patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
28400
Thank you for this solid review!
Regarding the ugly.
We have done some coverage about the evolution of the BVL 138. And I have visited the factory and spoken with the movement designers about the new BVL 138 and compared it between the new and the old one. The new one is definitely designed to be better in terms of winding efficiency.
The old BVL 138 is one of the most inefficient watches (in terms of winding) that I've met. The watch needs a very high number of turns in the Counter clockwise direction. Furthermore, while the watch will work very well on a winder, the tiny rotor that isn't really tapered makes the winding efficiency quite bad in reality. I too have had active days where I walked 20,000 steps and the watch stopped at around 3AM later that evening when I put the watch on the nightstand at around 9PM. Now, to be fair to Bulgari, this is a common problem among many of the watches with micro rotors. Look at Piaget's history; they've had lots of problems with their micro rotor watches, they even still have some problems on newer movements today. Even Patek Philippe's 240 caliber is very inconsistent in winding. Some days the watch will behave, and other days, despite an active day, the watch will not wind. The 5712 Nautilus even has a power reserve so you can see the progress! The 5712's power reserve could almost be an indicator of how active you are! If you're active, your reserve will be close to full. If you're not, then it'll be low. But then again, it's imperfect since sometimes you're not very active and somehow the watch just winds well that day and it indicates full.
Maybe you should ask if they can switch your movement to the new movement. The new movement should have much better winding efficiency!
The Bad
Yes. That screw down crown would be annoying if you had to wind the watch often! Very annoying! And yes! The OF hasn't hit its full appeal yet! And let's also hope that Bulgari doesn't kill it by offering too many limited editions.
The Good/Great
You hit it on the nose. And there's probably even more good/great things about the OF!
More posts:
1-Year Review: Bulgari Octo Finissimo S with Silvered Dial
The good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, in this instance, I want to go in the reverse. The ugly : I bought the watch in September 2021. Immediately, I noticed issues with winding efficiency. I would wear the watch during the day and it would die overnight....
Thank you for this solid review!
Regarding the ugly. We have done some coverage about the evolution of the BVL 138. And I have visited the factory and spoken with the movement designers about the new BVL 138 and compared it between the new and the old one. The new one is definitely desig...
Never experienced any winding issue with it
Honestly LVMH group is not following the current trend to limit the production. Actually it's never been so easy to create a wait list and I think that if they wanted, they could achieve it in a weekend.
That is a huge review of a future icon
Not only the title, i am interested to get the watch on my wrist. With Rome in my mind, this would be a good holiday watch. Sure i wil focus on the updated bvl 138 movement cause of the improvements. Down sides: I need no screw in crown while i have no in...
As a huge Bulgari fan, I appreciate your thorough, informative, and honest review.
When I mean Bulgari fan, I don't mean only watches but also bags, wallets, accessories, etc. My first "real" watch was the Bulgari Bulgari that I fell I fell in love with at first sight 15 years ago. So when the OF came out, I was mesmerized by its design...
I look at all my watches in a highly objective fashion, and I think most watches have pros and cons
To be honest, when I bought the Octo Finissimo, I purchased it as something of a placeholder - I was not been able to get a Nautilus/RO allocation, and the Octo Finissimo was intended to fill that hole. The Octo Finissimo has destroyed my desire to own ei...
We should do an Octo Finissimo and Nautilus Comparison!
I can tell you with certainty. If you only have the OF, you don't need the Nautilus nor Royal Oak. And for most people, the Nautilus is easier to wear and more comfortable than the Royal Oak. The OF is just as comfortable as the Nautilus, except for the s...
Thanks for so such a thoughtful review!
I agree, the Octo design stands out amongst its modern horological counterparts.
Enjoyed reading this Josh, thanks for putting your thoughts together.
One thing I might add is that I think the watch works on smaller wrists too, most definitely those with the lighter case/bracelet materials. And your final point is really what it’s all about. That pleasure or satisfaction can come from many aspects of a ...
Excellence review.
I’ve had the same issues with the second hand and winding, and also had to return mine to get these fixed. It left a bad taste in my mouth after having to deal with these issues and still not great. At this point I’m even thinking of selling mine unfortun...
