As a newly launched timepiece, the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon (Ref. 104313) marks several important milestones, some consciously, some coincidentally. The first and foremost of these is that the watch, freshly unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2025, is the thinnest tourbillon watch in the world, with a total thickness of just 1.85mm. Add to that the fact that this is the 10th Octo Finissimo watch in Bvlgari’s repertoire that has smashed a new world record. In fact, this journey of creating path-breaking watches began for the brand in 2014 with an Octo Finissimo Tourbillon itself, which had a movement that was 1.95mm thick. And serendipitously, 2025 marks 230 years since the tourbillon itself was created.
That’s a lot of laurels resting on the slim lugs of the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, but the sturdy watch can handle this and much more. The new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon measures 40mm, much like the slim Octo Finissimo models that came before it, and has a bezel, case middle, and lugs crafted from microbead-frosted titanium. The mainplate, which also serves as the dial, is in the hard and ultra-resistant tungsten carbide that ensures rigidity. However, this time the watch is even more skeletonised than the Ultra (2022) and the Ultra COSC (2024), adding another layer of delicate watchmaking and finishing to the timepiece.
While the circular-grained steel ratchet with its geometric pattern continues to be in the same position as before, there is a redesign of the mechanics, and therefore display, given the addition of the tourbillon complication at 5 o’clock. Another difference in this version is that the hour and minute functions come together in the same off-centre dial, unlike the previous versions where they were decoupled. There are two planar ‘crowns’ – at 8 o’clock to wind the mechanism, and at 3 o’clock to set the time. The new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon is powered by the BVF 900 tourbillon calibre, a manually wound mechanical movement with a 4Hz and 42-hour power reserve.
In this watch, Bvlgari's has included several new processes and techniques, including innovations like the differential display, an integrated case middle and plate design, a bi-material caseback, a new crystal mounting method, a novel barrel structure, an oscillator module, the modular construction, and bracelet design, all of which come together to secure the brand eight different patents.
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Design details
Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon is much an achievement of design as it is of mechanics. Given the skeletonisation, the brand has taken utmost care to ensure the right finishing for both legibility and aesthetics. Light diffusion throughout the movement has been maximised to create contrasts through decorative techniques. The bezel flange has a polished slope, and tourbillon balance and inertia blocks are rhodium plated, while the tourbillon bridge has a sunburst-finish. The hour dial features rhodium-plated hour and minute hands set against a sand-blasted brass surface with an DLC anthracite coating. Add to this the integrated microbead-frosted titanium bracelet, which measuring just 1.5mm in thickness.
“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, Executive Director of Watch Design at Bvlgari.
The Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon now join a long list of distinguished Octo Finissimo models that have broken records across several categories, including the thinnest minute repeater (3.12mm in 2016) and the thinnest perpetual calendar ever (2.75mm in 2021). The trio of Ultra models are only pushing the envelope further, but as time and this new model show, there’s no stopping Bvlgari.
Images: Courtesy brand
