Bulgari artisans illustrate an automatic movement on the dial of the new Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch, a playful limited edition to be offered in 40mm by 6.4mm steel and rose gold case options.
Inspired by the Italian “schizzo”: sketch, the lacquered dial on the new watch depicts the look of the unusually thin automatic movement (BVL 138 caliber) as seen from the back, complete with an image of the watch’s micro-rotor, escapement, bridges, rubies, and even finishing details like Côtes de Genève and circular graining. 
As if sketched in pencil by Bulgari’s master designer and creative director Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, the dial image features hand-drawn lines, arrows, descriptions and fonts that might appear in a technical brief for the thin movement and its components.
(The new watch is the first entry into a Sketch collection. Bulgari is also launching a Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Sketch, a 43mm steel watch with an even more complex dial image that mimics the back of the Bulgari BVL 318 caliber, a GMT chronograph movement.
We’ll show you pictures of that watch as soon as they are available. Above is an image of the Chronograph GMT Sketch dial.)
On the steel Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch, the dial offers shades of grey on an off-white background and appears a bit more monochromatic when compared to the gold model. Polished and satin finishes on the case and bracelet, along with the Finissimo’s characteristic sunburst-brushed bezel, offer a metallic edge to the design.
In 18-karat 5N rose gold, the Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch also features a polished and satin-finished case and bracelet, but with a luxurious touch. Here, the richly colored dial is traversed by grey hands to enhance its subtlety.
Bulgari is offering the Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch series as two limited editions, with 280 pieces in steel and seventy in rose gold. On each clear sapphire caseback, which offers a view of the dial image source, the watchmaker has etched “EDIZIONE LIMITATA” and “1884 – 2024” to commemorate Bulgari’s 140th anniversary.
Prices: 17,800 euro (steel) and 51,000 euro. U.S. pricing is pending.
Comments are closed.