Buying Guide – 5 Mechanical Marvels from Baselworld 2018

On the contrary of most of the other buying guides we’ve published, the present one is more of a “wish list” or a “dream list” rather than a proper guide – or consider it a guide for those who already have everything they need and more. Nothing here is rational, it’s all about passion, ingenuity, creativity and impressive mechanics. From the thinnest automatic watch ever created to a signing automaton or an atomic sympathique clock, here the 5 most impressive mechanical creations we’ve seen at Baselworld 2018.

7 years ago

Women’s Watch Wednesday – Bvlgari Diva Finissima Minute Repeater – Another Striking Thinness World Record

Bvlgari is on a roll setting record after horological record in the ultra-thin category. Who can forget the succession of impressive victories obtained by the 2014 Octo Finissmo Tourbillon, the 2016 Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, the 2017 Octo Finissimo Automatic and this year’s Octo Finisimmo Automatic Tourbillon? Just when you thought that the brand might be running out of steam in the ultra-lean complication department, Bvlgari pulls another rabbit out of the hat with its beautiful chiming masterpiece for women: the Diva Finissima Minute Repeater. As the world slimmest women’s minute repeater watch, the Diva Finissima incarnates Bvlgari’s passion for Swiss mechanical pyrotechnics and its irresistible Italian design flair.

7 years ago

Video – The Baselworld 2018 Bvlgari Octo Watches (incl. the new World Record) Fully Explained

After successively launching the thinnest tourbillon watch (the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon), the thinnest minute repeater watch (the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater) and, at that time, the thinnest automatic watch (the Octo Finissimo Automatic), we thought that the Bvlgari Watches team was about to slow things down a bit, just to let us breathe. Wrong! For Baselworld 2018, we had to be stunned, again… Here are the Baselworld 2018 Bvlgari Octo Watches, fully explained by Guido Terreni (Managing Director of Bvlgari Watches), including the new world record watch and the superb Sandblasted Trilogy.

7 years ago

Buying Guide – 10 Of The Best Tourbillon Watches From Baselworld 2018

The Tourbillon is often presented as the king of complications. Originally invented to combat the negative effect of earth attraction (a.k.a gravity), it remains today an inevitable feature for all high-end brands – as a demonstration of watchmakers’ capabilities to manufacture such small mechanisms. As for each edition of Baselworld, 2018 has brought its share of new Tourbillon watches. We have put together 10 highlights watches, all featuring such a regulating organ (and more).

7 years ago

Baselworld 2018 – Bvlgari Introduces the Octo Finissimo Automatic Sandblasted Trilogy (now in Steel or Gold, in addition to Titanium)

Exactly a year ago, Bvlgari stunned the watchmaking world by launching what was then the thinnest automatic watch on the market, the Octo Finissimo Automatic. The best things about this watch was that it had nothing to do with a shy, demure timepiece. Instead, Bvlgari came out with what we think is a true example of a luxury sports watch (see it face to face with the mother of them all, the RO). For Baselworld 2018, what was a single watch becomes a trilogy and a fully-fledged collection, with the introduction of the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Sandblasted in steel and 18k rose gold.

7 years ago

Baselworld 2018 – Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic – The New Thinnest Automatic Watch (and Tourbillon) at 3.95mm

Game on! The race between Bvlgari and Piaget to prove who can manufacture the thinnest watch in the world continues. At Baselworld 2017, Bvlgari introduced the Octo Finissimo Automatic, a true luxury sports watch with a bold design and the thinnest automatic movement on the market. At the SIHH 2018, Piaget trumpeted not one, but two world records: the thinnest mechanical watch ever and the thinnest automatic watch. Baselworld 2018 has opened its doors and Bvlgari sets two new records in a single watch: the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch and the world’s thinnest automatic watch. Meet the new Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic – and yes, it is paper thin, at 3.95mm thick.

7 years ago

Video – CEO Jean-Christophe Babin Discusses the Bvlgari 2018 Novelties

Like every year, the month of January was mainly driven by the SIHH and all the novelties that we’ve presented to you during this hectic week. Hosting eighteen large brands (among them Richemont brands) and seventeen smaller Independents, yet, there are always several brands exposing their novelties elsewhere in the city of Geneva. One of these brands …

7 years ago

The New Bulgari Octo l’Originale Solotempo in full Titanium

Bulgari made quite an impact last year when they unveiled their record-breaking, ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Automatic. In total, the sand-blasted titanium case measured just 5.15mm thick, an incredible achievement and one that in my opinion, looks absolutely superb on the wrist. Others, however, found it simply too thin, not to mention, also quite expensive. Fortunately for those people, Bulgari’s new Octo L’Originale SoloTempo Titanium offers a very similar aesthetic, in a slightly thicker case and at a more wallet-friendly price point.

7 years ago

LVMH 2017 Annual Report Shows Double-Digit Growth for the Watch and Jewelry Division

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury group, recorded revenue of EUR 42.6 billion in 2017, an increase of 13% over the previous year. The group also shows a sustained growth in organic revenue, with a 12% increase. The group profit is up 18%, at EUR 8,293 million. All business divisions recorded double-digit organic growth, with the exception of Wines and Spirits. For what is our main concern here, the watchmaking industry, LVMH (owner, among others, of TAG Heuer, Hublot, Zenith and Bulgari) reports an ‘Excellent year for Bvlgari and good progress at Hublot and TAG Heuer’.

7 years ago