Bulgari set its first world’s thinnest record in 2014 with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, powered by the manual-winding BVL 268 movement at 1.95mm thick.

The Octo’s narrative is unprecedented in the history of watchmaking. In the space of a decade, it has amassed eight world records for thinness and won more than sixty international awards, including the most prestigious, for a collection that fuses Swiss horological excellence with Italian flair. The Octo has done more than confirm Bulgari as a top-tier watchmaker; it cements its expertise as a maker of extra-thin movements, at the same time taking these wafer-like calibres into the segment of high-performance men’s watches. Last but not least, its unmistakable octagonal silhouette ranks it among a handful of instantly identifiable designs, alongside the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Rolex Submariner.

The foundations for the Octo were laid in 2000 when Bulgari acquired the Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta brands and manufacturing facilities - the original Octo was conceived of by Genta, perhaps the most famous watch designer of all, notably as the Octo Grande Sonnerie tourbillon in 1994. In 2002, under Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari’s design studio set about giving the Octo’s dial and case a fresher, more contemporary feel. The outcome was delayed, partly due to the takeover of Bulgari by LVMH in 2011, but was worth the wait. The new-generation Octo that launched the following year retained the signature octagonal case but in a more angular, architectural form, letting light play across the contrasting brushed and polished surfaces. Large numerals at 12 and 6 dominated an otherwise clean dial, with slim indexes for the other markers. Its shape matched that of the case, the two bound together by a round bezel. The Octo Finissimo in the making…

Indeed, Bulgari’s engineers were already working on an extra-thin movement that would put every other extra-thin movement in the shade. Mission accomplished at Baselworld 2014 with the unveiling of the manual-winding Octo Finissimo whose indications of hours, minutes and small seconds were powered by the Finissimo movement, 2.23mm high, inside a platinum case on an alligator strap. And if this weren’t enough, the Italian brand also set its first world record for the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, powered by the manual-winding BVL 268 movement, 1.95mm high, also with a platinum case distinguished by 110 facets. Henceforth and with the exception of 2015, year after year Bulgari would set a new world record, for the thinnest minute repeater, the thinnest chronograph, the thinnest tourbillon, the thinnest perpetual calendar and the thinnest automatic movement: eight in all between 2014 and 2022, with the addition of skeleton versions as well as versions in titanium, ceramic or carbon on an integrated bracelet. When the Octo Finissimo Ultra, with indications of hours, minutes and seconds, took the title of world’s thinnest watch in 2022 it did so with a total thickness of 1.80mm. Bulgari achieved this wafter-thinness by thinking outside the box of conventional construction and fusing the movement with the case. A few months later, the title of world’s thinnest watch changed hands, suggesting that this is not the end of the line for ultra-thin: a language the Octo Finissimo speaks with remarkable eloquence.

• An ultra-thin watch with an architectural case
• The Octo Finissimo set 8 world records for thinness between 2014 and 2022
• By rethinking movement construction, Bulgari achieved total thickness of 1.80mm for the Octo Finissimo Ultra