From Genta to Rome
At the beginning of the Octo Finissimo was the Octo. In late 1999, Bvlgari acquired and integrated the Daniel Roth and Genta manufactures. Immediately, the house turned its attention to the lines presented by the celebrated designer in 1994 with the Octo Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon. These already bore certain resemblances to its own Monete pieces. The maison continued to refine them, adding chamfered edges, polished and brushed surfaces, for a more architectural aesthetic. The impulse was clear: to blend Italian style, geometry, and Swiss horological expertise. In 2012, Bvlgari relaunched the Octo in a more graphic construction, inspired by its Roman aesthetics. At the same time, the house gained full mastery of the possibilities offered by the Genta Roth manufacture, specialized in grand complications, and ready to take on new challenges.
On the Edge of Thinness
Behind the scenes, the maison was already working on an ultra-thin version of the Octo. Making do with the flaws of its strengths: a geometric case shape - a challenge - but a very large case - an advantage! The saga of world records began in 2014 with the thinnest hand-wound tourbillon (see list at the end of the article). In-house miniaturized movements, monolithic design - the family would only grow from there, continually pushing the boundaries of ultra-thin.
Often monochrome and marked by great sobriety, the object is radical. The way of wearing a complication on the wrist acquired another dimension. Forged in yellow gold, rose gold, steel, titanium - often sandblasted - carbon combined with rose gold accents, even marble, the many faces of the Octo Finissimo reveal a character that is always different, yet invariably powerful.
In 2018, Bvlgari introduced a peripheral rotor into its queen of thinness, paving the way for new records. Then, in 2022, came the Octo Finissimo Ultra—whose dial gave way to the movement itself, gaining yet more fractions of a millimeter. Technical feats went hand in hand with numerous awards: in 2021, the GPHG’s “Aiguille d’Or” crowned the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, topping off a series of trophies (more than 60 awards between 2014 and 2025).
Artistic Grandeur
The Octo Finissimo speaks the language of artists and architects. Its geometry, broad dial, and surfaces lend themselves to creativity. Tadao Ando in 2020: limited editions with a nocturnal dial or concentric circles, set on black ceramic or sandblasted titanium. With Kazuyo Sejima in 2022: a mirror-like, extremely brilliant edition, limited to 360 pieces. In 2024, Laurent Grasso explored the perception of time: a cloud of colors applied in silkscreen metallic pigments created depth and captured motion, like a splash across the sky. Also in 2024, Bvlgari played with mise en abyme through the Sketch dials, a nod to the original sketches of Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bvlgari’s Product Creation Executive Director. Hiroshi Senju transposed his signature motif, the waterfall, onto the mother-of-pearl dial of the Octo Finissimo Automatic, in rose gold, titanium, or steel. This year, the dialogue continues with Lee Ufan. This “philosopher of the gaze” juxtaposes “rock”—through a unique titanium treatment (on both case and bracelet)—with a “mirror” dial, marked only by black hands, for a limited edition of 150 pieces.
The Strength of the Octo Finissimo
The Octo Finissimo has forged Bvlgari’s watchmaking identity: its instantly recognizable geometry, underscored by an engineering narrative, showcases the maison’s innovative spirit and horological expertise. This collection has positioned Bvlgari alongside the historically established masters of ultra-thin, with Piaget at the forefront. The rivalry on the field of records still has a long future ahead, with new challengers such as Konstantin Chaykin and Richard Mille. In any case, the pursuit of thinness remains nothing short of breathtaking—as proven by the almost surreal silhouette of the Octo Finissimo Ultra in profile.
Technical legitimacy, increased desirability, artistic collaborations—the Octo Finissimo has become a must-have model. All the more so as it covers a broad spectrum of price points, tailored to a connoisseur audience, from CHF 12,800 to CHF 650,000. The range stretches from entry-level to highly exclusive versions. In just over a decade, the Octo Finissimo has accomplished the feat of uniting aficionados of watchmaking technique as well as pure design around Bvlgari—the Roman jeweler turned architect of time.
Records of Thinness: Bvlgari Octo Finissimo
- Octo Finissimo Hand-Wound Tourbillon (2014, calibre BVL 268, 1.95 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater (2016, calibre BVL 362, 3.12 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Petite Seconde Automatic (2017, calibre BVL 138, 2.23 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon (2018, calibre BVL 288, 3.95 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic (2019, calibre BVL 318, 3.30 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic (2020, calibre BVL 388, 3.50 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar (2021, calibre BVL 305, 2.75 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Ultra (2022, calibre BVL 180, 1.50 mm thick, for a total thickness of 1.80 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC (2024, calibre BVL 180, 1.50 mm thick, for a total thickness of 1.70 mm)
- Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon (2025, calibre BVF 900, 1.55 mm thick, for a total thickness of 1.85 mm)
