Bulgari Honors 10th Anniversary of OCTO Collection By Unveiling Its Eighth Record-Breaking Watch

In a mere decade, Bulgari's OCTO Collection has become one of the most extraordinary watchmaking adventures of the 21st century.

By Adrienne Faurote

Watch of the Week: Bulgari Octa Roma Grande Sonnerie

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.

Bulgari Strengthens Its Position As King Of Design At Geneva Watch Days

At the Geneva Watch Days, Bulgari surprised us with a wide range of different watches that each impressed on their own. The key element is that they all continued a certain legacy within the brand, further strengthening its pillars of success. As we have grown accustomed of Bulgari, they do so with an undeniable sense of style, (Italian) flair and eye for detail.

Four Sports Watches Perfect For Welcoming The Summer Season

The meteorological summer has begun, so it is officially time to take in again the joys that this season has to offer. Short sleeves are more often than not, what we wear during this time of year, putting more of an emphasis on the watches that we are wearing. Here are four sports watches that are perfect for welcoming the warmest season of the year.

Bulgari Expands Octo Finissimo Collection And Launches New Tourbillon

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.

Into The Complex World Of The Bulgari Octo Grande Sonnerie

Ultra-thin is not the only name of the game at Bulgari, as they also master that of ultra-complex watches. The Octo Grande Sonnerie Perpetual Calendar is a perfect example of this. Housed in their signature Octo case, they equipped an automatic movement with a tourbillon, which is also fitted with grande and petite sonnerie, as well as a minute repeater.

Let’s Make Some Noise! Four Watches That Do Just That

Most mechanical watches emit a sound of some sort. Some tick modestly, yet others quite noticeably. This is not really on purpose, but more the way that they are constructed. There is, however, a category of watches that are designed to make a sound. Some chime the time, others have an audible alarm, but all are without exception fitted with a beautiful and complex movement, such as the following four watches.

Black On Black: Four Watches That Appeal In Monochromatic Colors

Black on black seems to be one of the most boring color combinations possible for watches. It seems to be hard for designs to shine, and show their full potential when it is more difficult to see all the different details. It is however exactly that understated look that draws quite a bit of people to these watches, and over the years they have created their niche in the world of watches. These four creations are proudly a member of that club!

Signing Off On 2018 With The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton

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.

What Makes The Sound Of A Minute Repeater So Magical?

The history of the minute repeater goes back to a time before electric light. As lighting an oil lamp was quite some work, watchmakers build repeating mechanisms in pocket watches so that they could sound the time on demand. The invention of the minute repeater was claimed by both Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare, but it was Quare who obtained a patent for it in 1687. Initially, watches equipped with a repeating mechanism used bells to chime the time, later to be replaced with wire gong, which took up less space. These weren't minute repeaters, at first, but quarter repeaters, chiming the time to the closest quarter.

Watch of the Week: F.P. Journe Octa Divine

What is exceptional for many other brands is standard for F.P. Journe. There are very few watch brands that they can be compared to, as they walk to their own beat. In Journe's case, that means to strive for the best, each and every day, and that results in exceptional watches, like this Octa Divine.

Thin Is In! Bvlgari And The Battle For Having The Thinnest Mechanical Watches

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!

Five Horological Novelties In Geneva

While the SIHH takes place in the Palexpo halls of Geneva, this is not the only place in the city where you can find the latest and greatest watches. In the downtown area, brands that are not officially part of the SIHH setup shop on boats and in the exclusives hotels near the lake. For them, Baselworld is often the main fair to introduce their new models, but that didn’t stop them to bring a few novelties to Geneva as well!

Baselworld’s Superstars

At this year’s Baselworld, ‘The Big Dance’ of all watch fairs, a select few novelties stood out as favorites. But rather than one trend dominating, the belles of the ball represented a wide variety of styles. So whether you prefer large sports watches, diminutive ladies timepieces, or cutting- edge tourbillons, you will soon find one of these exciting new watches at a Westime boutique in Southern California.

Looking Through Bulgari’s Octo Tourbillon Sapphire

It doesn't often happen that a mere time-only watch takes away the limelight of a spectacular tourbillon, yet that is precisely what happened this Baselworld. Bulgari's Octo Finissimo Automatic did just that, and that is all the more reason to take a close look at the Octo Tourbillon Sapphire.

Haute Time’s Favorite Baselworld Watches: Part I

One way of sparking passionate debates in Haute Time's editorial department is to ask about putting together a list of the ten favorite watches from Baselworld. Some make a convincing case for the latest triple-axis tourbillon, while another thinks that a top ten is not complete without that gorgeous time-only. As personal and arbitrary as these lists are, they do give a good indication on where the watch world is currently standing, and which new watches made the biggest impressions.

Bulgari Launches Skeleton Version Of The Octo Finissimo Tourbillon

By Martin Green It is hard to surpass a watch like the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon. Its style is subtle, yet distinctly Bulgari, Roman flair combined with the finest in Swiss watchmaking. That last part, that remarkable ultra-thin tourbillon, with a height of only 1.95 mm has always been hidden behind a dial with only an opening for the tourbillon. That is now about to change with the new skeleton version of this extraordinary watch.