REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

Above, clockwise
The Octo Finissimo
Minute Repeater
in sandblasted
18K rose gold,
introduced this
year, two years after
the Octo Finissimo
Minute Repeater
Carbon in carbon
thin-ply (CTP)
was presented in
Baselworld 2018
(above, right);the
BVL 362 caliber
ultra-thin minute
repeater, first
appearing in the
2016 Octo Finissimo
Minute Repeater.
Opposite
The Octo Finissimo
Minute Repeater
returns this year in
asandblasted18K
rose gold case and
dial, measuring
just 6.90mm thin.
Red cotton double
breasted jacket,
The Deck;gold
rings, property
of Wei Koh.
2016: OCTO FINISSIMO MINUTE REPEATER
However, in 2016, another model in the Octo Finissimo
family had collectors, journalists and even the most jaded
retailer’s eyes moist with emotion and our hearts filled with
unbridled avarice, because Bvlgari had just created the
coolest minute repeater in modern watchmaking and one
of the real defining watches of the new millennium. Says
Jean-Christophe Babin, “While it is unusual [that] you refer
to this complication as cool, somehow it is very appropriate.
That’s because minute repeaters, which are considered
to be the pinnacle of watchmaking art, are extraordinary
creations but they are very rarely considered to be cool.
That’s because they are generally classically styled watches.
In comparison, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, which
set the record as the world’s thinnest minute repeater, was
created intentionally as the ultimate stealthy complication.
It was made in grade 5 titanium, with just the smallest details
that showed the difference between this and a simpler
three-hand watch. Why? Because we knew the world had
changed and we felt there was a whole new generation of
connoisseurs that liked to live in a more relaxed, discreet
and cool way. That’s the reason for the matte-colored
titanium and the way the pusher for the repeater is so subtly
integrated into the side of the case.
“We could see the emergence of these clients because
we received them at our Bvlgari hotels. They perfectly fit this
profile. They had amazing style and didn’t mind spending
on the best, but they didn’t want to appear stuffy. And
they didn’t want a minute repeater that sat in a safe, but
something they could wear all the time without really being
noticed in a showy way. We created the [Octo Finissimo]
minute repeater for them. However, we also knew that
if we were going to create this minute repeater, even if it
set a record for its thinness, we had to ensure it sounded
amazing. Most minute repeaters employ a voluminous case
to help the quality and volume of their sound. We didn’t
have that luxury, so our team came up with an amazing
technical solution, which was to skeletonize the indexes on
the titanium dial to allow sound to travel through the front
of the watch. The result was that we gained in volume as if
we had enlarged the dimensions of the case, even though we
didn’t. The great thing about this is that people initially took
these indexes to be a stylistic flourish, which of course they
are, but they also had a functional rationale. At Bvlgari, we
pursue technical innovation, but always as part of a holistic
approach to arrive at a never-before-seen design. We are
about creating emotion.”
Bvlgari’s amazing BVL 362 minute repeater caliber
would later appear in an even more stealthy carbon CTP
(carbon thin ply) and PEEK (polyether ether ketone) case
featuring a carbon-fiber dial replete with the complication’s
signature skeletonization. And then this year, for the first
time in a precious metal version, namely sandblasted
gold. Says Babin, “In each instance we had to readjust the
movement to the particularities of the case. Titanium has
very good but different resonance qualities from carbon
fiber and, again, from gold. So each version requires its own
research and development.”
32 COVER STORY