Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra
The Perfect 10: Bulgari Celebrates a Decade of the Octo with 10th Anniversary Limited Editions
The Italian luxury brand introduces three unique, ultra-thin timepieces and takes on the metaverse with a new record-breaking watch.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
It’s been a decade since Bulgari unleashed the Octo Finissimo – an incredible example of original design and technical innovation. And to celebrate this outstanding collection, the brand has created two new limited editions and yet another ground-breaking timepiece: the Octo Finissimo Ultra.
The 2022 Octo Finissimo 10th Anniversary Editions tweak the minimalist face of the collection. Meanwhile, the Octo Finissimo Ultra is part watch, part Non-Fungible Token (NFT), and all ultimate limited edition. Let’s take a closer look.
The Vibe Shift
When Bulgari first introduced the Octo collection in 2012, its understated, eight-sided design, use of contemporary case materials, and disruptive approach to watchmaking, in general, made it an instant icon. And because the brand designed the watch from scratch, the timepiece was not inspired by an earlier reference, nor did it rely on any brand signatures. It was something wholly new.
There are three lines in this family: the Octo L’Originale (2012), Octo Finissimo (2014), and Octo Roma (2017). All share a distinctly Italian aesthetic, but the Finissimo, in particular, stands out for setting a series of world records for thinness.
To celebrate the collection’s 10th birthday, Bulgari set out to create a watch that paid tribute to the original Octo. Thus, both the new Octo Finissimo 10th Anniversary Editions – a 40mm time-only piece and a 42mm chronograph GMT model – feature the watch’s emblematically sandblasted titanium finish.
Moreover, these editions also pay homage to designer Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani’s vision by engraving his original sketches on top of the dial.
Ultra-Man
Just when it seems like the Octo couldn’t break any more boundaries, along comes the Octo Finissimo Ultra.
More than the world’s thinnest mechanical watch, to get the Octo Finissimo Ultra to measure in at a thickness of only 1.80 millimeters, Bulgari took out eight patent applications. These include patents for the rewiring of the watch glass assembly, barrel structure, oscillator module, differential display, modular structure, bracelet, bimetal case, middle-main plate-case back, and the software.
Yes, you read that correctly, software. As well as redefining the rules of materials and mechanics, Bulgari is bringing the traditional watch industry into a new era: the world of NFTs and Blockchain.
Of course, we should have seen this timepiece coming. Last January, Bulgari filed an application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office for a mark that extends to elements of the face of the Octo Finissimo watch for use in “watches and jewelry incorporating digital codes, labels, tags and chips linked to a non-fungible token.”
Each Octo Finissimo Ultra features a QR code engraved on the barrel and comes with an individual NFT that guarantees the authenticity and unique character of the watch and offers each owner exclusive access to a dedicated digital universe.
“This fabulous benchmark that we are setting today with the Octo Finissimo Ultra is, in fact, for me and for all the teams an apparently impossible dream come true,” noted Jean-Christophe Babin, the CEO of Bulgari, in a press release. “One that guarantees that Bulgari will forever be recognized as a company that has written some of the finest pages in Swiss watchmaking. And the fact that this is an Italian house makes us particularly proud.”
Pricing & Availability
Limited to 200 pieces, the time-only Octo Finissimo Automatic 10th Anniversary Edition (ref. 103672) is priced at €15,600 (tax included). Meanwhile, the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic 10th Anniversary Edition (ref. 103673), which is also limited to 200 pieces, is priced at €18,200 (tax included). Finally, the 10-piece limited edition Octo Finissimo Ultra is priced a bit higher at €400,000 (tax included).
For more information, visit Bulgari’s website.
(Photography by Pierre Vogel)
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