Yes, it is extremely difficult to conceive that a watch can be as thin as 1.8mm. And it’s not just the movement — not that it’s any easier to think of that either — but the entire Octo Finissimo Ultra watch, with strap et al, that limbos under that minuscule bar height.
Naturally, if with the bar set that high (or low, depending how one looks at it) it is not going to be easy to make the watch as it is not going to be just about miniaturising the existing components since the limits of materials and the minimum thicknesses at which they can be made to work will not be enough to make it within these parameters. The need, therefore, would be to rethink the construction of the entire watch all over again. And that is exactly what Bulgari has done.
To keep the watch as flat as possible the makers had to think through most of the stacks in an usual watch, like hours and seconds hands and separate them and place the crown below the case, which is also the base plate for the components
There is no separate case for this watch. The baseplate that supports the components of the movement is also the case. To make it strong and rigid at that thickness the material chosen has been sandblasted titanium instead of the usual stainless steel or precious metals such as gold. The bracelet is also made of the same material and is 1.50mm thick. The dial invites a closer look into the depth of the mechanism. A unique QR code offers the ability to connect to a NFT and the metaverse.
Stacks, even basic ones such as the hour and seconds hands, have been separated to save thickness and placed side by side. So has the balance wheel. The stainless steel crown is flattened and placed below the case rather than at the side, and in spite of all this, Bulgari has managed to keep the diameter of the Octo Finissimo Ultra at 40mm, which is a commendable feat.
As functions go, this is pretty basic with just hour and minute hands and manual winding with a power reserve of 50 hours. This Octo Finissimo Ultra is a limited edition run of only 10 pieces and one would be lucky to get hold of one even though they are coming at 400,000 euros a pop. This isn’t exactly a daily wear, but coming from Bulgari, possibly as close to it that one could get at this thickness.
Pictures courtesy: Bulgari
8 years, records
Ever since it launched the Octo Finissimo in 2014, Bulgari has been pushing the limits and has been setting one record after another with it every year. This year it aimed for the thinnest watch, a record so far held by the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept at 2mm. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra has beaten that record by 0.2mm and is now the size zero champ at 1.8mm.