Amongst other things, Bulgari specialises in ultra-thin watches. With the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, the brand has now set its tenth world record in this field in the last eleven years: the thinnest mechanical watch with a tourbillon.
Heralding its first appearance at Watches and Wonders 2025, Bulgari is presenting this extraordinary watch, which is only 1.85 mm thick. The Italian luxury brand has thus beaten the record set by Piaget in 2024: at 2 mm, their Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon was the thinnest watch with this complication to date.
With this new model, Bulgari is also building on the first record-breaking model from 2014. At the time, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon calibre set a new standard with a height of 1.95 mm. Today, the technological progress is clear: the current model, including the case, is thinner than the tourbillon movement alone.
The new watch is skeletonised – an additional challenge, especially for extremely flat movements that are already at the limits of stability. Thanks to the ingenious design of the movement plate, Bulgari is also able to dispense with a separate dial. Another special feature: the time display has been redesigned so that hours and minutes are shown together again. This improves readability compared to previous models, in which hours and minutes were displayed on separate dials.
The previous and the new model
The centrepiece is the BVF 900 hand-wound calibre, which operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 42-hour power reserve despite its low height.
The baseplate is made of extremely hard tungsten carbide and also serves as the case back. The bezel, case middle section and lugs are made of bead-blasted titanium. There is no crown – instead, the watch operates via two wheels on the sides of the case: while the wheel on the right is used to set the time, the wheel on the left winds the movement.
In terms of design, Bulgari has opted for a modern look with sophisticated details: most of the wheels feature a circular cut, while the control wheels and the barrel have an engraved, radial decoration. To increase the contrast, the hands have been polished and rhodium-plated, while the bridges have been bead-blasted and given a dark grey DLC coating. This makes it easier to read the time.
The stepped octagonal case of the Octo Finissimo is inspired by the coffered ceiling of the Maxentius Basilica in Rome. Bulgari combines this historical reference with a puristic, avant-garde design language that clearly stands out from traditional watch aesthetics. The integrated bead-blasted titanium bracelet is also ultra-thin at just 1.5 millimetres, with a folding clasp.
The number 20 engraved on the wheel for setting the time hints at the fact that Bulgari will only produce 20 Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillons. The price is 750,000 EUR.
Each of these watches was a world record holder when it was introduced. Some records were later surpassed by other manufacturers or by new Bulgari models:
• 2014: Octo Finissimo Tourbillon – Flattest Tourbillon: 5 mm
• 2016: Octo Finissimo Répétition Minutes – Thinnest automatic minute repeater: 3.12 mm
• 2017: Octo Finissimo Automatic – Thinnest automatic movement: 2.23 mm
• 2018: Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic – Thinnest automatic tourbillon: 3.95 mm
• 2019: Octo Finissimo Chronograph – Flattest automatic chronograph: 6.9 mm
• 2020: Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph – Flattest tourbillon chronograph: 7.4 mm
• 2021: Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar – Flattest perpetual calendar movement: 2.75 mm
• 2022: Octo Finissimo Ultra – thinnest mechanical watch: 1.8 mm
• 2024: Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC – thinnest mechanical watch and thinnest chronometer: 1.7 mm
• 2025: Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon – thinnest tourbillon: 1.85 mm
