From Bvlgari and Van Cleef to Chanel and Messika, a season of new high jewelry is upon us — and these are the most precious pieces.

While Bulgari has made quite a name for itself in recent years with record-breaking, ultra-thin watches, there are also other areas in which they excel. With the purchase of the esteemed independent brands Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta in 2000, Bulgari amassed even more knowledge about creating high-end complications and has done so ever since. The Octa Roma Grande Sonnerie is an excellent example of this, dedicated to bringing the most beautiful sound, both visual as well as audible.

While no official standards are indicating when a watch can be called (ultra-)thin, it is reasonably easy to pass your judgment about it. The heights of both the movement and the watch itself are common knowledge for most watches, and can therefore be compared to the record-holders in a specific category. Especially in recent years thin movements, and watches, have become en vogue again, as many people realized that in a sense they represent the nec plus ultra of the watch industry. Watches like the Bulgari Octo Finissimo also showed that it is not only classic dress watches that can benefit from this. Even the cool-factor of a modern-looking watch for every day, and every occasion, increases significantly when powered by an ultra-thin movement. Leave it to the following four watches to that thin is in.

Bulgari uses its presence at the LVMH Watch Week, which is held at the Bulgari resort in Dubai, to expand the highly successful Octo Finissimo collection further. Some interesting new varieties will now be available, making this watch more appealing than ever. While titanium is what people often think of with this ultra-slim watch, is it also stunning in traditional stainless steel. Bulgari already introduced this option in 2018, but now makes it available with an attractive black dial. This gives the watch a more traditional sports-watch look, which suits the Octo Finissimo perfectly. The stainless steel features a nice alternation between polished and satin-finished surfaces, which cleverly highlight the unique design of this watch.

A refined mechanical movement, preferably fitted with an exciting complication; for a long time, this was nearly non-existant within a ladies watch. A quartz-powered smaller version of a men's watch, usually with some diamonds added, was how many of them looked. But fortunately, times change, and these days there are more and more interesting ladies watches with beautiful movements, some even purposely made for them. The following four watches most certainly set the pace in this category.

There are great benefits of being a jeweler with a long-standing tradition when it comes to watchmaking. A deep understanding of both fields often yields amazing results when both are united in a single creation. This is most certainly the case with the following creations by Bulgari.

Of all the cities in the world, Cape Town is most certainly one of the more unique. Located on South Africa's southwest coast, the city is built on a peninsula, providing much of its charm. In Cape Town, you always feel the presence of the imposing Table Mountain, which forms a beautiful backdrop and serves as a further testimony of South Africa's rich nature. It gives the vibrant city a one-of-a-kind appeal, similar to that of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo which was on the wrist to explore it.

In 2018 Bulgari smashed all thinness records with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic. In one sweep it became not only the world's thinnest tourbillon but also the world's thinnest automatic tourbillon. That's not all, because perhaps its greatest accomplishment is that it also became the world's thinnest automatic watch. Up until now, this last record was usually held by watches that featured no additional complications, such as a tourbillon, because they tend to add to the height of a movement.

Baselworld, the fair, is truly trying to dress for success, as its new layout and decorations have a more luxurious air. This was needed if only to match the atmosphere in which the brands that exhibit exist. While the classic dress watch might not be such a dominating segment of the market, new watches have taken over this position. They might not be gold, three-handers, but they are refined creations, often on the understated side, that feels most comfortable on the wrist of people who know that success is not an end station, but an everyday quest.

Tomorrow Baselworld will open its doors once again. This year it will be a completely different animal altogether. The departure of the Swatch Group, as well as an exodus of other brands, has made the show much smaller than it was in previous years. The question that remains is if that is a bad thing?

Sometimes it seems almost mandatory; diamonds on a ladies watch. As if the use of these precious stones marks the difference for which sex a timepiece is created. While they can certainly add something, a watch without diamonds can be just as feminine, as these four watches prove!

Gérald Genta is a man to who many brands owe a great debt. As a designer, he gave Audemars Piguet the Royal Oak, Patek Philippe their Nautilus, and he worked on the Pasha for Cartier, as well as many iconic designs for other brands. What not everybody knows is that he was next to a designer also a watch manufacturer and, in fact, a pioneering one. It was already in 1969 that he founded his manufacture and as could be expected it turned out innovative watches. With the 'Gefica' did Genta introduced a bronze case before it was cool, but that was not all.

Watches & Wonders Miami will return to the illustrious Design District for its second annual event in partnership with the Fondation Haute Horlogerie.

Few watches have made such a mark on the industry in recent years as the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo. That it is a design statement is not so surprising, it is after all a Bvlgari, but it is also the watch that cemented the brand's reputation as bonafide manufacture among the general watch-buying public. The fact that Bvlgari did this with a range of ultra-slim movements is very surprising, yet at the same time not so surprising at all. When most brands want to truly establish themselves as a manufacture, they start making complicated watches, not ultra-slim movements that only tell time. However, one of the benefits that ultra-slim movements provide is far more freedom regarding the design of the watch. That is of course when you are able to design and make a reliable, ultra-slim movement in the first place.

McLaren supports the Elton John AIDS Foundation on its silver anniversary with donation of 570S Spider painted Blade Silver.

Ultra-thin watches: not too long ago this was the exclusive territory of dress watches. Brands like Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe and Piaget, ruled in this domain. Yet as many things in the watch industry change, so also this. In more recent times having the world's thinnest mechanical watch (with or without a complication) seems to have turned into a showdown between Piaget and Bulgari, who put a distinctly different spin on things!