Video – Octo Finissimo, or How Bvlgari Became a Master of Ultra-Thin

Yes, the Italians did it again… Breaking one record after another, Bvlgari’s signature ultra-thin collection, the Octo Finissimo, continues its victorious onward march. Almost every year, the Roman brand comes out with something even more staggering, even thinner and still, highly contemporary in design. Bvlgari has not only managed to become a Master of the ultra-thin complication but it has literally revamped and refreshed a category that was usually quite conservative. And because the Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon was introduced earlier this year as the thinnest automatic watch and the thinnest tourbillon watch, it is high time to understand how the brand became the master of wafer-thin movements.

6 years ago

Buying Guide – 5 of the Most Iconic Luxury Sports Watches You Can Buy in 2018 (and one accessible alternative)

In the same vein as we already did with chronographs and dive watches, it’s time now to look at what probably is the current hottest watch category: the luxury sports watch. Born in the 1970s as a true disruptive concept, deliberately provocative back then – remember those ads claiming “a steel watch more expensive than gold” – and a category that today creates the buzz on the second-hand market… As those buying guides only take the best from the best, here are the 5 most iconic luxury sports watches you can buy in 2018 – or at least, dream to buy, as some are close to being unreachable.

6 years ago

First Look – The Revamped Bvlgari Bvlgari – Slimmer, Bolder and with New Materials

The Bvlgari Bvlgari has been one of the brand’s most emblematic watches for over 40 years. The model was born in 1975 as the Bulgari brothers decided to create a watch as an exclusive gift for their best 100 clients. What started as a gift became an enduring Bvlgari design, reinventing itself over the years. Inspired by ancient Roman coins, the watch features pure, simple but powerful lines. In an original way, there is no logo on the dial. Instead, the Bvlgari logo engraved twice on the bezel, earning the timepiece the nickname “BB”. And this icon has just received a discreet facelift, to make it more modern.

6 years ago

Hands-on – The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton now Available in Sandblasted Rose Gold

At Baselworld 2018, Bvlgari continued the expansion of its award-winning collection Octo Finissimo – and in the nicest possible way, with the world’s thinnest automatic and tourbillon watch, as well as a trilogy of automatic watches in sandblasted titanium, steel or gold. The latter – which we described in details here – clearly gave the collection its own personality. This is why the Octo Finissimo Skeleton, previously available in titanium, full black and two-tone, is now changing style with a Sandblasted Rose Gold case, in order to be coherent with the latest introductions.

6 years ago

Opinion – A Personal Take on the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Sandblasted Steel

No need to hide the truth, the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic was one of the highlights of 2017 – if not the most impressive watch (ultra-complicated ones excluded) of the year. Not only it is ultra-thin, but it is also ultra-bold, modernly designed, inspired and innovative. Certainly, some created even thinner (that one) but not with the same stylistic audaciousness. Presented first in titanium, I thought I had found my perfect watch. But that was before Baselworld 2018 and the new Sandblasted Steel version. You think it doesn’t change much? Yes… and no.

6 years ago

Industry News – First-Half 2018 Results of LVMH Watches and Jewelry Division On The Rise

Today, just after the closing of the Paris Stock Exchange, luxury powerhouse LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) announced its First-Half 2018 results. After showing strong results at the end of the year 2017, the group continues its progression, both in terms of sales and profitability. As for the Watches and Jewelry Division, the brands under portfolio follow the same trend, with a strong growth again for sales and profits.

6 years ago

Hands-on – The New, All-Black versions of the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton and L’Originale Chronograph

The Octo is a true compendium of Bvlgari’s sense of design. With its graphic shapes and pure lines, its style is powerful, modern yet elegant. Over the past few years, the Italian watchmaker turned one model into an entire men’s watch collection with striking launches including the unapologetically chic Finissimo Trilogy and its several world records – including the recently introduced thinnest automatic watch. The Octo line now welcomes two new models opting for the vigour and dynamism of black, the Octo Finissimo Skeleton Black Edition and the Octo L’Originale Chronograph Black Edition.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – The Mighty Return of Ultra-Thin Watches

Miniaturisation has always been one of the watchmaking industry’s main objectives. With the advent of complicated watches and the development of the wristwatch, this issue became critical. Fitting multiple functions into a single movement, which has to remain wearable, requires re-imagining space. This also led to the development of ultra-thin watches, guided initially by a desire for elegance, but also in the framework of constant improvement. Popular since the 1960s but slightly forgotten during the 2000s (with the trend for large timepieces), ultra-thin watches recently made a strong comeback – a trend that has sparked open warfare between Piaget and Bvlgari – amongst others.

7 years ago