patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
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I could've been there for a whole day if I wanted to see a set of 20 cases finished...
The two CNC machines would have to have their internal jigs swapped out at 10+ times. I can only imagine what the accountants are saying... "do we have to have such a complex design? Perhaps we can save some money here and there by reducing certain operations." And the designers are probably saying "No, we can't switch these facets to a polished design as it wouldn't look right. Sorry, not sorry."
10 Years of Bulgari Octo - The Factory Tour Part I
I want to write about music. Actually I really want to write about the best watch someone can buy in the 10,000 Euro range, but let’s talk about music first. Music produced by bands today are often “manufactured” meaning a record label identifies a segmen...
Thank you Salman!
Very kind of you to say! I agree, that case design is amazing. Genta seemed to have a love for hexagons, circles, and octagons and combining these shapes into watches.
Fantastic report!
Thanks so much Patrick for taking the time to put this together! I have a soft spot for Bvlgari watches and products generally, and thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Very much looking forward to part 2!
Wonderful to read you again!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! That soft spot is definitely well warranted. The brand is definitely working very hard to keep that spot staying soft!
Uh oh! What did I say?
Uh oh! Did I present Bulgari in a negative way? I was definitely impressed the the operation at Bulgari. It's truly a high quality operation with significant investment. A big company investment mentality, but with relatively small to medium volume produc...
What an amazing experience that must have been!
Thank you for the great report, impressive!
It was an amazing experience indeed!
There was so much to see that it was difficult to distill it into a compact report. At first edit, the report was going to be like 6000 words. And that would've been way too long. Thus, making it more concise without losing some of that special essence wa...
Thank you for reading and commenting!
And welcome to WatchProSite! I'm so honored to be your FIRST POST!
You're welcome!
Thank you for writing and commenting! I do this for the comments! And also to dispel the marketing myths that plague the industry. But also to give credit where credit is due. A Hodinkee editor still spreads falsehoods that a Rolex takes a year to create....
A phenomenal report on a phenomenal line of watches.
I always enjoy your carefully-written posts Thanks Patrick Hussam
Thank YOU for reading!
Hope everything is going well for you and your family! Miss you and your smile very much!
EPIC EPIC EPIC Post!!!
Love this and have enjoyed my Octo FS for well over a year (two years?). Far and away the best ultra-thin sports design with a proper 100m WP rating. Seeing the pink cases... would be cool to see a pink Octo for the ladies. ...
The Pink cases...
I don't know what the pink cases look like on your monitor (every computer monitor has its own color temperatures). But the pink cases have this magenta gel coating on them to protect the case from scratches while being transported in the factory. It's qu...
Hmm... Maybe something anodized then?
Just got an email from Porsche in multiple colors... ...
I could've been there for a whole day if I wanted to see a set of 20 cases finished...
The two CNC machines would have to have their internal jigs swapped out at 10+ times. I can only imagine what the accountants are saying... "do we have to have such a complex design? Perhaps we can save some money here and there by reducing certain operat...
Thank you.
As new owner of the so-called by myself 😎 silver surfer, it's absolutely detailed and makes me aeger to buy another one 😁😁😁😁
Very nice!
The Silver Surfer is a very cool watch. I kind of itch to buy one of those blue dialed versions of the brushed and polished steel variant myself.
What a wonderful post!
I really enjoyed reading about all this. If anyone thinks that brands are not using all this machinery, well, I think they are sorely mistaken. Frankly, I appreciate how Bulgari is pushing the technology available, whether it be different brushed and poli...
Oh yeah... Lots of machinery...
It's definitely a very special watch. To do that thinness, they really had to create new technologies at every level - at the case level, dial level, hand level... The movement - naturally. The movement is loaded into the case from the front. The bezel an...
You are most welcome! Thank you for reading and for your comments!
I agree, the factory was definitely not a let down. Three days of touring three different Bulgari factories. They aren't a small operation.
What a wonderful and informative review.
Thanks to your thorough and insightful information about Bulgari and the Octo Finissimo, I now have an even greater appreciation and "love" for my 2 Bulgari watches and the brand also. The latest blue-dial finissimo that is a stunning blue that changes de...
I like your Blue dial Bulgari A LOT!
I want to own one of those myself! But I've already got the sandblasted titanium one! Thank you for reading and commenting! It's thanks to your comments and others like yours that makes me take the time and trouble to fly to Switzerland to see these facto...
incredible report of what must have been an amazing trip
thanks Patrick for so generously sharing this with us. It is impressive to see all the pictures and all the work involved in what must be among the most underappreciated wristwatches available today, particularly at this price range. Thanks again!!
Thank you Keks for reading and commenting!
Agreed! Definitely an amazing piece for a fairly reasonable amount of money. Hope you are enjoying yours and that it's getting a lot exercise!
You're very welcome. Thank you for this lovely comment!
Will have another factory visit article posted featuring the movement factory in Le Sentier eventually.
We’re looking at October or November time frame!
But thanks for the enthusiasm! Every author finds it nice to know that their work is appreciated!
Part II is finally Live!
There was a slight delay on my end for fact checking and additional research. Here's a link: www.watchprosite.com
Great report and photos
I can't wait for part two, the movements. The bracelet is great as well, did you get a chance to visit the bracelet manufacturer? No doubt the teams that developed these watches had to innovate in order to make these watches a reality. It would be interes...
Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you for your comments! And I didn't see any bracelets actually being manufactured. Although this plant supposedly does make bracelets - I don't know if it makes bracelets for the Octo Finissimo models or other models. But I didn't actually see any O...
Just WOW
Thanks for all these photos and detailed explanation the process and photos.