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Bulgari Sketches an Octo Finissimo Dial 

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.

The new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch, steel edition.

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. 

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The Watches

Zenith Adds a Tourbillon to Defy Skyline

Since its debut two years ago, the Defy Skyline collection has become one of Zenith’s best-sellers. Now, Zenith adds a tourbillon to the collection to create two 41mm Defy Skyline Tourbillon models, one in steel and the other in black ceramic. 

The new Zenith Defy Skyline Tourbillon, here in black ceramic. A second model is cased in steel.

Zenith’s own high-frequency movement houses an open-worked tourbillon with a cage shaped to mimic the Zenith star logo. The new debuts maintain the signature sunray pattern metallic dial found throughout the Defy Skyline series. Zenith places the tourbillon within an aperture on the lower portion of the dial.

The tourbillon design is notably open with a prominent mirror-polished bridge. On the black ceramic model, the bridge’s gold-plated hue matches the dial’s markers and hands.

On the steel edition, the markers and hands are rhodium plated to match the case finish.

Each dial features a pattern of engraved four-pointed stars that appear to radiate away from the tourbillon, expanding as they reach the dial’s edge.

As noted, Zenith’s new El Primero 3630 automatic high-frequency caliber powers both models, offering generous power reserve of sixty hours. The movement’s open star-shaped rotor offers the owner a nice view of the very modern movement.

Zenith fits the Defy Skyline Tourbillon on either a stainless steel or black ceramic bracelet, depending on the model, and adds a second strap in blue or black rubber. The strap can be quickly changed by the owner using the caseback’s quick strap-change mechanism.

Prices: $57,100 (steel) and $67,400 (black ceramic) 

 

 

Specifications: Zenith Defy Skyline Tourbillon 

Steel: 

Reference: 03.9300.3630/51.I001

Key points: Automatic high frequency tourbillon. Starry sky pattern on the dial that starts from tourbillon. Screwed-in crown. Full interchangeable strap system.

Movement: El Primero 3630 automatic.

Frequency: 36,000 VpH – 5Hz

Power reserve: approx. 60 hours

Functions: Hours and minutes in the center tourbillon: The carriage is positioned at 6 o’clock; it makes one turn per minute; tourbillon cage with 56 components.

Finishes: Special oscillating weight with satined finishings

Material: Stainless steel

Water resistance: 10 ATM

Case: 41mm

Dial: Blue-toned sunray-patterned

Hour markers: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1

Hands: Rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1

Bracelet & Buckle: Stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp. 2nd strap included: blue rubber with folding clasp.

Price: $57,100.

 

Black Ceramic:

Reference: 49.9300.3630/21.I001

Key points: Automatic high-frequency tourbillon. Starry sky pattern on the dial that starts from tourbillon. Screwed-in crown. Full interchangeable strap system.

Movement: El Primero 3630 automatic

Frequency: 36,000 VpH – 5Hz

Power reserve: approx. 60 hours

Functions: Hours and minutes in the center tourbillon: The carriage is positioned at 6 o’clock; it makes one turn per minute; tourbillon cage with 56 components.

Finishes: Special oscillating weight with satined finishings

Material: Black ceramic

Water resistance: 10 ATM

Case: 41mm

Dial: Black-toned sunray pattern.

Hour markers: Gold-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1

Hands: Gold-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1

Bracelet & Buckle: Black ceramic bracelet with folding clasp. 2nd strap included: black rubber with steel black PVD folding clasp.

Price: $67,400

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The Watches

Girard-Perregaux Adds Carats to Laureato 38mm Copper  

Girard-Perregaux adds diamonds to the bezel of its Laureato 38mm Copper, a 38mm steel watch that features a beautiful copper-hued Clous de Paris dial.

The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato 38mm Copper Diamond Bezel.

The best-selling watch, which debuted in 2022, now newly glows along its octagonal bezel with eight larger diamonds and fifty-six smaller diamonds. The bezel echoes those seen on a few smaller 34mm Laureato models, though none also include this watch’s unique copper dial.

The new Laureato 38mm Copper Diamond Bezel is still the only 38mm model in the ongoing Laureato steel collection, though Girard-Perregaux launched a special 38mm green ceramic Aston Martin edition last year. Most models in the Laureato steel-cased collection measure 42mm in diameter.

The newly set bezel reflects and refracts light in a manner that complements the light-play from the deeply cut Clous de Paris dial. This classic dial pattern is built on multiple pyramids that can alter the shade of the dial depending on the ambient light. The dial can seem copper hued from some angles, but can change to appear ochre or dark brown as the viewing angle and light source changes.

Girard-Perregaux places luminescent-lined, baton-shaped hour and minute hands atop the dial, each matching the shape of the indexes. A gold central seconds hand matches the G-P logo at the 12 o’clock position while the date appears in white text on a copper-toned disc.

Inside, Girard-Perregaux fits its excellent automatic Caliber GP03300, made visible via a clear sapphire caseback. Like the watch’s finely finished dial, the movement also benefits from Girard-Perregaux’s artisanal expertise with details that include Côtes de Genève finishes, a main plate adorned with circular graining and other components finished with beveling, mirror-polishing and satin or sunray finishes.

Price: $20,100. 

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The Watches

Louis Vuitton Creates Voyager with “Stained Glass’ Enamel Dial

Louis Vuitton dresses its already impressive in-house flying tourbillon with stunning ‘stained glass’ artisanal enamel to create the new 41mm platinum and white gold Voyager Flying Tourbillon “Poinçon de Genève“ Plique-à-jour. 

The new 41mm platinum and white gold Louis Vuitton Voyager Flying Tourbillon “Poinçon de Genève“ Plique-à-jour.

By pairing a modern flying tourbillon movement developed within the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton workshop with a traditional enameling technique, Louis Vuitton draws attention to its wide-ranging mastery of artistic craftsmanship, which for this model focuses on plique-à-jour, a  technique pioneered by Byzantine artisans in the 4th and 5th centuries.

Essentially, the technique consists of depositing enamel into open cells and allowing it to color the space in a ‘capillary action fill.’

The artisan must apply the enamel in multiple layers and kiln fire it each time in order to achieve the correct transparency that, when completed, echoes a stained glass window. More than 100 hours of artisanal work are required to complete each dial.

The blue hue that dominates the new watch was particularly difficult to create, according to Louis Vuitton, which adds that “many months of research were needed to obtain this blue gradient.

To achieve this, the Maison worked with several master enamelers within its atelier at La Fabrique des Arts.”

The transparent enamel panes are set within a white gold dial created with repeated interlocking Vs (for Vuitton).

This pattern pairs perfectly with the skeletonized LV 104 Caliber, a beautifully finished manual-wind movement also developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. 

Note that the watch’s Geneva Seal (Poinçon de Genève) certification is visible both on the front of the watch and in border on the caseback.

Echoing the workmanship required to construct the enamel work here, the flying tourbillon movement also requires painstaking watchmaking and design technique. Louis Vuitton explains that more than 120 hours of work are required to assemble all 168 parts of the caliber, which boasts a strong 80-hour power reserve.

Price: Upon request. 

 

Specifications: Louis Vuitton Voyager Flying Tourbillon “Poinçon de Genève” Plique-à-jour 

Movement: LV 104 Calibre: mechanical movement with manual winding developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, “Poinçon de Genève” certification, visible on the face and back. Functions: Skeleton flying tourbillon, hours and minutes, V tourbillon cage fully rotating in one minute. Eighty hours of power reserve, 21,600 oscillations per hour.

Case: 41mm by 11.68mm platinum 950 and 18-karat white gold with polished and brushed finishes, anti-reflection sapphire crystal, transparent caseback, water-resistant to 50 meters.

Dial: Handmade plique-à-jour enamel dial crafted within the in-house workshop of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

Strap: Navy blue calf strap with platinum buckle.

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Hermès Dial Melds Artisanal Crafts  

Hermès re-interprets a shawl by artist Tong Ren to create the Arceau Mon Premier Galop, a limited edition 38mm white gold watch with an multi-media artisanal dial made made from enamel, leather marquetry and silk-threads.

The new Hermès Arceau Mon Premier Galop

Multiple skills are on display within this singular hand-crafted dial. The top of the dial depicts the sun and sky, both crafted in enamel.

 

Against the blue background is a horse made of silk threads and finely cut leather measuring a thin 0.5mm thick and set one-by-one.

 

Finally, note the small hand-painted gold mobile applique butterfly and star. 

Hermès is making the Arceau Mon Premier Galop as a 24-piece limited in a white gold case sporting a diamond bezel.

Inside Hermès fits its own H1912 automatic movement adorned with the H motif of the brand on its rotor.  All this hand-wrought beauty is held to the wrist with a matching blue calfskin strap.

Price: $91,530.

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