Bulgari Octo Finissimo 2022 Sketch LE

This year Bulgari sets the eighth world record for the production of ultrathin watches, but it is also the 10th anniversary of Octo Finissimo, and in honor of the watch and the man who designed it, Bulgari has released two anniversary limited editions, which include the original design sketches on watch faces.

Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari’s Executive Director of Product Development, is responsible for the design and drawings. Stigliani was born in Naples and trained as an industrial designer, and his first love was automotive design. His projects always start with hand-made sketches. It’s amazing to observe — like all great draughtsmen, the repertoire of shapes and proportions he works with is neurologically rooted in muscle memory, and his drawings come to life with fluidity, grace, and precision.

For these two limited editions, the initial drawings of each watch are printed on titanium dials. These are two models of Octo Finissimo Automatic and Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT watches. Both have set ultrathin watch records in their respective categories (the thinnest automatic movement watch and the thinnest chronograph), and both will be made entirely of titanium – the case, dial, and bracelets. Both models will be released in a limited edition of 200 copies.

The idea of including sketches of the original design in the finished watch is interesting, and it would not have been possible if they had not been made manually from the very beginning. Of course, these works will appeal most to people who already know something about the history of Octo Finissimo and may already be familiar with Stigliano’s works. The spontaneity and adaptability of the hand-made sketch attracts attention.

For centuries, there has been a place in the visual arts for both the spontaneous and the unedited, as well as for the carefully finished and complex. It is necessary to recall, for example, some of Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches in comparison with the carefully calculated and refined work behind his masterpiece of the Virgin and Child and St. Anne. Up to this point, it has not been possible to see both together in watch design. The most similar is a miniature enamel painting, which is visibly and clearly made by hand, but which at its highest level is in no way inferior to Leonardo in terms of complexity of execution. The use of these sketches gives the watch, which is considered one of the most sophisticated watches in the world, an unexpected warmth and human touch.

Technical Specifications Octo Finissimo Automatic 10th Anniversary

40 mm diameter, sandblasted titanium, transparent back cover. Water resistance of 30 meters

The matte-gray titanium sandblasted dial with engraved indexes includes the first design sketch of the watch created by the chief designer of the watch Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani

Technical Specifications Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic 10th Anniversary

40mm sandblasted titanium, transparent Anniversary back cover. Water resistance of 10 meters

matte grey titanium dial with sandblasting and engraved hour markers, the first design sketch by Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani

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