Last year, Arnold & Son brand made the slimmest Tourbilion watch in the world. But, now you can forget about it, since Bulgari won this title when launched its new Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, at Baselworld 2014. Although Arnold & Son’s timepiece is only 2.97mm, it’s not thin enough, because Bulgari’s new Finissimo has a movement thickness of only 1.95 mm and a case thickness of a mere 5 mm. To achieve this result, Bulgari came up with a number of groundbreaking technical solutions to reduce the overall thickness of the movement.
The one-minute flying tourbillon cage, the thickest part of the entire construction, determined the design of the complete movement once it was incorporated into the plate. The ultra-slim movement has two bridges, one for the minute wheel and one for the gear train of the tourbillon cage, and uses ball bearings – instead of jewels – for many of the moving parts.
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon caliber is made up of 249 components and boasts a number of decorative finishes, while the watch’s octagonal case – a hallmark of Bulgari’s flagship Octo collection is made of platinum and measures 40 mm in diameter (the movement’s diameter is 32.6 mm). The black dial is lacquered and polished. The watch comes on a black alligator leather strap with a buckle of platinum. For the pricing and availability, we’ll have to wait for Bulgari’s official statement.