- Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon

EMBARGO APRIL 1^st 9am Swiss Time

Bvlgari debuts at Watches and Wonders 2025

Two Visionary Icons – Octo Finissimo and Serpenti – further innovated in a Spectacular Temple

Geneva. Watches and Wonders. The must-attend event of the international watchmaking scene. For the first time, Bvlgari is participating in this extraordinary global event. A symbolic milestone.

-        Bvlgari debuts at Watches and Wonders with an exhibition space that embodies its dual identity and Roman origins and DNA.

-        Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon sets a 10^th world record for ultra-thin watchmaking confirming its status of icon of the 21^st century as well as an unrivalled watchmaking expertise.

-        Serpenti Aeterna reimagines the Maison’s iconic reptile in a bold, avant-garde jewellery creation.

“We are thrilled to join Watches and Wonders for the first time, especially in a space designed to fully express our DNA as both a jewellery and watchmaking Maison. Over the past decade, we have cemented our position at the forefront of horology, seamlessly blending Swiss innovation with Italian creativity and design genius.

As we celebrate 25 years of exceptional watchmaking innovation under LVMH impulse, and the “creative passion” motto, we reflect on the innovation, and craftsmanship that define our vision. Watches and Wonders offers the perfect stage to showcase the journey that started in 2014– one that led us to set 10 world records on Octo Finissimo and to unveil our 13th revolutionary movement in just 11 years, with Bvlgari Piccolissimo, Bvlgari Micro Tourbillon Lady and Bvlgari Lady Solo Tempo all 3 innovating ladies jewelry and regular watches.

With the Octo Finissimo and Serpenti watches, we continue to explore new territories, to push the boundaries of design and fine watchmaking, and open new perspectives in horology.” – Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO LVMH Watches and CEO of Bvlgari.

This debut also marks an evolution. Bvlgari, Master of the Art of Time, asserts its unmistakable identity: that of a Roman jeweller evolved into a Swiss watchmaker. By drawing on its rich heritage, the Maison continues to break new ground and shape the future.

A Breath of Italy at Watches and Wonders

Bvlgari presents exceptional timepieces while highlighting its dual expertise in fine jewellery and high watchmaking.

Channelling Bvlgari’s deeply Roman soul, the exhibition space invites visitors to immerse themselves in the Maison’s Italian culture, distinctive elegance, and avant-garde creative vision – through the most beautiful marble hues and a blend of precious materials. The experience begins at the façade, which features elements of the Razionalista Roman architectural style, making an immediate impact. Inside, seven curated showcases – inspired by Beyond Time, the definitive chronicle of the Maison’s horological history –   guide visitors through the universe of Bvlgari. Each display is a chapter that tells the story of an iconic creation. Archival photographs provide historical context for the most avant-garde pieces, creating a dialogue between past and present.

Within this carefully crafted setting, Bvlgari reveals its capacity to evolve and redefine elegance in watchmaking. Here, the Maison unveils two significant new releases, two visions of time: the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon and the Serpenti Aeterna.

BVLGARI Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon

Finesse in Every Dimension

Beyond setting a new thinness record, the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon stands as a manifesto. By integrating a skeleton tourbillon into the movement of a watch with a total thickness of just 1.85 mm, the Roman jeweller’s Swiss watchmaking division demonstrates its horological expertise with watchmaking’s most emblematic complication.

The tourbillon holds a special place in Bvlgari’s heart: it was the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon that launched the Maison’s pursuit of extreme thinness in 2014, setting in motion a decade-long odyssey that has led to ten world records and more than 60 international awards including the prestigious and highly coveted Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix “Aiguille d’Or”. Octo Finissimo has been by far the most awarded timepiece and collection of the 21^st century so far.

Since its invention in the 18th century, the tourbillon has stood as the pinnacle of watchmaking precision. Aesthetically fascinating, its perpetual motion echoes the rhythm of a beating heart, giving soul to the timepiece. It is no coincidence that Bvlgari’s journey toward ultra-thinness began with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon. In 2014, its hand-wound movement, just 1.95 mm thick, was the world’s thinnest flying tourbillon at the time.

Skeletonisation – The Art of Sculpting Transparency

Today, Bvlgari has taken skeletonisation to the next level on the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon – to maximise light diffusion throughout the movement. This approach creates striking contrasts through contemporary decorative techniques applied to key visible components: the bezel flange’s polished slope, the finely rhodium-plated tourbillon balance and inertia blocks, and the sunburst-finished, rhodium-plated tourbillon bridge – refined modern finishes that subtly enhance the watch’s mechanical artistry. Each skeletonised component must have the right balance between efficiency and aesthetics, between resistance, reliability, and ornamentation. It means the margin for error is even smaller. The exposed nature of a skeleton movement demands absolute perfection in design, execution, and finishing.

The World’s Thinnest Flying Tourbillon

Drawing its power from its Roman heritage, the Octo collection by Bvlgari is part of a long architectural tradition. The octagonal shape was inspired by the coffered ceilings of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. Since its foundation in 1884, the Eternal City and the splendor of its monuments have always played a central role in the creative identity of the Maison. The Octo extracts a pure, modernist vision from this heritage, through a contemporary lens. This vision is reinforced by the monochromatic grey aesthetic of the ultra-thin Octo models. This stylistic signature underlines the desire to strive for purity and the quintessence of fine watchmaking. It forms a cohesive whole that enables Bvlgari to elevate ultra-thinness to the status of a watchmaking complication.

It is a fact: Bvlgari’s new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon is now the thinnest tourbillon watch ever. Measuring 40 mm in diameter and just 1.85 mm in thickness, it is powered by the BVF 900 tourbillon calibre. This manually wound mechanical movement beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and offers a 42-hour power reserve. Such specifications and the records they set showcase the exceptional prowess of the watchmakers and engineers at the Bvlgari Manufacture.

By applying its expertise in finesse to the tourbillon – its most emblematic precision complication – Bvlgari expresses the essence of its watchmaking philosophy. “The idea was to create a watch that encapsulates all our expertise. It's not just about having the finest design but achieving a precise execution that tells the story of the Octo Finissimo series, while respecting the integrity of its distinctive aesthetic codes. Every detail, from the indexes to the tourbillon skeleton, bears witness to our commitment to excellence,” explains Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Product Creation Executive Director at Bvlgari.

A Human Engineering Journey

The hallmark of the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon is its tungsten carbide main plate that houses the mechanical movement. Watches usually consist of a case containing the movement. For centuries, watchmakers pursued flatter profiles primarily for aesthetic elegance. Traditionally, watchmakers pursued thinness for greater elegance. This objective introduced unique challenges related to structure and stiffness. To solve this complex equation, the teams at Bvlgari developed a blend of advanced materials.

The new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon features a bezel, case middle, and lugs crafted from microbead-frosted titanium, while the main plate is constructed from tungsten carbide. The two planar ‘crowns’ – each protruding ever so slightly from the side of the case, at left (8 o’clock) to wind the mechanism and at right (3 o’clock) to set the time – are fashioned from stainless steel and circular-grained; likewise, the ratchet, adorned with engraved geometric decorations, is rendered in circular-grained steel. For optimal legibility, the hour dial features rhodium-plated hour and minute hands set against a sand-blasted brass surface with an DLC anthracite coating - unlike its predecessors, the Octo Finissimo Ultra and Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, which were regulators with two decorrelated hour and minute dials.

Perfectly complementing the watch, the integrated microbead-frosted titanium bracelet mirrors its ultra-thin aesthetic, measuring just 1.5mm thick—including the folding clasp. Once again, Bvlgari has masterfully fused complexity and elegance to create a timepiece of exceptional finesse.

Pushing Boundaries Since 2014: The Quest for Ultra-Thin Watchmaking in 10 World Records

A masterful demonstration of extreme finesse, the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon showcases Bvlgari's mastery of extreme thinness and represents another breakthrough in their innovative approach to watchmaking. “Each record has been a stepping stone. Setting a record isn't just about crossing barriers – it's about redefining what's possible in mechanical watchmaking. With each challenge, we've had to rethink not only traditional techniques but also how watches are designed and developed,” explains Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO LVMH Watches and CEO of Bvlgari.

Mobilising all the expertise of the Bvlgari Manufacture, this particularly complex project involved revisiting the traditional fundamentals of the profession to design a watch in two dimensions rather than three. This bold approach sparked fresh energy within Bvlgari’s teams, fostering unprecedented creative collaboration to tackle a challenge of this scale. Perfecting and rethinking techniques—such as returning to a two-hand display—added a deeply human touch to the entire endeavour.

To meet these challenges, Bvlgari's R&D teams created new processes and techniques, securing eight specific patents covering innovations like the differential display, the integrated case middle and plate design, the bi-material case back, a new crystal mounting method, a novel barrel structure, the oscillator module, the modular construction, and the bracelet design.

Bvlgari’s pursuit of ultra-thinness began in 2014 with the hand-wound Octo Tourbillon. Since then, it has produced record-breaking innovations across multiple categories—the world’s thinnest minute repeater (3.12mm in 2016), the Octo Finissimo Automatic (2.23mm in 2017), and the thinnest perpetual calendar ever (2.75mm in 2021), which earned the prestigious Aiguille d'Or at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Launched in 2012, the Octo quickly became an iconic design in modern watchmaking. Just ten years after the debut of the Octo saga, the Octo Finissimo Ultra set an absolute record with a total thickness of just 1.8 mm. The launch was celebrated with style and joy in the heart of Rome, on the Piazza della Rotonda, in front of the Pantheon. The Octo Finissimo Ultra was then awarded the Prix de l'Audace (the Audacity Prize) at the GPHG. Eight patents have been registered on the Octo Finissimo Ultra since 2022.

With the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, Bvlgari continues its pursuit of finesse and refinement in every sense of the word.