With the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra, the Roman brand breaks the world record for the thinnest mechanical watch. The piece measures only 1.80 mm in height and thus knocks the previous world champion, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept, off its throne. To reduce the case height even further, Bulgari’s watchmakers break with tradition and not only do without a crown. The watch nevertheless offers a power autonomy of 50 hours and appears on an equally slim titanium bracelet. Last but not least, each of the 10 pieces bears a prominent QR code on the movement, to which exclusive NFT content is linked.
This Octo Finissimo has a case in the 40 mm size typical of the collection. It is largely made of titanium and has the octagonal shape that gives it its name. In order to ensure stability at a height of only 1.8 mm, the middle section, the bezel and the lugs as well as the back are made of tungsten carbide. The material has a special hardness due to the combination of carbon and tungsten. Meanwhile, a sapphire crystal protects the front.
A classic crown would have found no room in the flat case. Instead, a gear wheel protrudes from the case on both sides, allowing the wearer to interact directly with the movement. However, this also means that the watch loses all water resistance.
To display the time, there is a dial for the hours above a second one that is responsible for the minutes. This regulator set-up allows full use of the plane and thus helps to reduce the height of the watch. As is typical of the collection, the small seconds appear off-centre but here directly on the seconds wheel. In this case, the grey arrow points to the corresponding position on the wheel. Otherwise, the components of the movement dominate the picture, such as the clearly visible escapement and the barrel.
All components of the BVL180 calibre are arranged on a single plane to achieve the thickness of only 1.5 mm. Nevertheless, it offers a power autonomy of 50 hours, which the wearer must supply by hand. The lever escapement operates at a frequency of 4 hertz. Instead of assembling the individual parts on a base plate, the watchmakers used the case back to attach the elements. They have also applied for a total of eight patents to protect the Octo Finissimo Ultra‘s construction.
A QR code is engraved on the ratchet wheel of the barrel, which the owner can use to unlock exclusive content in the Metaverse. Here, the wearer enters a virtual world with exclusive content such as interviews and a 3D tour through the movement. In addition, each watch is associated with an NFT artwork that guarantees the watch’s authenticity.
The watch appears on a titanium bracelet whose links measure only 1.80 mm in height. This means that the strap of the Ultra is only half as thick as the normal strap of the Octo collection. The folding clasp has also been adapted for the new dimensions. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra is limited to only 10 pieces. The price is 400,000 euros.
