Bulgari Debuts at Watches & Wonders 2025

Just before the show’s opening, news emerged that the LVMH watch division has a new CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, who will also continue his role as the head of Bulgari. This timing aligned perfectly with Bulgari's debut at Watches & Wonders. Previously, they had showcased their new products in Geneva, but now they have a large, colorful stand at Palexpo for this purpose. Bulgari celebrated the event with a spectacular display of new watches, including some real surprises. Additionally, they featured a mini-exhibition of historical and modern watches and jewelry at their booth.
The entire Bulgari watch structure is supported by two exceptionally strong pillars: Serpenti and Octo Finissimo. These are two remarkable collections, one with a rich history and the other an example of innovation, both of which the house of Bulgari maintains in impeccable condition.

Let's begin with the Octo Finissimo. The most significant announcement from Bulgari at this exhibition is undoubtedly the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, which is the thinnest tourbillon in the world. The race for ultra-thin watches started over a decade ago, and Bulgari has consistently led in this field. The concept of thinness, strategically chosen by Babin for Bulgari men's watch collections, has proven to be a brilliant choice—the current record is the tenth already. Although Richard Mille, Piaget, and Konstantin Chaykin occasionally participate in this competition, Bulgari remains undeterred. 

If last year's Altiplano Concept Tourbillon Piaget was the previous thinnest tourbillon at 2 mm, the current Bulgari model is only 1.85 mm thick. Achieving such a slim design involves not only the marvels of micromechanics (with the new BVL 900 caliber) and skeletonization (making the watch almost transparent) but also requires the use of advanced materials — the plate here is made of tungsten carbide. The history of Octo Finissimo world records began in 2014 with a tourbillon that was 1.95 mm thick. A year ago, Bulgari introduced its previous record-holder, the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, a chronometer with a thickness of 1.7 mm. However, in August, Konstantin Chaykin’s prototype, ThinKing, surpassed it by 0.05 mm. Despite this, the Ultra COSC remains the world’s thinnest serially-produced watch. Now, Bulgari has added just 0.15 mm to create the world’s thinnest tourbillon. While we anticipate the next record will soon follow, it is clear that Bulgari excels in showcasing its expertise in creating ultra-thin watches. Additionally, the watchmakers’ dedication to such seemingly abstract concepts as fractions of a millimeter is truly impressive.

The tourbillon wasn’t the only Octo Finissimo watch at W&W. Other noteworthy creations include the Perpetual Calendar, which set the world record for thinness in 2021 and has now been released in a sandblasted rose gold version, as well as the Octo Finissimo Automat in a rare sandblasted yellow gold version. It’s also worth mentioning that among the many stunning pieces presented by Bulgari this year, the Octo Finissimo Marble Tourbillon, inspired by their marble watch for the Only Watch charity auction, truly stood out. Such yellow gold is rare today, and when paired with a dial made of green Verde di Alpi marble, it creates an exceptionally captivating combination, reminiscent of the columns and altars of Roman basilicas.

The second part of the Bulgari horological world, the Serpenti Aeterna watch, was equally astonishing. Bulgari's chief watch designer, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, has finally transcended the figurative aspects of the iconic historical Serpenti watch, transforming it into a futuristic, streamlined object. “Aeterna is more than a timepiece or jewellery — it is the ultimate expression of Bvlgari’s avant-garde vision. I wanted to capture Serpenti's DNA, distill it to its essence, and project it into the future,” said Fabrizio. The only element reminiscent of a snake is the hexagonal cells on the inside of the gold bracelet, like a distant echo of its scales. Fabrizio pursued this direction intentionally, gradually eliminating all the "snakeness," and was evidently pleased on the opening day of the exhibition, receiving congratulations. So far, only two models have been presented – in pink and white gold with snow pavé of diamonds – but it’s clear that this line will be expanded.

Courtesy: Bvlgari

Text: Elena Stafyeva