PAST MASTERS
Bulgari’s new timepieces provide dazzling updates to its best-known lines
SEVERAL OF BVLGARI’S most cherished collections were given sparkling new additions at Baselworld this year. Contemporary favourite Octo Finissimo received new interpretations that ranged from an ultra-thin openworked tourbillon model to a stylish sandblasted pink-gold version; the new Diva Finissima Minute Repeater honoured Bulgari’s earliest watchmaking creations from a century ago; and two of the house’s classic creations, the Lvcea timepiece and the Tubogas bracelet, came together in the new Lvcea Tubogas.
Since its launch in 2014, the Octo
Finissimo collection has consistently pushed watchmaking boundaries. In 2018, it has written its name into horological history again with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, which at just 3.95mm sets a new world record for thinness. It’s able to do so thanks to the new Calibre BVL 288, a new iteration of the original Finissimo Tourbillon movement, which measures an ultra-slender 1.95mm thick; the openworked design proudly displays all of the movement’s internal workings. An oscillating weight made from white gold and aluminium takes care of the automatic winding, with the contrasting density of the two metals ensuring regularity; it’s visible through an opening at the back of the movement. In a case of sandblasted titanium, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is available in a limited-edition run of 50 pieces.
The new Octo Finissimo Automatic in sandblasted rose gold is a very different interpretation of the Octo Finissimo style. With the same subtle octagonal case and dial, it presents a sophisticated face to the world with its vividly coloured sandblasted matt finish,
AT ITS HEART BEATS THE WORLD’S THINNEST MECHANICAL SELF-WINDING MOVEMENT
applied not just to the gold but also to the links of the bracelet. At its heart beats the world’s thinnest mechanical self-winding movement, the Calibre BVL 138 Finissimo, which enables the piece to be just 5.15mm thick. The Octo Finissimo Automatic is also available in a rhodium-plated steel version, following on from last year’s Octo Finissimo Automatic in titanium.
Bulgari’s first-ever timepieces, dating back to 1918, are honoured in the form of the new Diva Finissima Minute Repeater, available in a limited edition of just 10. In line with those opulent creations, it’s covered with 387 diamonds weighing 4.83 carats, with tapered lugs covered with brilliant-cut diamonds helping to provide a stylish retro look. The dial is made from Japanese urushi lacquer, with more than 10 layers of lacquer painstakingly applied in a process that takes more than a month. The minute-repeater, activated by a gem-set charm, chimes the time on demand, while the pink-gold 37mm case is exceptionally slim, thanks to the new Finissima calibre, the world’s thinnest minute-repeater movement in a ladies’ watch.
The five new Lvcea Tubogas models represent the first major design evolution of the Lvcea collection since it was introduced in 2014. With a name meaning light in Latin, the new Lvcea Tubogas watches feature diamond hour markers and a pink cabochoncut gemstone set into the crown. For the first time their round shape is combined with the sensuous links of industrial-inspired Tubogas bracelet, first used by Bulgari in the 1940s and popularised by the house in the 1970s. The most opulent among the new models comes in pink gold and steel with 66 diamonds weighing 1.40 carats and a mother-of-pearl dial.