75oCto by bulgaRi
Year of birth: 2010Design brief: In 2000, Bulgari acquired Gerald Genta’s
eponymous watchmaking brand established in 1969 after the
designer sold it to The Hour Glass group in 1998. Though
not directly descended from Genta’s design oeuvre, the Octo
launched by Bulgari in 2010 bears imprints of Genta’s legacy such
as the juxtaposition of modernity with classicism; his trademark
octagon (referencing the octagonal-cased creation he designed
from 1991); and the innovative spirit of a true revolutionary.
The upward trajectory of the Octo in becoming a contemporary
horology icon has been exciting to watch.New in 2019: Bulgari’s headlining act at Baselworld 2019 was the
unveiling of the record-breaking Octo Finissimo Chronograph
GMT Automatic — the thinnest mechanical chronograph in
watchmaking annals, measuring 3.3 mm and Bulgari’s fifth
world record. It is the quintessence of the Octo — an impeccable
fusion of design and technology while boasting ultra-thinness,
embodied by a round dial within an octagonal case. A bumper
year for the Octo, it is bolstered by the additions of the Octo
Finissimo Ceramic and the exceptional Octo Roma Tourbillon
Sapphire. The entire collection makes a fine statement rebooting
the Octo’s design codes with innovation excellence in technicity,
micro-mechanical complexity and the use of high-tech materials.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Gerald Genta’s first
Grande Sonnerie from 1994 — an avant-garde piece and the most
complicated wristwatch at the time — Bulgari capped its Octo
2019 repertoire with the remarkable masterpiece of Octo Roma
Grande Sonnerie with Perpetual Calendar.Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire Octo Roma Octo Finissimo Skeleton Ceramic Octo Finissimo Chronograph Gmt
Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Carbon