There is something rather meditative about watching someone draw, especially when that person is Bulgari’s Product Creation Executive Director Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. During interviews and presentations, he will often use pen and paper to help explain his ideas. Every time, my gaze is transfixed by the swish of his pen as it expertly glides across the page, illustrating a particular design or mechanical feature.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sketch Limited Editions
So, when I opened the latest press kit for the brand-new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sketch, I immediately understood what I was looking at. For this series of three limited editions, Buonamassa Stigliani has played with the exercise of sketching the dial, but not only that, each sketch is a mix of traditional dial elements with the view of the movement through the caseback. The micro-rotor, escapement, bridges, and rubies have all been beautifully sketched out along with their horological finishings such as Côtes de Genève and circular graining. It is almost as if you can see through the dial into the movement, like you would a skeleton timepiece, only you can’t. Luckily, this article has photographs, as it is no easy task to explain!
The History of Sketching
The art of sketching has been used throughout the history of art, particularly since the Italian Renaissance when painters, sculptors, and architects would start their creative process with these kinds of drawings to give their concepts life. The sketches could then be used to help improve the final piece, kept for posterity, or given to their students for educational purposes. Today, technological advances provide new ways of translating our three-dimensional world onto a flat plane, making pencil and paper increasingly rare.
A Special Occasion
The collection comes in three limited editions, which have been created in celebration of the maison’s 140th anniversary. The first two – in stainless steel (280 pieces) and 18-karat rose gold (70 pieces) – are housed in 40mm polished and satin-finished cases with a thickness of, or should I say thinness of, 6.4mm. Both models offer a monochrome aesthetic that has a warm elegance in its rose gold version and a more urban feel in its stainless steel version. The timepieces are powered by Bulgari’s BVL 138 Calibre and create a powerful contrast between the precision of their components and their illustrations on the dial.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Sketch
A third model comes in the form of Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT, which combines an illustration of the components of its Calibre BVL 318 with the iconic Tri-Compax chronograph display, enabling the wearer to enjoy the unique design together with the timekeeping functions – GMT at 3 o’clock, 30-minute chronograph counter at 6 o’clock, and small seconds at 9 o’clock. The timepiece is housed in a 43mm polished stainless steel case with a slimness of 8.75 mm and comes with a power reserve of 55 hours.
All three limited editions are engraved on the caseback with the inscription “EDIZIONE LIMITATA” and the years “1884 – 2024” in celebration of this important anniversary and the maison’s heritage and craftsmanship that never fails to surprise and delight watch lovers.
