Records are made to be broken! For the past ten years, Bulgari has been placing its exclusive expertise at the service of bold watchmaking. Developed out of the Octo watch, the Octo Finissimo collection is constantly pushing back the limits of extreme thinness. It all began in 2014. The Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Manuel hit the headlines with its BVL 268 calibre: just 1.95 mm thick, fitted into a case 5 mm high and 40 mm in diameter. Two years later, the Octo Finissimo Répétition Minutes won great acclaim. This timepiece, with its acoustic complication, is no more than 6.85 mm thick, thanks to its 3.12 mm high manually wound movement. From then on, year by year, the manufacture came forward with further proof of its ability to entrance watchmaking circles. Each of the watches unveiled in this way shares the same DNA, as well as the specific design centring on an octagonal case surmounted by a round bezel.

In 2017, the Octo Finissimo Automatique became the world’s flattest automatic watch at just 5.15 mm. The next great work, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatique, set a new record in its category with its extraordinary thinness of no more than 3.95 mm! Presented in 2019, the Octo Finissimo Chronographe GMT Automatique model is nothing short of a superb union of ingenious mechanical creativity and aesthetic success. Its 42 x 6.90 mm case houses an exceptional 3.3 mm calibre fitted with a micro rotor.

With the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronographe Squelette Automatique, Bulgari has broken its sixth record. All the functions are united in an ultra-flat movement and a 7.4 mm titanium case. In 2021, the BVL 305, at a height of 2.75 mm, orchestrated the time data displayed on the Octo Finissimo Calendrier Perpétuel. Its height? 5.80 mm! This year, the Octo Finissimo Ultra is a masterly illustration of this prodigious mechanical adventure, thanks to a case that is  just 1.80 mm thick!

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Start out from a blank sheet and express your talent. Set yourself a target. For Bulgari, this exercise is nothing new. For just under ten years, the manufacture has constantly revolutionised the universe of extra-flat watches, notching up seven records so far. This year, the exploit is such an outstanding achievement as to defy understanding. Lay 18 standard weight A4 sheets out flat on top of one another and you will discover the thickness of the world’s slimmest mechanical watch: 1.80 mm! This dimension of the Octo Finissimo Ultra is the common denominator of the movement, case and bracelet.

To achieve this outcome, the watchmakers were also tasked with respecting the aesthetic codes inherent in the collection. The case, made of sand-blasted titanium and tungsten carbide, with a diameter of 40 mm, embodies the iconic octagonal shape. A selection of the right materials and reflection on the overall architecture of the timepiece enabled the limits of miniaturisation of the sculpted manually wound BLV 180 calibre to be pushed back still further. The skeleton dial’s innovative scenography breathes new life into the Octo Finissimo Ultra. The hours and minutes are displayed on two off-centre titanium counters whose geometrical design is inspired by a regulator-style timepiece. A small seconds hand on a copper-beryllium disk is located at 6 o’clock. In this composition, structured by the bridges and wheels, the big barrel provides a 50-hour power reserve. Each element serves to maintain another. Form and function are united.

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The Octo Finissimo Ultra is the world’s slimmest-ever mechanical watch. But there is more to it! This 1.80 mm high masterpiece, created by Bulgari, revolutionises the codes of contemporary watchmaking. While respecting the collection’s aesthetic DNA, this timepiece, which took three years of research and development work to produce, also gives access to a captivating universe.

Each component has been thought through with extreme precision, all of which interact to create an overall architecture uniting the calibre, case and bracelet. This unprecedented composition makes for an original way of telling the time. The hours and minutes are displayed on two off-centre disks emulating a regulator timepiece. To counterbalance the scenography created in this way, two remarkable symmetrically positioned elements stand out: the balance and a big barrel. This element attracts attention with its wide diameter, but also through the presence of a QR code engraved on top. Once this code has been scanned, the owner gains access to a new dimension, a parallel digital world, that of the metaverse. This individual code throws the doors wide open to an alternative virtual reality. In this original space dedicated to the Octo Finissimo Ultra, the purchaser can enhance their knowledge of the watch thanks to interviews and a “making-of”. They can even discover the movement from every angle with the help of an immersive 3D animation. Each of the 10 first copies of the timepiece comes with an exclusive NFT artwork. This certificate of ownership, rendered permanent by blockchain technology, guarantees the timepiece’s uniquely authentic character.

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To mark the presentation of the Octo Finissimo Ultra, the world’s slimmest-ever mechanical watch, at a height of just 1.84 mm, Bulgari is unveiling a limited series of 200 copies of its Octo Finissimo Chronographe GMT Automatique. What is its special feature? Its monochrome dial displays a faithful reproduction of the design sketched out by the inspired pencil of its designer, Fabrizio Bionamassa Stigliani, highlighting the counters and hour circle with its numerals and indexes.

This edition retains the record dimensions of the timepiece unveiled in 2019. Its 42 mm diameter case is just 6.90 mm thick and was achieved in no small measure thanks to the slender BVL 318 calibre, which is just 3.30 mm high. Like all the previous creations in this collection, titanium is used throughout. With this light and strong material, the manufacture has been able to sculpt the octagonal case surmounted by a round bezel, the dial and also the supple links of the comfortable bracelet closed by a folding clasp. Thanks to its peripheral oscillating weight, the self-winding movement, itself the outcome of  sophisticated research into ultra-miniaturisation, delivers a power reserve of 55 hours. Throughout that time, it orchestrates the GMT function with precision. Local time is set by means of a pusher, which is perfectly integrated into the side of the watch case at the 9 o’clock position. The time at the place of origin is displayed on the counter located at 3 o’clock, with 24 hour graduations. Short times, for their part, are measured in the traditional way. With the elegant Octo Finissimo Chronographe GMT Automatique, Bulgari proves that athletic achievement keeps you fit for ever!

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To mark the creation of its new record-breaking Octo Finissimo Ultra, the world’s slimmest mechanical watch with a thickness of just 1.80 mm, Bulgari is celebrating the event with a limited edition of 200 copies of the Octo Finissimo Automatique. Unveiled in 2017, this ultra-flat watch, unrivalled in its particular category, combines a 2.23 mm high movement with a 5.15 mm titanium case. On its grey dial, the slender hour and minute hands point to an hour circle made up of indexes and two numerals, 6 and 12. A small off-centre seconds hand turns at the 7 o’clock position. However, this time the manufacture has replaced the black finished elements of the original model with an unusual and unprecedented artistic approach. We thus discover the design that determined the final minimalist composition. Created by Fabrizio Bionamassa Stigliani’s inspired hand, the sketch comes to life thanks to a realistic print effect. This alternative highlights the perspective impact of the elegant 40 mm diameter case, which retains its exceptional aesthetic. This octagonal case, surmounted by its round bezel, incorporates the BVL 138 calibre movement. Quite apart from its slim dimensions, this mechanism, which is wound automatically by a micro rotor, stands out for its brilliant performance. It also delivers a useful power reserve of 60 hours for the time data. Highlighting its contemporary, chic, sporty character, the 2022 vintage of the Octo Finissimo Automatique is teamed, like its predecessor, with a bracelet made up of flexible titanium links closed by a folding clasp. Technical prowess and bold design merge to create a new paradigm among modern watches for men.

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