Watches & Wonders 2026: Bulgari Launches The Bulgari Octo Finissimo 37, An Octo Finissimo For The Rest Of Us
A more compact version of the Octo Finissimo has been on wish lists for years – and it’s here at last.
The first Octo Finissimo watches – including the ultra-thin, record-setting Octo Finissimo tourbillon – were launched by Bulgari in 2014, and the hand-wound Octo Finissimo Small Seconds was 40mm wide, and just 5.15mm overall, and debuted the ultra-thin caliber BVL 128, . I won’t go over all the records Bulgari has set since then for ultra thin watchmaking but there are a lot; the first automatic Octo Finissimo was launched in 2017, with the microrotor caliber BVL 138, and it was at launch the world’s thinnest self-winding watch, at 40mm x 5.15mm – the same dimensions as the Octo Finissimo Small Seconds from 2014, which is a remarkable engineering feat, partly aided by the use of the microrotor for automatic winding.
What all these movements have in common, is a 36.60mm diameter, which has a lot to do with why Bulgari was able to slim down the watches so much. Essentially, all of the active components, including the automatic winding system and the escapement and balance, were suppressed onto the same plane, and what was lost in thickness was compensated for somewhat, by an increase in diameter. The movements also ran at 21,600 vph, which is slightly lower than the 28,800 commonly found in modern watch movements, and this was one feature of the movement designs which allowed for a reasonable power reserve – 60 hours for the BVL 138, which is remarkably long for such a thin movement (for comparison, the ultra thin AP caliber 2120/JLC 920 has a 40 hour power reserve, and was originally designed in the 1960s and introduced in 1967).
The combination of the Octo Finissimo case design, with the relatively wide case and movement and their respective thinness, gives the 40mm Octo Finissimo watches very specific ergonomics and almost from the beginning, there were enthusiasts who admired the design, but wished for a slightly smaller version of the watch, which would more closely approach the classic proportions of a traditional ultra thin dress watch. To reduce the movement in size to make such a watch, would however present a significant engineering challenge, particularly in terms of maintaining a respectable power reserve. Three years ago, Bulgari began developing just such a movement, and the new caliber BVF 100 was the result. This new movement can now be found in the three new versions of the Octo Finissimo: the Octo Finissimo 37 watches.
The new watches are 37mm x 6.45mm, which means they’re 1.3mm thicker than the 40mm models and of course, 3mm smaller. At launch, Bulgari is offering three models: bead-blasted titanium; titanium with a combination of brushed and polished finished, and a full gold-on gold model.
By the numbers, these are not dramatically smaller but the change in proportions and the reduction in diameter are immediately noticeable. The new watches are certainly slightly thicker but not unduly so – certainly still well within the range of extra flat watches in general – and they still feel elegantly svelte, but in a way that feels a bit more in line with what you’d expect from a classic extra flat watch. If you found the aspect ratio of the 40mm models challenging, but otherwise found the Octo Finissimo watches attractive from a design standpoint, your ship has come in.
Despite the decrease in diameter, Bulgari has actually managed to increase the power reserve; this was done by increasing the height of the mainspring, which improves torque, and by redesigning the mainspring barrel.
The ratchet wheel sits on top of the mainspring barrel and in BVL 138 it’s relatively conventional: a solid disk with gear teeth at its edge, which gear to the crown wheel and wind the mainspring when the crown is turned (or when the automatic winding system is operating). If you’re interested in this and other technical details of caliber BVL 138 there is a detailed tear-down at The Naked Watchmaker, where you can see the mainspring barrel and ratchet wheel clearly. In the BVF 100, the ratchet wheel is skeletonized and this redesign very likely is one of the factors contributing to the longer power reserve, which is now a full 72 hours. This is in spite of the fact that BVF 100 actually has 20% less volume than BVL 138.
Movement finishing is a combination of manual and machine applied but of very clean quality, with a combination of anglage on the bridges with radial stripes, and the use of perlage in all recessed areas of the mainplate; the (hidden) dial side of the movement has also been finished with perlage.
Generally, ultra thin movements do not offer as much scope for the depth of finishing – particularly in anglage and the flanks of the plates and bridges – that can be achieved in thicker movements; that said, the finishing of BVF 100 is thorough and well executed throughout.
My personal preference would be for the gold model, for a couple of reasons; first, I’ve gotten to a point where I just want as much precious metal in my watches as possible; and second, I find that in extra flat and ultra thin watches, the extra heft of gold and platinum contrasts very pleasantly with the thinness of the watches overall. So it is with the new Octo Finissimo 37s. All three models appeal, though, and with the introduction of the Octo Finissimo watches in a new more compact case size, the design is going to open itself up to a whole new set of clients as well.
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo 37 watches: cases for all three models, 37mm x 6.45mm, 30M water resistance; screw down crowns; sapphire crystals front and back. Available in yellow gold, bead-blasted titanium, or brushed and polished titanium. Movement, caliber BVF 100, automatic with microrotor; radiating Geneva stripes and perlage; 31mm x 2.35mm, running at 21,500 with a 72 hour power reserve. Prices, $16,000 in titanium, $17,400 in brushed and polished titanium, and $48,300 in yellow gold.
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