KNIFE EDGE

Get the skinny on Bulgari’s latest record-breaker.

WHAT IT IS:

Bulgari has broken another record for thinness this year. Well, three records, technically – at just 3.95mm high, the new Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is now the world’s thinnest self-winding watch, thinnest tourbillon, and thinnest self-winding tourbillon. The new timepiece is powered by Calibre BVL 288, which was modified from the world’s thinnest (manually wound) flying tourbillon movement used in 2014’s Octo Tourbillon Finissimo. One major change here is the addition of a winding system that miraculously preserves the original’s 1.95mm height, thanks to the peripheral rotor. Clearly, Bulgari is on a roll here; this watch is the fourth thinness record-breaking timepiece by the manufacture since 2014.

HOW IT LOOKS:

Creating a wristwatch this svelte requires the removal of every superfluous part, and the reduction of everything left, right down to its bare minimum. To its credit, Bulgari has done so with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, while keeping things distinctively Octo, with the bezel, faceted case and bracelet maintaining their proportions despite their thinness. The dial – or lack of it – is where much of the reduction has occurred, and movement components are on full display as a result. The sandblasted titanium case and bracelet confer a serious, technical look to the watch to fully match its pedigree.

HOW IT WEARS:

Being 40mm across, the timepiece’s contemporary sizing ensures that it doesn’t lack visual presence on the wrist. On a tactile level, however, things are quite uncanny – the case and bracelet’s thinness and titanium construction combine here to create a timepiece that feels invisible on the wrist, to the extent that you may completely forget its presence. This is one watch that will fit under any shirt sleeve, however fitted it may be.

MOVEMENT

Automatic Bulgari BVL 288 movement with 52-hour power reserve

CASE

40mm in titanium

PRICE

Price on request; 50-piece limited edition