 40 mm case and an ultra-slim profile with a total thickness of 5.35 mm, comes the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Power Reserve in titanium. Following the success of the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic, Bvlgari’s mastery of the art of watchmaking was 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. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton Power Reserve Titanium is an impressive manual wound watch with a level of skeletonization above average.
Baselworld 2018: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic. Live Pictures & Pricing of the World's Thinnest Self-Winding Watch.
With a mere total thickness of 3.95 mm, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic just released at Baselworld is the world's thinnest self-winding watch. Setting the fourth world record under the Octo Finissimo line, the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is simply incredible. The automatic movement equipped with a tourbillon follows the Octo Tourbillon Finissimo in 2014, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater in 2016 and last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic.
Baselworld: Bulgari. The Serpenti Collection.
To the left of the TAG Heuer pavillion as you walk into the exhibition hall, you'll find the Bulgari display. Our favorite piece outside of the new ROMA watch, the Serpenti collection. Spectacular, intriguing and definitely full of bling and flashiness. Just like rolling snake eyes.
Insider: Bulgari Octo. Evoking Gerald Genta.
The new Bulgari Octo launched back in 2012 is clearly a revamped design of the Octo Bi-Retro and Quadri-Retro predecessors. The revamped design is an improvement to the famous Gerald Genta Octo design, with a somewhat thinner, simpler case with finer lines. The result, a stunning watch in every way.
Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 and acquired by LVMH Group in 2011. While it's more famously known for their jewelry creations, its watchmaking credentials were very well established by the famous Bulgari-Bulgari collection. Subsequently, Bulgari acquired Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta brands in 2000 and along with them, their manufacturing facilities at Saigenlegier, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Sentier in the Vallée de Joux. Today, Bulgari relies on their in-house movements to continue to establish their watchmaking credentials.
The Octo has a case diameter of 41.5 mm, a thickness of 10.55 mm and it's fitted with a gorgeous black alligator strap and deployment buckle. The Octo derived from the Italian word 'Otto'—meaning eight— was named this way after the octagonal facets of one of the layers in its case that are clearly visible from the side and also in-between the crystal and the dial. The exquisitely designed casing is assembled by hand with a multilayer complex structure of octagons, hexagons, circles, squares and rectangles. There are a total of 110 facets just on the casing alone with alternating brushed and polished surfaces. The bezel has such an exquisite brushed finish that it almost resembles the finish of white gold rather than stainless steel.
The dial is a black lacquered dial with applied polished large batons and Arabic numerals at 12 and 6 o'clock. The result is a watch that reflects and interacts with light like we have never seen before. No wonder, both laymen watch enthusiasts and seasoned watch collectors have been singing the praises of this watch since its launch. The design is very elegant with phenomenal attention to detail. The beating heart of the Octo is the Bulgari in-house caliber BVL193 with a 50-hour power reserve. The beautiful movement can be seen and enjoyed via the display case back.
Our watchlifestyler and friend Mr. B, mentions that the watch is very comfortable to wear, and one of his most comfortable watches. The black alligator strap is of excellent quality, supple, well made and well stitched; that is no surprise, as Bulgari is also famous for its well crafted leather goods. What is pleasantly surprising, is that the leather comes in a naturally bent shape so that it wraps around the wrist right out of the box with none of the stiffness that commonly comes with brand new leather straps—no break-in period here. The deployment buckle is also of very high quality and the buckle snaps into position with a satisfyingly loud clicking sound. Some of the drawbacks are the lack of luminous material on hands and markers, size of date aperture and watch packaging. With a depth rating of a 100m, only the careless would take this beautiful alligator strap for a swim.
The Octo has a very affordable price for what you get, a perfectly crafted and very comfortable timepiece. Only time will tell if in the far future, if it will be similarly admired as some of the other Genta's creations. This watch is also available in rose gold. Sticker Price for the stainless steel model in this review: $9,500.
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