Bulgari is flipping the script on watchmaking. The latest introductions from its record-breaking Octo Finissimo collection include two models, one in steel and the other in rose gold, that show off a sketch of their interior movements on their time-only dials (a Chronograph GMT version will also be available, but pictures were not provided as of press time). If you need a cocktail party conversation starter, these will certainly do the trick.
The new design is the brainchild of Bulgari watchmaking’s not-so-secret weapon, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, who is known for his love of sketching and is never without his set of pens and paper for whipping up a new design. In fact, he even told Robb Report that he has a collection of pens. He also has so many sketches that he told us, “They are everywhere in my house and at my office. I put all of the same sketches for the same subject in a folder and I put them in a drawer because at the end of the month there is tons of paper.” You can catch a glimpse of some of his artwork for jewelry designs here, but now Bulgari is taking his drawings and making them center stage on watch dials. It’s wildly creative and clever and you have to wonder why more watchmaking houses don’t employ designers who think outside of the box to this degree. Buonamassa Stigliani began his career designing cars for the Turin Automotive Group, where he helped develop cars for Fiat and Alfa Romeo, but later turned toward smaller, but no less complicated, creations when he joined Bulgari in 2001. Under his wing, Bulgari has garnered nine world records for the Octo Finissimo—a groundbreaking watch both in terms of design and complication.
The illustrated dial of the Octo Finissimo Automatique BVL 138 Sketch further charts unexplored territory for the Italian maison‘s 140th anniversary. It provides a preview of the micro-rotor, escapement, bridges, rubies, and Côtes de Genève finishing that is visible IRL through the caseback. Each piece is 40 by 6.4 mm, powered by the in-house automatic BVL 138 caliber, which is just 2.3 mm in height and has a 60-hour power reserve. (The Chronograph GMT version is 43 by 8.75 mm and has 55 hours of power reserve.) All come with “EDIZIONE LIMITATE” (limited edition in Italian) and “1884-2024” to celebrate Bulgari’s big anniversary. The steel time-only version will be limited to 280 pieces, while the rose gold model will be limited to 70. Just 140 pieces of the steel GMT will be made. The steel model is €17,800 (approximately $19,500 at current exchange) and the rose-gold version is €51,000 ($55,730). If you’re lucky enough to spot one in the wild, you won’t soon forget it.
Previously published on Robb Report USA
Photography: Bulgari
