Introducing: Bvlgari Goes Carbon With Two Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Releases
With this year’s Geneva Watch Days well and truly underway, we now have something new from Bvlgari to share. The watchmaking jewelers, as they refer to themselves, add two new models to the Octo Finissimo range. Or, rather, two existing models get rebuilt in a combination of forged carbon and gold. And the result is rather striking to look at!
Bvlgari has taken its Octo Finissimo Automatic Small Seconds and its Perpetual Calendar back to the case maker for new exoskeletons. Let’s have a closer look at the resulting new models.
Octo Finissimo Automatic CarbonGold
The first model to get the CarbonGold treatment is the Octo Finissimo Automatic. This is the base model of the Octo Finissimo range, time-only and outfitted with small seconds at seven-thirty. The titanium original has a completely different feel with its matte, brutalist exterior. The swirly carbon on this new model adds some flair, which is further boosted by the rose gold details. It completely changes the nature of the entire watch.
Inside ticks the same caliber BVL 138. This time, however, Bvlgari crafted the plates out of rose gold, continuing the overall theme of the watch. The platinum micro-rotor that this movement uses is plated with rose gold to match. Eight rose gold screws hold the case back in place. Caliber BVL 138 ticks at 21,600vph and features a 60-hour power reserve. The caliber is a mere 2.23mm slim, enabling a total case thickness of just 6.9mm.
103010 BGO40BSLXTSK/WC OCTO
The forged carbon case measures 40mm across. Despite the negligible height, the watch retains a water resistance rating of 100 meters. That is quite impressive if you consider the dial and hand stack lay claim to some vertical space as well. Naturally, the characteristic bracelet is executed in the same forged carbon material as the case.
Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar CarbonGold
Is the Automatic a little too mundane for you? Well, Bvlgari has got you covered! How about a perpetual calendar in the same CarbonGold guise? And how about sacrificing a mere 0.7mm of slimness for it? Indeed, you can get a 100m-water-resistant perpetual calendar in a 7.6mm-tall case. Not too shabby, is it?
Again, we have the caliber from the “regular” version but executed with rose gold upper plates. In this case, that means you can admire caliber BVL 305 through the sapphire case back. This is a micro-rotor perpetual calendar movement with a 60-hour power reserve. There is a retrograde date indicator and sub-dials for the day and month. Lastly, there is a retrograde leap-year indicator as well.
The Perpetual Calendar comes in the same 40mm diameter as the Automatic version. Note that this wears rather large for its size, as is true of all Octo Finissimo watches.
Initial impressions
I always love it when brands release existing models in new materials and the result is significantly different. This is certainly the case here. If you look at the entire lineup in the different materials, each has a distinct role to play. These new CarbonGold models add yet another new flavor to the offerings.
If I were allowed to build my dream Octo Finissimo, I would probably opt for forged carbon paired with black hands and indices. It would sacrifice some legibility for the ultimate gloomy, Darth Vader aesthetic. I can only admit that the rose gold accents provide some flair. But if you follow my writing, you know I am a big fan of the subdued.
The calibers look stunning in rose gold. There is a classical Haute Horlogerie vibe that emanates from rose gold movement plates. Maybe it is just a personal association on my part, but it just adds horological street cred, especially when there is seriously impressive watchmaking going on anyway, as there is here. My only reservation is the price, which I will unveil in a moment. At such premiums, I think I would prefer the titanium models.
Pricing of the carbon-clad Octo Finissimos
The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic CarbonGold comes in at €29,000. The Perpetual Calendar is priced at €100,000. This surely means they will be a rare sight on the streets. But if you ever do run into one, it will surely be a rather cool sight!
What do you think of the new Octo Finissimo versions? Would you prefer these over the other materials available? Let us know in the comments below!
