INTRODUCING: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar breaks the brand’s 7th world record since 2014
Nick Kenyon“Can’t stop, won’t stop breaking world records,” might be the mantra of the Bulgari watchmaking department, because that’s exactly what they keep doing. Year after year since 2014, the Italian manufacturer has relentlessly achieved new benchmarks for thinness in horology, building their credibility as a force to be reckoned with faster than almost any brand in recent memory. If that wasn’t enough, the Octo Finissimo collection has also formed one of the few truly fresh interpretations of a sports watch with an integrated bracelet in recent years. This year Bulgari continue their run with the all new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar.
There are two different expressions of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar that have been launched, one in platinum with a blue dial and the other in titanium, a material that the Octo Finissimo is more than familiar with, in a grey dial. The benchmark setting cases measure just 5.80mm tall, with the reference in platinum featuring a blue leather strap that matches the dial, with the titanium example arriving on the recognisable integrated bracelet.
How has this achievement been made possible? It’s all thanks to the calibre BVL 305 housed within both watches, measuring just 2.75mm thick despite containing a pretty jaw-dropping 408 components. The Le Sentier based watchmakers behind this development have continued to use a micro-rotor to power the watch, delivering an impressive 60 hours of power reserve despite the complications that the watch offers.
As you might expect from the design-led Octo Finissimo collection, nothing has been lost in the bold architecture of the case and dial layouts. The complications are able to be set via just three hidden pushers on the case sides, with each one linked to the date, day and month indications. The dial layout is striking, with what might be a quiet nod to the late Gerald Genta in the retrograde date indicator, which was a favourite complication of Genta when he worked with the brand at the turn of the millennium.
Both the date and leap-year indicators are in a retrograde format, maintaining symmetry with the more typical day and month indicators found in the lower half of the dial. While the dial of the reference in titanium has been finished with the sandblasted effect we have grown to love in the Octo Finissimo family, the blue dial of the platinum reference has an attractive sunburst finishing that is sure to play with the light nicely.
It is exciting to see the brand continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in the Octo Finissimo family in terms of complications. Will there be another record broken in 2022? We’ll have to wait and see, but at this stage the team at Bulgari must be scratching their heads over what else there is left to do.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar price and availability:
Pricing for the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar in titanium is CHF57,000 and platinum is CHF86,000. For more details, visit Bulgari right here.