Diva Finissima Minute Repeater raises a majestic anthem to artistry by chiming the time on demand while also celebrating a century of watchmaking and jewellery expertise, masterfully expressed through daring gemsetting and a dial embellished by gold-spangled Urushi lacquer. Beating at its art is the world’s thinnest minute repeater movement in a ladies’ watch, Finissima, an evolved version of the famous Finissimo Minute Repeater movement presented by Bvlgari at Baselworld 2016 in the Octo collection. The record-breaking calibre is developed and crafted by the Master Watchmakers of the Italian brand at the Manufacture in Le Sentier.
 

This watchmaking wonder celebrates the first Bvlgari creations dating back to 1918 in the form of exquisitely beautiful platinum jewellery watches adorned with magnificent diamonds. Since then, Bvlgari has asserted itself as one of the key players in the realm of high-end ladies’ watches, notably with its Serpenti and Lvcea collections.
 

Demurely concealing its ability to tell the time to music, the world-first Diva Finissima chimes a crystal-clear tune on demand, once the mechanism is activated by a gemset charm whirling in step with its owner’s wrist movements. By imbuing the passing of time with a rare degree of sophistication, this jewellery timepiece with its unique personality is a reminder of Bvlgari’s century-long attachment to this noble art.
 

The enchantingly refined Diva Finissima is graced with an exceptionally slim 18kt pink gold 37mm-diameter case. Its delightful design is softened by tapered lugs whose voluptuous curves are accentuated by brilliant-cut diamonds, while an 18kt pink gold winding crown set with a splendid facetted diamond offers a counterpoint to these gently rounded shapes. The quintessential jewellery watch – belonging to a collection that has demonstrated the wealth of variations on the theme of artistic crafts and elegance – naturally deserved a dial worthy of its splendour.
 

This true face of the watch is thus crafted from Urushi lacquer, in harmony with the finest Japanese tradition, by an experienced artisan well accustomed to all its subtle characteristics. During an entire month, ten or so layers of beautifully shimmering plant-based lacquer are applied to the dial plate. Each operation calls for deft brush strokes, followed after a 48-hour drying process by accurate and delicate polishing with a cotton pad and stag-horn powder. To achieve a perfectly dense yet diaphanous cloud of gold spangles, the latter are sieved through a bamboo shoot and expertly sprinkled across the surface, while the last layer is coated with transparent lacquer designed to increase the visual depth effect characterising the Urushi technique. Finally, the Bvlgari’s gemsetters fit tiny diamond hour-markers on this miniature painting featuring motifs that are always unique and a surface destined to stand the test of time.

Diva Finissima is the jewellery accomplishment of a watchmaking miracle whose magic is only truly expressed through rarity – which is precisely why this model, a creative encapsulation of the skills faithfully nurtured by Bvlgari for 100 years, will be issued in a strictly limited edition of ten.