Home » Baselworld - World Watch and Jewellery Show » Baselworld 2016 Preview – Bulgari Octo Ultranero Finissimo Tourbillon Watch
As a part of its 2016 lineup of new models, Bulgari will be presenting a new sub-series of Ultranero models at the upcoming edition of the Baselworld fair. These pieces are distinguished with the predominately black appearance mixed with red gold details. The most notable of them will certainly be the new version of the world’s thinnest tourbillion called Bulgari Octo Ultranero Finissimo Tourbillon. The ultra-thin watch will be presented in an iconic octagonal housing made of DLC coated titanium. Its announced price is set at around $110,000.
Originally presented two years ago, Bulgari Octo Finissimo model still holds the record as the thinnest tourbillion on the market. Extraordinarily, its tourbillion movement is only 1.95 mm high which is thinner then common coins. This impressive engineering feat allows its case to be just 5 mm thick which sounds almost impossible when tourbillion watches are concerned.
For this year, Bulgari has chosen a new look for its record model. It will now be presented as a part of Ultranero (“ultrablack” in Italian) series that utilizes a darker look to make its pieces look even more distinguished. Its distinctive octagonal shaped housing is now made in a black DLC coated titanium which gives yet another appealing twist on the iconic design which was originally envisioned by one of the best known people in the world of watchmaking – Gerald Genta. Both the octagonal case and the fixed round bezel are made in the same material and further enriched with the use of alternating polished and brushed finishes.
The darkness of the housing is matched with the same colored and lacquered dial. The face also includes red gold accents: two central skeletonized hands, hour markers and a single Arabic numeral at the top. Naturally, there is also a visible tourbillon cage at the bottom of the dial which completes the entire ensemble. These elements are perfectly matched with a red gold crown with a black ceramic insert. The diameter of the new “ultrablack” case is 40 mm.
As it has been noted, the record thinness of the model is enabled with the inclusion of caliber BVL 268 Finissimo. It is a manufacture mechanical caliber with manual winding which is distinguished by its flat flying tourbillion feature. The unparalleled thin profile was made possible with a special arrangement where the tourbillion is mounted on a peripherally driven ball-bearing mechanism. The movement has 13 jewels and it operates at the frequency of 3 Hz, as it is more customary for tourbillions. BVL 268 Finissimo is 32.6 mm wide and it provides a power reserve which lasts for around 52 hours. Unsurprisingly, the high-end movement likewise features haute horlogerie finishes. It is decorated by hand and it sports the Cotes de Geneve motif, as it can be seen through the transparent section on the rear side of the octagonal housing.
Bulgari Octo Ultranero Finissimo Tourbillon is unsurprisingly matched with a black attachment. It is made of black alligator leather and it locks with an ardillon buckle which is just like the housing, made of black DLC coated titanium.
Apart from the most impressive and expensive Tourbillon model, the new Ultranero lineup inside the Octo collection will also include two more models that combine black and red gold (in various amounts, so there are variants with black or gold bezels). These are Velocissimo, a chronograph with a high-frequency chronograph movement, as well as Solotempo which is the simplest three-hand model.
