Bvlgari Presents Nine Octo Roma Novelties For Its Springtime Launch

Bvlgari’s highly anticipated spring showcase is touting ancestral heritage and modern Italian flair. After a reigning decade of the Octo Finissimo, The Roman Jeweler has decided to put some love into the little brother of the Octo family. Step forward, Octo Roma. Getting the full stage to shine and make a splash is a swathe of novelties. With three new automatics, two chronographs, and four tourbillons, the new Octo Roma references are set to be sartorial crowd-pleasers. 

Bvlgari recently bid a mysterious farewell to its iconic hero line, the Octo Finissimo, as we covered here. Of course, it begs the question of what may come next. Although the brand just released the US-only Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper in a limited run of 50, that looked more like a market-specific backorder. For everybody around the world, the Octo Roma has firmly moved into the spotlight.

The Octo Roma

Introduced in 2017, the Octo Roma range is not new in the Octo family history. But it’s relatively young compared to its other forebear, the Roma, which was created in 1975 and inspired by ancient Roman coins. The Roma was a fashion statement for men of its time, which you can read about in the brief history of Bvlgari by Brandon here and here. The Roma not only imparts its sense of style to the Octo Roma, but it also lends its curves to soften the strong, angular Octo lines and edges. The result is a case form that is distinctly complex and unconventional yet inherently wearable, no matter the dress code.

A new Octo Roma case

The Octo Roma retains the octagonal shape with its satin-finished case, a dial framed by an inner ring, and a polished lower bezel. Disrupting their continuity is the circular upper bezel ring with its brushed finish. While it creates an illusion of a round watch at a glance, the faceted lugs confirm the Octo design code. On the crown side, a noteworthy update from the previous generation of the Octo Roma presents itself. Its snug integration into the case makes it tuck neatly between the crown protectors. In the grand scheme of things, this may not be the first detail that catches our eye, but this refinement shows that the Octo Roma has reached another level of sophistication. The screw-down crown also allows the robust case construction to achieve a 100m water resistance rating.

The two Chronographs

The new Octo Roma welcomes three mechanical styles in nine models. In addition to the classic three-hander and the head-turning tourbillon, the stainless steel chronograph makes its debut in the collection. The 42mm Octo Roma Chronograph boasts a Swiss-made manufacture caliber BVL 399, which is visible through the case back. This automatic movement is nicely decorated with Geneva stripes and chamfering, along with the Bvlgari signature on the half-moon rotor. It beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and provides a 42-hour power reserve.

The chronograph function operates a central seconds hand, a 30-minute counter, and a 12-hour counter. On the tri-register dial, there is also a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock. To keep things clean and classy, Bvlgari has given the dial a tone-on-tone aesthetic in either blue or black, each with a Clous de Paris motif. It may not be a Finissimo, but at 12.40mm tall with a slopping case profile, the Octo Roma Chronograph offers a decent cuff fit to most attire. Both the blue and black versions retail for €9,900.

The three Automatics

As for the Octo Roma Automatic, its slightly slimmer stainless steel case offers a dressier option. At 41mm in diameter and 9.15mm tall, the new models do not stray from their time-and-date predecessors. Ticking inside is still Bvlgari’s in-house automatic caliber BVL 191 with the same Côtes de Genève decoration and chamfering. It uses ceramic ball bearings for the bidirectional winding rotor, which is now the same as that of the BVL 399. This movement runs at 28,000vph (4Hz) and has a 42-hour power reserve. Additionally, Bvlgari has created a new Clous de Paris dial for the Automatic in three color variants — anthracite, blue, and white. Apart from the matching rotor and dial motif, the Octo Roma Automatic and Chronograph also share the standard Bvlgari Arabic numerals and indexes. The price for the Octo Roma Automatic is €7,900.

The four Tourbillons

The Octo Roma continues its Haute Horlogerie artistry with four tourbillons. To start, the Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon and Striking Tourbillon Sapphire are the same executions as their former selves but in a new 44mm titanium case with a black DLC treatment. The Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon shows off the grand complication right in the center. This mechanical marvel enchants against a super sporty and somewhat technical backdrop with a bold green hue.

The “butterfly” minute display runs from 0 to 60 on a semi-circular track while two diamond-shaped hands traverse and take turns to count the minutes. And the jumping hour simply shows through a fixed window at 12 o’clock. Powering this horological hulk is a manual-winding manufacture caliber BVL 332, featuring a central flying tourbillon and providing a power reserve of 60 hours. The price for this sports-luxe masterpiece is €130,000.

The sporty Tourbillons

The Octo Roma Striking Tourbillon Sapphire has a much simpler dial but one that is by no means easy to make. The drilling-out of the in-house manual-winding caliber BVL 206 to its bare minimum presents extreme mechanical challenges. But Bvlgari has somehow pulled it off with just the flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, two central hands, and 10 centric indexes filled with green Super-LumiNova. At 3 o’clock, the floating structure has a red dot on the axis of the winding stem, which is connected to the black pusher within the crown. It is an activation indicator to show when the mechanism is engaged for time-setting. When it is off, the crown can be used to wind the barrel for up to 64 hours of power reserve. The fascinating innards can also be seen through the sapphire case middle. The Octo Roma Striking Tourbillon Sapphire retails for €85,000.

The high-jewelry Tourbillons

The Octo Roma Precious Naturalia shares the same mechanical structure as the Striking Tourbillon Sapphire. In true high-jewelry fashion, it comes in a precious metal with different finishes. The skeletonized caliber BVL 206 now beats inside a brushed and polished rose gold case with a rose gold crown. The cut-out plate that forms the 10 indexes has replaced the lume with a gemstone called tiger’s eye. And the material and decorative upgrade is pricing this beauty at €165,000.

Last but definitely not least, the Octo Roma Precious Tourbillon Lumière is the smallest of the whole lineup. Coming in at 38mm wide, Bvlgari describes this as a creation for women in the Octo Roma collection in a typical diamond-studded setting. Flaunting 267 round brilliant-cut diamonds (~2.48 carats) around the rose gold case and 48 round brilliant-cut diamonds (~1.58 carats), this is one blingy jewelry watch. On the side, the rose gold crown is also adorned with a cabochon-cut ruby. Look beyond the surface, and the structure of the skeletonized caliber BVL 208 represents an intricate, finely decorated lacework of rose gold. The tourbillon spins faithfully at 6 o’clock, but for all that is dazzling around it, it may not be the main visual draw in this work of art. This true statement piece has a price of €190,000.

The versatility stakes are high

All the new stainless steel Octo Roma models come with a bracelet and a rubber strap, both compatible with an interchangeable strap system. Additional straps in rubber and alligator leather of various colors are also available for purchase separately.

For more information, visit Bvlgari’s official website.