WHY AIM FOR A WORLD RECORD WITH THE NEW OCTO FINIS-
SIMO CHRONOGRAPH GMT AUTOMATIC?
The new world record is a nice result. This is a new-generation chronograph
that opens a new page for us, and I hope that in fifty years it will be cele-
brated the same way Zenith is celebrating the El Primero his year. Most of
the innovations with the chronograph historically have been focusing on
only precision, not as much on elegance. And for us elegance is the name of
the game.
It has set a new world record, which I imagine will stimulate competitors
to react. This is good because it will cast a new light on the chronograph
and contribute to the growth of the chronograph segment. It will create
more demand.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES BULGARI FACED WHILE
DEVELOPING THE NEW CHRONOGRAPH?
This was two years in development. Most of the movement is totally new. It
looks similar to the automatic, but it is mostly similar just in architecture. The
oscillating weight, for instance, is different. On a chronograph obviously you
need more power, so on the new watch you have a bigger barrel and a larger
mass. Only twenty of the components had previously been developed. We
had to create an entirely new set for the rest of the components to make
this possible.
We are very proud of our team, as it has been quite an undertaking to
reinvent the chronograph.
WHY ALSO ADD A GMT INDICATOR?
We saw that adding a GMT was also an elegant choice. It is also consistent
with the lifestyle of our clients. We even use a very thin column wheel. To us,
the column wheel is like a four-valve engine.
The new watch’s movement is only 3.3mm thick and the total size is
6.9mm thick. The previous record for a manual chronograph was 4.65mm
and automatic was 5.15mm for the movement. We needed to design a new
generation of chronograph that looks totally different from the chronograph
we have been used to since the early 1970s.
So now we have our Octo Velocissimo and this ultra-thin Octo Finissimo.
And the difference in the prices between the ultra-thin Finissimo models is
not huge, with $17,600 for the new chronograph and $14,800 for the Auto-
matic ultra thin. The difference is not that great, especially considering that
the chronograph has twice as many components.
We continue to use a 4 Hz movement and here offer a fifty-five hour
power reserve. We use a larger barrel and a larger peripheral mass than we
did with the Octo Finissimo tourbillon, which was our first such peripheral
mass. These rotors are more efficient, when compared to the micro rotor.
And just as importantly, using them frees space in the movement. Aestheti-
cally, it is also better because it offers you a full view of the movement.
The only possible disadvantage is its compatibility with smaller watches
for ladies. This would not fit in our 37mm Solotempo watches for ladies. On
the other hand women wear many of our larger diameter watches.
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Skeleton Ceramic,
left, and Automatic Ceramic, new in 2019.
110 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2019
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT