Bvlgari once again confirms its reputation as one of watchmaking’s groundbreaking maisons, with its Octo collection reaching a new pinnacle
Bvlgari is constantly setting challenging goals for itself—to be more daring, more beautiful and more sublime than ever. And it surpasses them easily. But for the past four years, Bvlgari has also regularly set world records in watchmaking.
At this year’s Baselworld, the brand continued its incredible horological conquests by unveiling the world’s thinnest mechanical automatic chronograph, the Octo Finissimo Chronograph.
The new Octo drew gasps from the crowd, partly because it measures a minuscule 3.3mm thick—about the thickness of two envelopes stacked on top of each other. Unsurprisingly, the integrated movement is the flattest automatic chronograph on the market.
It marks the fifth world record achieved by the brand’s Octo Finissimo line in the past five years, and yet somehow—despite being a world leader in thinness—Bvlgari remains a world leader in style, too.
This is evident from our atmospheric cover shoot, which as well as the Octo Finissimo Chronograph features the Octo Velocissimo, Octo Roma, Octo Finissimo Skeleton Ceramic and Octo Finissimo Ceramic, proving once again that it is possible to combine brains and beauty.
The latter two timepieces write a new chapter in watchmaking, thanks to their use of high-tech materials. Each wristwatch is made in black ceramic, one with a solid dial and the other with a skeletonised dial, both measuring 40mm in diameter.
High performing movements, as is to be expected from Bvlgari, take centre stage—the BVL 138 Finissimo, with 60 hours of power reserve, and the BVL 128SK Finissimo, with 65 hours of power reserve, enable each watch to be ultra-light and super-thin.
Ceramic, an increasingly popular material once reserved for the likes of the mining, aeronautical and biomedical industries, is significantly harder than steel and other metals.
