Style Edit: Bulgari celebrates nature with its Serpenti Tubogas collection, designed with Japanese architect Tadao Ando – while the Italian watchmaker’s Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC breaks a record

May 27 , 2024

Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC is the thinnest mechanical watch ever made. Photos: Handout

As an exceptional watchmaker and virtuoso goldsmith, Italian luxury brand Bulgari has played a pivotal role in defining the art and history of horology, and consistently sets milestones with its creations. Its newest innovations are no exception and continue to push the boundaries of watchmaking.

When the Octo Finissimo first launched in 2014, it forever changed the landscape of watchmaking with its distinctive geometric look that combines an ultra-slim and elegant design with Swiss mechanical expertise. And its latest iterations of the sleek Octo Finissimo Automatic are equally revolutionary.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo, first launched in 2014, combines an ultra-slim design with Swiss mechanical expertise

The Octo Finissimo Automatic in yellow gold features a rich 18k gold case that reflects the house’s history of goldsmithing, while a lacquered blue sunray dial completes this stunning masterpiece.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic in yellow gold oozes elegance with its 18k gold case and lacquered blue sunray dial

The Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper also makes a statement with its stainless-steel case and bracelet, and an eye-catching metallic copper-hued dial, which is reminiscent of a Mannerist painting, making it a must-have among collectors and connoisseurs.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper features a metallic copper-hued dial

The ultra slim Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC also sets a new bar in high-end mechanical watchmaking. Not only is it the thinnest mechanical watch ever produced, but the world’s thinnest COSC chronometer.

The complex assembly of the ultra slim Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC

The caseback serves as the main plate upon which the 170 components of the manually wound BVL180 manufacture calibre are assembled, introducing another layer of complexity to this masterpiece.

The caseback of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC

Since it was launched in the 1940s, the Serpenti has become one of the most iconic watch collections by Bulgari – making it the perfect foundation for an exceptional artistic collaboration with Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

A sketch of Bulgari’s Serpenti collection by Japanese architect Tadao Ando

Available in four limited editions, the Tadao Ando Serpenti Tubogas collection celebrates the fleeting splendour of nature – a theme that also resonates within Ando’s work.

The Bulgari’s Serpenti Tubogas collection, in collaboration with Japanese architect Tadao Ando, pays tribute to nature

Like a snake, each timepiece changes and transforms with the seasons. Each dial is a work of art adorned with fragments of gemstones like green aventurine and tiger’s eye, alongside pink or white mother of pearl. Two rows of diamonds set along the serpent’s head bring life to this vibrant tableau.

A tiger’s eye dial in the Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas collection

The first of the four limited editions captures the lush intensity of a sun-drenched forest and features a striking green aventurine stone dial, which contrasts beautifully with a case and bracelet made of yellow gold and steel. As autumn approaches, this iconic reptile comes to life in rose gold and is accented with a tiger’s eye dial and pink rubellite to create a warm glow.

A green aventurine stone dial this Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas model captures the lush intensity of a forest

With the onset of winter, nature’s beauty is revealed. An elegant dial featuring a marquetry of white mother of pearl is complemented by a gleaming steel case and bracelet. Spring heralds the rebirth of vital energies, which is best represented by the fleeting bloom of sakura, Japan’s cherry blossom trees. The vision is encapsulated in this feminine limited edition which features a beautiful dial with delicate shades of pink mother of pearl marquetry.

This feminine edition of the Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas features a dial in shades of pink mother of pearl

The new additions to the Serpenti Tubogas collection will be launched each season through to spring 2025.

Style Edit

The Italian luxury house’s ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC is now both the thinnest mechanical watch and thinnest COSC chronometer ever made
The four-model Serpenti Tubogas collection, a collaboration with Japanese architect Tadao Ando, pays tribute to the changing shades of the forest