Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra

Bulgari presents Octo Finissimo Ultra, the world’s thinnest mechanical watch. It has surpassed the record of the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept, which has a thickness of 2mm. This innovative ultrathin timepiece from the Octo Finissimo family redefines the codes of Haute Horlogerie with an astonishing thickness of 1.80 mm. It is also the eighth record for the Bulgari Octo Finissimo collection in the ultra-thin watches segment.

The Octo Finissimo Ultra also retains all the codes of the collection. It features the monochrome style signature of sandblasted titanium. The 40 mm octagonal case is fitted on an integrated bracelet as thin as the watch. As for the seconds display on the wheel at 6 o’clock, it is once again off-centred in relation to the indication of the hours and minutes on two regulator-type counters.

The extremely thin mechanical movement (BVL Calibre 180) was developed in collaboration with Concepto, La Chaux-de-Fonds. The construction of the Octo Finissimo Ultra uses the caseback as a mainplate on which the 170 components of the BVL Calibre 180 are integrated.

The volume of the bracelet links also had to be totally rethought since, at 1.80 mm thick, they fit perfectly into the continuity of the thinness of the case, yet are twice as thin as an ordinary Octo Finissimo bracelet. In addition, the folding clasp had to be designed according to new parameters.

The case middle, bezel and titanium lugs as well as the caseback/mainplate element are made in tungsten carbide, a particularly dense, hard and ultra-resistant combination of carbon and tungsten. Moreover, in order to take advantage of the entire surface of the watch, the hours and minutes dials, the large barrel – which stores 50 hours of power reserve – as well as the escapement made light of the circular geometry of the bezel opening by doing things a little differently.

In addition to displaying time indications, the dial also serves to hold other components in place. Instead of a classic vertical crown, the watch comes with two horizontally placed knobs – one for winding and the other for setting – which enable easy handling when the watch is on the wrist. To achieve exceptional thinness, all the watch functions are in the same horizontal plane. Another ingenious innovation lies in a differential gear mechanism serving to handle time-setting without disturbing the gear train.

A total of eight patent applications have been filed. They relate to the watch glass assembly, barrel structure, oscillator module, differential display, modular structure, bracelet, bimetal case middle-mainplate/caseback, as well as the Bvlgari Singvlarity technology.

The barrel’s ratchet wheel has a QR code engraved on it. Once scanned, this individual key invites you into a new dimension, connected to a unique timeless experience.

Each of the ten first Octo Finissimo Ultra timepieces will be delivered with an exclusive NFT artwork which, thanks to blockchain technology, guarantees the authenticity and uniqueness of the watch. It also gives each owner exclusive access to a digital universe dedicated to their own watch.

Technical details

Model: OCTO FINISSIMO ULTRA

Movement
BVL Calibre 180
Mechanical ultra-thin Manufacture manual-winding movement (1.50 mm thick)
Winding and time-setting wheels in stainless steel; seconds display directly on the fourth wheel
Ratchet wheel engraved with unique QR code that links to an exclusive NFT artwork
50-hour power reserve
Frequency: 28,800 VPH (4 Hz)

Case and dial
40 mm sandblasted titanium case and tungsten carbide plate with anthracite DLC treatment (1.80 mm thick)
Hours and minutes counter
Black PVD-treated hands
Water-resistant to 1 ATM

Bracelet
Ultra-thin titanium bracelet with integrated folding clasp

Edition
Limited edition of 10 pieces

Octo Finissimo World records

• 2014: OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON MANUAL – Thinnest manual-winding tourbillon watch (1.95 mm)

• 2016: OCTO FINISSIMO MINUTE REPEATER – Thinnest minute repeater watch (3.12 mm)

• 2017: OCTO FINISSIMO AUTOMATIC – Thinnest self-winding watch (2.23 mm)

• 2018: OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON AUTOMATIC – Thinnest self-winding tourbillon watch (3.95 mm)

• 2019: OCTO FINISSIMO CHRONOGRAPH GMT AUTOMATIC – Thinnest self-winding chronograph with GMT (3.30 mm)

• 2020: OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH SKELETON AUTOMATIC – Thinnest self-winding skeleton watch with chronograph and tourbillon (3.50 mm)

• 2021: OCTO FINISSIMO PERPETUAL CALENDAR– Thinnest perpetual calendar watch (2.75 mm)

• 2022: OCTO FINISSIMO ULTRA – Thinnest mechanical hand-wound watch (1.80 mm)