Bulgari turns up the heat with all new range of Octo Finissimo
Bulgari turns up the heat in the competitive realm of luxury sports timepieces with all new range of Octo Finissimo
THERE IS AN IRREPRESSIBLE PASSION for watchmaking at Bulgari. In the metal, this fervour is best exemplified with the Octo Finissimo. First introduced in 2014, the Finissimo redefined many codes of the modern sport watch. The Octo Finissimo Automatic needs no introduction, literally making headlines in 2017 as it made its debut with the world’s thinnest automatic movement. Bold, elegantly simple and mechanically impressive, the Finissimo was one of the few luxury sports timepieces that established its own identity in the genre.
More impressively, where a typical product cycle involving such hot new horological releases would invariably introduce different dial variants and colours, the Swiss watchmaker with a flair for
Italian dolce vita went in the direction of materials and textures. Following up swiftly with monochromatic editions in titanium, sandblasted steel and gold models and then in 2020, introduced a new “Satin-Polished” or S model. This year, the Octo Finissimo S comes with a sumptuous Silvered dial.
While it might seem a tad hyperbolic, there’s no denying that the Bulgari Octo Finissimo collection has been home to retinue of record-breaking and commercially successful timepieces. Hence, it would not be a stretch to call it a watchmaking icon of our time. Suffice it to say, global acclaim for being the luxury sports watch of the century when possessed of 30 meters water resistance might have motivated Bulgari to release a
100 meter water resistant edition equipped with a slightly “thicker” case (6.4mm isn’t exactly “thick”) and a screw down crown when they launched black-dial and blue-dial variants of the new Octo Finissimo S in satin polished steel in 2020.
For LVMH Watch Week, the new
Finissimo S comes with a vertical-brushed silvered dial similar to its case finishing. Beneath its pristine face is the recordbreaking BVL 138 automatic movement with micro-rotor, filling out the expanse of the 40mm timepiece’s sapphire caseback. Immensely architectural, the Finissimo was also the canvas for internationally renowned architect Tadao Ando in 2019. It’s iconic geometry coupled with quiet aesthetics of the Octo Finissimo S allow it to speak volumes especially in monochrome, making it the timepiece for all seasons.
OCTO FINISSIMO CHRONOGRAPH GMT
Filling out its library of awards for thinnest tourbillon watch and thinnest minute repeater watch (in addition to thinnest automatic), Bulgari added world’s thinnest chronograph as its latest feather in cap in 2019. Presenting the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic, the timepiece was Bulgari’s fifth in the ultra-thin genre of watchmaking.
Following in the same vein as its Automatic cousin, the Finissimo S Chronograph GMT Steel was introduced at LVMH watch week, a more robust variant of its record-breaking predecessor. Built around the same movement as its forebear, the Finissimo S Chronograph GMT features a slightly thicker steel case and bracelet, topped off with a new sunray-finished blue dial with snailed silver sub-dials.
The new 43mm S variant Chronograph GMT in steel is 8.75mm thick, slightly larger than the original record-breaking 2019 Finissimo Chronograph GMT measuring 42mm wide and 6.9mm thin; but the tradeoffs in proportions are well worth the increase to 100 meters water resistance for that added confidence in everyday activities. On the Finissimo S Chronograph GMT Steel, the same lavish attention to detail like the cocktail of radial brushed bezel, vertically satin-finished surfaces across the case and bracelet as well as multiple facets and accents, thoroughly sell on its latent appeal. Arguably, even if it’s no longer the thinnest chronograph on the market, it’s still one of the thinnest and no less dressy.
That said, the stronger contrast elements on the dial as well as thicker applied indexes, do lend itself to a busier dial which takes away some of that sophisticated elegance found in its monochromatic cousins. Even then, what lies beneath is still that symbol of fine watchmaking achievement: the thinnest ever chronograph movement with horizontal clutch, column wheel, and wound by a peripheral rotor. While collectors have been trending towards sub-40mm timepieces over the last
2 years, the reality is, the thinness is made possible because the BVL 318 chronograph calibre spreads its parts horizontally rather than vertically, hence, a wider Finissimo S Chronograph GMT Steel was inevitable after taking into account design and layout considerations.
OCTO FINISSIMO CHRONOGRAPH GMT TITANIUM BLACK DIAL
Of course, the sportier ’S’ editions might not be everyone’s cup of tea and so Bulgari has wisely opted to introduce a new black opaline dial edition of the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT, this time rendered in titanium and equipped with a sporty black rubber strap with a texture reminiscent of sail cloth.
The holder of three watchmaking records, the new Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT features a 42mm sandblasted titanium at just 6.9mm thinness. As I mentioned previously, the dial layout on this Chronograph GMT looks a little better simply because the Finissimo S Chronograph has to tweak its design to fit 43mm dimensions. Nevertheless, this is a subjective opinion and open to individual tastes.
The architectural nature of the faceted and stepped octagonal case completed with a round bezel remains the same as the original model, as are the ingeniously designed chronograph and GMT pushers which look seamlessly integrated into the case; the real novelty on this 2021edition is the opaline dial with silvered markings, departing from the sublime black-on-gunmetal sophistication found on the previous model. While it might seem a criticism, the truth is that there are some who find a black dial preferable for increased legibility, a conceit being that the previous model made it it hard to read in less than ideal lighting conditions.