After the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon and the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, Bulgari claims another record with the Octo Finissimo Automatic, thinnest automatic watch in the world.
Bulgari’s three record-breakers, Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, Octo Finissimo Automatic
Multifaceted cool
The Octo Finissimo Automatic by Bulgari is extraordinary to see, touch and wear. It’s not small, at 40 mm, but its thickness of 5.15 mm really makes it a super-slim wafer of a watch, and the titanium used for the case and dial makes it light as well. The watch has the multi-faceted, Stealth-aircraft-like design that couldn’t really be described as beautiful, but it’s certainly very sleek and contemporary and entirely in line with the brand’s proudly Italian origins.
Unmistakable dial
The sandblasted titanium dial provides good contrast with the black PVD-coated hands and hour markers. The crown is also in titanium, with a black ceramic insert and a design that has become part of the Octo iconography. The subdial for the seconds is offset, giving extra character to the piece.
Integrated strap or bracelet
The watch is supplied with a black alligator strap with titanium pin buckle, or a titanium bracelet. Both are integrated to perfection with the case. Water resistance of the case is the standard 30 metres.
Efficient automatic movement
The Calibre BVL 138 Finissimo movement, designed and built in-house, is also a record-breaker at 2.23 mm thickness. It provides a generous power reserve of 60 hours, with a balance running at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hertz). The view through the sapphire caseback reveals the platinum micro-rotor, the Côtes de Genève finishing, chamfered bridges and circular-grained mainplate.
How have they done it?
It’s interesting that the movement construction seems to be fairly traditional, with a mainplate that can be seen below the micro-rotor, and bridges punctuated by some of the 36 jewels in the movement. It’s certainly a different concept with respect to another record-breaker, the Piaget Altiplano 38 mm 900P which is the world’s thinnest watch (this piece is hand-wound) at just 3.65 millimetres thickness. In this piece, Piaget used the caseback as the mainplate. Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Automatic offers the benefit of a sapphire caseback and a movement open to view.
Price
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic costs €12,500 with a leather strap, €13,500 with a titanium bracelet.
