Bulgari’s first world record for ultra-thin watchmaking was the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Manual. At 1.95mm, it was the world’s thinnest hand-wound, tourbillon-regulated mechanical movement. This is where the seeds were sown as Bulgari set itself on a trajectory to create ever more complicated ultra-thin wristwatches.
A decade since the introduction of the Octo collection and seven record breakers in, Bulgari decided to close the decade off with a wristwatch that measures 1.8mm thick. And this time, it’s not just the movement, but the movement and case, which make up the timepiece’s total thickness. How is this possible?
“The challenge of this eighth record was the most difficult to overcome since we had to break the rules not only in terms of movement design but also of the case, the caseback, the bracelet and the folding clasp. To achieve this degree of thinness, you not only have to review your way of thinking, but you must also draw upon a wide range of skills, play with multiple materials, and adapt to a multitude of new constraints. In this sense, the Octo Finissimo Ultra is unquestionably the ultimate complication in this vast field of possibilities represented by ultra-miniaturisation,” says Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari’s Product Creation Executive Director.
The Octo Finissimo Ultra’s caseback, which also serves as the watch’s movement baseplate, is milled out of a single piece of tungsten carbide. It sits inside of a frame, which makes up the outer edge of the case as well as the lugs. A gasket is then placed onto this assembly, before being sealed off with the bezel, which also incorporates the sapphire crystal. This four-part case measures 1.8mm and is engineered to contain the entire going-train of the mechanical timepiece.
Other space-saving measures include dedicated subdials for the hour and minute indications, as well as displaying the seconds directly on the fourth wheel. The regulating organ of the timepiece has been fitted with a flat balance spring, which along with the balance wheel that oscillates at 4Hz, is secured in place by a three-armed bridge that is also engineered to protect the delicate mechanism against shocks. Bulgari also had to do away with a conventional crown, opting instead to place two flattened knobs — one to set the time and the other to wind the barrel.
The most eye-catching feature of the watch is the barrel ratchet wheel that is engraved with a curious QR code. The QR code links the owner of the watch to a unique NFT artwork that accompanies each of the ten Octo Finissimo Ultras that are to be produced.
Having fully met their own brief to give the world yet another ultra-thin marvel, what is remarkable is that Bulgari has managed to do so without compromising the signature aesthetics of the Octo Finissimo and its wearability. Aside from its 40mm case dimensions and water resistance of 10m, Bulgari has also gone the distance to redesign the ultra-thin titanium bracelet so that it would remain ergonomic yet still fit well with the 1.8mm thickness.
Although only 10 of these astonishing timepieces will be produced, we can all take solace in the precedence that this watch sets. Which is that Bulgari is not quite done with its pursuit of ultra-thin watchmaking. The Octo Finissimo Ultra only stands to prove that Bulgari is poised to reimagine many more generations of accepted watchmaking norms; to continue producing ever more elegant and impressively complicated, ultra-thin watches.
