When it comes to men’s watches at Bulgari there are two periods: Before the Octo Finissimo, and After. It really was a landmark moment. The release of the first Octo Finissimo in 2014 —the ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Tourbillon— completely changed people’s perception of what Bulgari in the watch space.
Not only was it the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch at the time, but the debut of the Finissimo collection showcased a whole new level of innovation and craftsmanship that we were able to produce.
For the next ten years the evolution of the collection was wildly successful, setting multiple world records in the thinnest watch category, and winning many awards for watchmaking and design—including the industry’s coveted top award, the Aiguille d’Or, in 2021 for the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar. We achieved amazing results on a commercial perspective where to date the watches are almost sold out the world over, and it is almost impossible for us to produce more than we are doing.
From a design perspective, the project was pivotal. It was the biggest challenge in Bulgari’s history when it comes to watches, and I would also say our biggest learning. The project allowed for us to completely reimagine how we created our in-house watch movements, and through it we were also able to establish a new design language: an elegant, minimalist aesthetic with a monochromatic look and elevated matte-finish.
I love the monochromatic approach. It is very simple, very intimate. There is so much other complex craftsmanship involved in the movement of the Finissimo that we didn’t want to overdo it when it came to the case aesthetics. It is its own aesthetic.
I sometimes think of the first ten years as Phase One of the Octo Finissimo story. It wasabout establishing it as a product; introducing the new design; and presenting a new way to wear a lightweight high-complication wristwatch. Whereas now I see us in a second Phase, which is about the maturity of the collection. For many brands in the historical world of watches, 10 years is nothing, and that is why ‘Phase Two’ is very much the continuation of a line, rather than a deviation.
You could say that the Finissimo is like the Formula One branch of our watch business. It is a flagship product, which receives significant investment in terms of continued research and development, but a lot of the learnings are taken from it and then disseminated into the rest of the business. For example, in the Finissimo project we played with many materials including titanium, gold, carbon, ceramic and steel, and through that we not only learnt how these materials would improve the aesthetic, but also how using them in the movement could also improve its quality.
For me the best example of this is the bracelet, which was a total new design and has now become something that we factor into the future of all our other watches. The bracelet was one of the real triumphs from the Octo Finissimo experience in terms of its longevity. In essence, at Bulgari there was life before the Octo Finissimo and there is new life after
As told to Matthew Priest in conversation