Category: BULGARI

Bulgari has just expanded its Octo Finissimo collection with two new models that now arrive with a carbon case and gold accents.

The new Bulgaris arrive in an ultra-thin 40mm case, in anthracite tones that more resemble a night camouflage and whose material “obligatorily” extends to its integrated bracelet. Rose gold crown at 3 o’clock with a black cap and sapphire crystal on both sides.

In its more simplistic version, the Automatic, the carbon dial features the traditional layout of applied indices and the Arabic numerals at 12-6 o’clock that are here in gold, as with the small seconds at 7 o’clock and the Dauphine faceted centre hands.

In the Perpetual Calendar version, we find a busier carbon dial, which, in addition to the same two central hands, is accompanied by a retrograde date that occupies the northern hemisphere of the dial, two sub-dials at 4:30 and 7:30 which provide the month and day of the week respectively and lastly the Leap year indicator at 6 o´clock.

Inside, the BVL138 (Octo Finissimo Automatic) and BVL309 (Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar) automatic micro-rotor movements operate, which reach 21,600 Vph and offer up to 60 hours of power reserve.

The watches arrive with prices ranging between USD 26,800 and USD 89,000 for the Automatic and Perpetual Calendar.

More information here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Bulgari

Model: Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic, Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar

Reference: 103778 (Perpetual Calendar), 103779 (Automatic)

Dial: Black

Lume: No

Case Material: Carbon

Case Dimensions: 40 mm Diameter

Crystal: Sapphire

Case Back: Sapphire

Water Resistance: 100 Meters

Strap: Carbon bracelet with folding clasp

Caliber: BVL 138 (Automatic), BVL 309 (Perpetual Calendar)

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds (Automatic), day (Perpetual Calendar), retrograde date (Perpetual Calendar), month (Perpetual Calendar), leap year (Perpetual Calendar)

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 21,600 Vph

Power Reserve: 60 Hours

Price: USD 26,800 (Automatic), USD 89,000 (Perpetual Calendar)

Limited Edition: No

With summer in mind, five novelties have arrived in the Bulgari universe, in the form of four new Aluminum models and a new Caliber.

And starting with the new B381 movement based on the Sellita SW300 now equips the Aluminum Chronograph black and white model reintroduced in 2020 as well as a new version of the same model but now all in black, in addition to the new Caliber these two models come to be a slightly wider with the aluminium case now measuring 41mm in diameter instead of the past 40mm.

Everything else remains, namely the dial with the three counters at positions 3-6-9, the date window at 4:30 and three central hands. On the outside, they feature the distinctive black rubber bezel with the brand’s double inscription, as well as the articulated bracelet made of the same material with aluminium links and pin buckle.

Each version can be purchased for €5,000, with the new all-black version available in June.

But it is the two Capri limited editions that invite the summer season, a “Chronograph” and another “Solotempo” version, both share a gradient blue dial reminiscent of sea water, whose light tones at the top become darker at the bottom.

The dial layout does not present many more novelties, with the chronograph version coming with the three counters and yellow small hands that combine with the chronograph centre seconds hand tip, and finally, a date window at 4:30, while the Solotempo version comes with the traditional three centre hands, and a date window at 3 o’clock.

On the outside, the two new Aluminum Capri come with a 40mm aluminium case, titanium case back, DLC-coated titanium crown and pushers, bezel with the brand’s double signature in blue rubber and whose material extends to the bracelet.

Inside, the chronograph comes with Caliber B130 based on ETA 2894 and the Solotime with Caliber B77 based on ETA 2892, automatic movements that run at 28,800 Vph and offer up to 42 hours of power reserve.

Each of the models is limited to 1,000 units and can be purchased for €5,200 and €3,600 respectively.

Finally, we have another novelty, which is the new green Match Point Edition, thinking tennis enthusiasts, which features a silvery-white dial, with hour and minute hands filled with lume, a centre seconds hand with a yellow tip and a round-shape counterbalance, but in a different yellow tone from the one displayed on Capri, as here the yellow adopted is the one we find in the tone of the tennis balls, stick hour markers and Arabic numerals in dark green and date window at 3 hours.

On the outside, it wears the same 40mm aluminium case as the Capri versions but with the crown on the left at 9 o’clock (for lefties? but not only), titanium case back and DLC-coated titanium crown, dark green rubber bezel and bracelet with a velcro strap closure.

Inside, like the Capri Solotempo version, it is equipped with Caliber B77.

It is also a limited edition, here with 800 pieces, which will be available from July for a price of €3,600.

More information here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Bulgari

Model: Aluminium White Chronograph, Aluminium Black Chronograph, Aluminium Capri Chronograph, Aluminium Capri Solotempo, Aluminium Match Point

Reference: 103722 (white chronograph), 103868 (black chronograph), 103815 (capri solotempo), 103844 (capri chronograph), 103854 (match point)

Dial: Blue, black, silvery-white, white

Lume: Super-LumiNova

Case Material: Aluminium

Case Dimensions: 41 mm Diameter x 11.1 mm thickness (black chronograph, white chronograph), 40 mm Diameter x 11.1 mm thickness (capri chronograph), 40 mm Diameter x 9.4 mm thickness (capri solotempo, match point)

Crystal: Sapphire

Case Back: Titanium

Strap: Rubber bracelet with aluminium links and pin buckle (black chronograph, white chronograph, capri chrono, capri solotempo), Rubber bracelet with aluminium links and velcro strap closure (match point)

Caliber: B381 (black chronograph, white chronograph), B130 (capri chronograph), B77 (capri solotempo, match point)

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds (capri solotempo, match point), date, small seconds (black chronograph, white chronograph, capri chronograph), chronograph (black chronograph, white chronograph, capri chronograph)

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 Vph)

Power Reserve: 42 Hours

Price: € 5,000 (black chronograph, white chronograph), € 3,600 (capri solotempo, match point), € 5,200 (capri chronograph)

Limited Edition: No (black chronograph, white chronograph), Yes, 1,000 pieces each (capri), 800 pieces (match point)

Bvlgari in collaboration with Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo has just released a limited edition of 50 pieces of the Octo Finissimo.

Although this is not the first collaboration between the prestigious auction house and watch brands, we can say that it is quite unexpected and that it pleasantly surprises us.

The watch comes on the outside dressed in a sandblasted titanium case very identical to the one launched in 2014 and whose highlight is its symmetrical dial, without the usual off-centre running seconds, and inspired by heritage Italian design and contemporary Italian architecture.

Thus, on the grey background tone of the textured dial rests an outer railway track with baton hour markers, a second inner ring and big Arabic 12 and 6 numerals all engraved by laser in bronze instead of the option for layer dial. And finally, skeletonized hour and minute hands with a black coating.

The titanium case measuring 40mm in diameter and 5.15mm thick features a sandblasted finish that extends to the integrated titanium bracelet, crown at three o’clock with a black cap insert, sapphire crystal and 30 meters of water resistance.

Inside, it comes with the original BVL 138 micro-rotor first-generation automatic movement, which operates at 21,600 Vph and offers up to 60 hours of power reserve. Although the most recent generation of Caliber BVL 138 is more efficient, it is not all bad, as the first generation offers a more attractive decoration whose sapphire back case invites us to observe, and which is engraved in black with the edition limited and with the name of the auctioneer.

The new Octo Finissimo is now available for a price of $16,600 which represents a premium of just $1,000 over the standard titanium model.

Our Opinion

Despite not being a fan of the Bvlgari Octo since the beginning, I must confess that this is perhaps the model that has pleased me the most so far.

The option for the symmetrical, uncomplicated dial and its bronze accents, as well as the simplicity of the two hands, takes us back to the origins of wristwatches, whose main function was to indicate real-time.

They will certainly delight some collectors, as many will be left out due to the reduced number of pieces available, given the very attractive price.

More information here.

General Specifications:

Brand: Bulgari

Model: Octo Finissimo Special Edition Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo

Reference: 103709

Dial: Grey

Lume: No

Case Material: Sandblasted titanium

Case Dimensions: 40 mm Diameter, 5.15 mm thickness

Crystal: Sapphire

Case Back: Sapphire

Strap: Sandblasted titanium bracelet

Caliber: BVL 138

Functions: Hours, minutes

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 21,600 Vph

Power Reserve: 60 Hours

Price: USD 16,600

Limited Edition: 50 pieces