For the past few years, Bulgari has made a concerted effort towards thin and elegant, resulting in many design prizes and several world records for the thinnest watches, including the latest edition, launched at Baselworld this year — the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic. This new timepiece, at just 3.95mm thick (thin?) is officially the world’s thinnest automatic tourbillon ever made. Quite a distinction, but it’s not just thinness for the sake of being thin.
“Octo is to men what Bulgari jewelry is to women,” explainsBulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin. “The Octo is expressing contemporary luxury. For men, the ultimate elegance is thin. We specialize in elegance, so thin makes sense.” ForBulgari, the challenge was to make this tourbillon as thin as possible, while still making it robust enough to wear as an everyday watch.
The movement is based on the existing Finissimo tourbillon movement, but equipped with a peripheral white gold and aluminium oscillating weight. These two metals have contrasting densities that ensure regular oscillating of the circular weight. The flying tourbillon is fitted with a ball-bearing system, allowing Bulgari’s watchmakers to reduce the thickness even further. As the dial is entirely openworked, the 52-hour-power-reserve Calibre BVL 288 Finissimo movement is on full display, resulting in complete transparency of this fantastic movement.
“Combining design with extraordinary engines is about creating legends,” Babin adds. The case of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is monochromatic, using sandblasted titanium, a great styling element helping to highlight and showcase the high watchmaking movement inside this incredibly thin timepiece.
Even though the tourbillon inside this timepiece is a grand complication, we here at Revolution would argue that the thinness accomplished is a complication in and of itself, and deserves to be recognized. So, with the Technical Achievement Award for 2018, we acknowledge this momentous achievement. Bravo to the triumphant triumvirate at Bulgari who made this, and everything else, happen: Jean-Christophe Babin, Guido Terreni and Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani.
