VIDEO: The watches of Bulgari’s record-breaking Octo Finissimo collection explained

Felix Scholz

It’s probably a cliché to say that the Italian jewellery house of Bulgari is going through a watchmaking renaissance, but it’s hard to argue with the sense of renewed vigour and energy that’s flowing through their unashamedly modern designs. And at the core of this rebirth is one design – The Octo. What began life as one of Gérald Genta’s characteristic octagonals has evolved into something more stripped-back, focused, and much, much thinner. The man who has driven this evolution is Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Director of Bulgari’s Watches Design Center, a designer who’s swapped fast cars for something much, much smaller.

We recently caught up with Fabrizio and discussed Bulgari’s record-breaking journey, which began in 2014 with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon and continued in 2016 with the incredible Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater. The most recent leg in the trip is the thinnest automatic on the market, the Octo Finissimo Automatic. And based on the critical success and popular appeal of the line, we’d be surprised if we don’t see a lot more of the industrial-chic aesthetic of the Octo Finissimo.