patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
33553
I think you're right!
The blue dial version of the steel Octo Finissimo is already in short supply. Every Bulgari jewelry store I go to say that it's a short wait of a couple months. Short, but that suggests that there is consistent demand. Having visited the factory, I can tell you that there aren't a lot of ways to pump these things out in massive numbers. The steel version with the blue dial requires A LOT OF TIME to make, it has to go into the CNC Machine multiple times. And each time the CNC machine has to be reprogramed. A plastic tray of 25 watch cases can be put into the CNC machine and then the CNC machine can slowly take its time to brush four facets per program on all 25 cases. But a human needs to take that tray of 25 cases out. Considering there are about 100 facets, and the machine can only do 4 facets per program (since each facet is on one corner and the computer program has to be reset for every different type of facet and the hardware needs to be modified too) the tray of 25 cases needs to be inserted and removed from the machine probably 20 times. Each time, the machine would need to have a new program selected, and there would need to be some hardware changes; basically a new jig consisting of a new holder that holds the case at a different angle to get the different brushed stroke angle, new tools, new accessories, or a new sandpaper board (they use a special sandpaper board at various angles to put in the brushed finish). So the machine can run autonomously for 25 steel cases. But every 30 minutes... someone needs to be looking in at the machine. An MB&F sapphire watch case can take several hours to make. But at least you can run that machine overnight! This machine can't be run overnight. So who knows. Once people figure out this is a good Patek Philippe Nautilus or AP Royal Oak alternative... Maybe there will be a mad rush and shortage of this watch? And if that happens, they can't make that many of them. I'm not a watch production expert, but I have worked for a high-tech contract manufacturer somewhat similar to Foxconn so I am somewhat familiar with production - and I see things from a production ease and difficulty kind of view. This one isn't easy. It isn't fast. The machine has to make other things too, so it can't be monopolized by only the steel cases. Bulgari could however buy more CNC machines though. But there's another production constraint: the cases are hand polished before brushing and the polishers are all human beings so that's going to be hard to increase overall steel case output. These steel cases are difficult to polish since they have fairly sharp edges, so they have to be polished somewhat more carefully and slowly.
10 Years of Bulgari Octo - The Factory Tour Part II
I truly believe the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Timepiece is tone of the best timepieces in existence today and my top pick for anyone considering a watch around 10,000 Euros. It has got a sporty modernity with a classic look that will stand the test...
What a report!
That case is indubitably highly attractive and iconic. I have a preference for the simpler, more minimalist iterations since I feel the overall design needs to be left to take 'precedence' visually speaking, but they are all excellent timepieces. Hugely a...
Why thank you!
I agree. The minimalist dials are very attractive to my eyes. I personally recommend everyone to consider the stainless steel version with either the blue, black, or silver face. The simpler versions do let the very interesting case design speak louder. A...
Very well done, Patrick
You must be tired from the research and writing. I'm tired just imagining being on that tour. I need one of those watches! Cazalea
Thank you Cazalea!
Yes! Very tired. Thank you for your kind words. The tour lasted three days and yet I feel I only scratched the surface. There were still a whole bunch of technical questions I ran out of time to ask. Writing and editing this took a long timespan. But I re...
This is the kind of report only found on our website. Thank you Patrick!
What a tour. I sincerely thank you for your time and effort to create this post!
Thank you MichaelC!
Thank you for reading! There's a lot of coverage on this watch in various magazines and I wanted to see where I could stand out a bit. It turned out to be a big challenge! But eventually I was able to get it done!
Which one is your favorite?
Which one is your favorite Mine is the Tadao Ando. Have you gotten a chance to try one on yet? If you haven't, do make sure you get around to it!
I'm glad you've tried it!
The first time I tried it, I really liked it and I felt it was calling to me. And I kept on thinking about it. Then one day, I saw the Revolution model with the pierced dial and I started to get more serious about it. I made a couple inquiries but unfortu...
I think you're right!
The blue dial version of the steel Octo Finissimo is already in short supply. Every Bulgari jewelry store I go to say that it's a short wait of a couple months. Short, but that suggests that there is consistent demand. Having visited the factory, I can te...
Finissimo is simply stunning
As well as your reports. Thank you so much, finally the movement differences fully explained.
You are most welcome!
Which Octo Finissimo is most stunning to you? Do you have a favorite?
Tadao Andò
Ceramic skeleton Titanium. I'm looking for a strap, I wonder if I could that one with a metal link like the perpetual or the minute repeater
I really like the Tadao Ando myself...
I feel the Tadao Ando in titanium is one of their best creations. The Skeleton models are very impressive too.
What an awesome report, very well done Patrick! Thank you for having such a great time at Bulgari ;)
That movement tho.... it is a clearly a 'redesign' full stop. No matter what they call it. Bottom line is: they had to do something as winding efficiency and robustness turned out to be suboptimal to say the least and when they sat down for a *redesign* t...
Yes! The Skeleton relies upon you for winding!
I agree, I still consider the V2 to be a substantial redesign. Although the movement team really feels otherwise. With the V1, I basically consider it a manual wind and automatic wind watch. But if I got the steel versions which have a screw down crown, I...
Thank you Sir for reading!
Always a pleasure to see your posts and comments. Thank you for taking the time to comment! I have to say, I've seen a few watch manufacturers and I was impressed with this one. It's a smaller manufacturer, but they still made as much as they could in-hou...
They claimed it to be the thinnest when it debuted...
When it debuted several years ago, it was supposedly the thinnest MR movement. I don't know if it still is today. The Bulgari Caliber BVL 362 is supposedly 3.12 mm thin. Cased, the watch is about 6mm thick with an exhibition back! The carbon version is 6....
If that's the one we saw in June...
If that's the one we saw in June, I'd say the one we saw together sounds slightly better. Not saying the Bulgari sounds bad. But that JLC one sounded really good. Those Breguets still sound so bad. For a top tier manufacturer, Breguet should sound better!...
Right! From 2014!
This is a great piece. And it's even automatic! A very cool and very thin piece. Sounded good too. You know, the funny thing about the HM11 and the Bulgari is they both have the same Caliber Number! 362! The Bulgari is Caliber BVL 362 and the Hybris Mecha...
Thank you gents, for these amazing reports
which are so difficult to achieve! They give such a good idea of what's behind a brand. GEO
They are indeed difficult to achieve...
Our team is small. And all of our moderators treat this as a hobby and not as a journalism career. And I can tell you, half of all the journalists I've met, know nothing about watches. They're assigned to cover these things by the Lifestyle editor of a gr...
Thank you!
Was a long time coming but all good things take time. Thanks for the outstanding report!
Thank you for reading and commenting!
It was indeed a long time coming. I was a little bit behinds schedule and the final fact checking took a while. Also, even after all the final drafts were written, just uploading everything into the computer, final formatting, and loading it onto the inte...
Thank you for an AMAZING report!
Love to see horology moving forward in many different directions. i prefer the original movement with more jewels (as spacers i assume). Plus they did proper gold-filled lettering too. Am glad to have gotten an Octo FS years ago before the big rush and ch...
The V1 movement is definitely very cool!
The movement is very cool and very unusual. It's unusual to see so many spacer jewels. When I first looked at the movement, I was wondering why there were so many jewels with no holes in them. Then I realized, they're spacer jewels. Spacer jewels are so r...
Love it!
The bracelet is incredible, let's not forget how the butterfly clasp goes into the first few bits. The 100m WP rating was a big sell factor too as I swim in the ocean, etc. A bit of advice, use a flat-ground screwdriver and occasionally (yearly?) check th...
My clasp screws loosen every month or two!
You swim in the ocean with yours! Good for you! I don't swim with any watch on. Then again, I don't have many watches that are 100m water resistant.
Correct, so get Loctite blue or 222.
Remove one screw, apply a small tiny dab on the screw's threading (I use the tip of a toothpick to apply), then screw it back in. Do this for all four of course. Here's a link to Loctite 222.
I think this is a very comprehensive report
written for non-engineers like me to fully understand the mechanics. Thank you very much, Patrick, for your hard work and time spent in writing this. Cheers, Henry
Thank you Henry for commenting!
I never trained to be a professional journalist. And every now and then I read my writing and I see flaws, double entendres, and phrases that can be interpreted differently among different cultures. So I just have to do my best. When it comes to the techn...
Fantastic virtual factory tour, thank you so much!
Particularly the BVL 138 v1 versus v2 is very interesting ;-) Cheers, HSTE
I bet they were perplexed!
I bet they were perplexed why I had so many questions about V1 and V2. To them, it seemed like such small differences. To me, it seemed like a wholly different caliber. Since to me so much of it had been redesigned. Different perspectives. I spent a lot o...
Fan Forever
An impressive article and an impressive journey. I am happy that the V2 runs like a smooth Honda engine. A worry free Finissimo is a good option for me to search for Bulgari. I would take one with a leather strap. I know how it is to have a watch that sto...
Indeed and well said!
I feel that a Rolex Submariner movement would probably still be better in terms of long-term accuracy and durability. But it's not a special movement. The Octo Finissimo's movement is a very special high horology (or haute horlogerie) movement and will pr...
Excellent report, very detailed and must be very time and energy'consuming. Thank you so much, Patrick
What i hope to see in the future is smaller diameter of Octo line, both Finissimo and Roma case. Because in almost square cases, 40-41 mm wears very large unless we have very flat wrist. I undertstand that in Finissimo that would require higher effort bec...
You are most welcome Hoseachandra. Thank you for commenting and reading!
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo movements really do fill up the case, so it'd be hard to make the case much smaller. They probably wouldn't make it smaller by 1mm, they'd probably want at least a 3mm reduction for the trouble. The proportions as it is right no...
Yes i have tried the Finissimo few times . The bracelet is one of the best IMO in terms of suppleness.
A beauty. But the square, 40 mm and thin somehow does not looks right on me. Sporty , yes. Beautiful, yes. But not quite elegant. Besides, i am a pretty short man at 166 cm and a bit skinny so maybe its not for me. If they make 38 mm Roma with 100 mtr WR ...
Gotcha!
I'm not much taller than you, but it looks okay on me! And I have a fairly small wrist too. It looks generous on me, but not comically large. I have an IWC Pilots watch - that looks a bit comical on me.
Thank you for the great post!
Very interesting to know some more details of one of my favourite watches and brand, thank you!! 🙏 ...
Thank YOU!
You got yours so much earlier than it became available in the USA! The 103672 didn't arrive in the USA until September/October! A great timepiece! Congrats!
Bravo!!!
An absolutely wonderful report, thanks so much for taking the time to put this together and for sharing! It must have been a fun and eye opening experience for you. Was Marina your guide? Bvlgari are indeed a legitimate watch manufacture, producing some i...
Merci!
Thank you for reading and commenting! It's thanks to comments like yours that keep many of us posting these long reports! Yes, Marina was my guide! And I can't wait to hear their next chiming watch too!
Thank you for commenting and for that ringing endorsement!
Any favorite Octo Finissimos you have?
Incredible documentary, Patrick.
Many thanks for taking the time and sharing your journey.
Thank you for reading!
And I always enjoy your articles too. Thanks Alp for the kind words!
And I know you have a strong preference for Lange timepieces....
But do you have a favorite Bulgari timepiece as well? I really like the Tadao Ando Octo Finissimo in Titanium. That's my favorite!
Dear Patrick, many thanks for your kind words!
Indeed, I do own a Bvlgari Octo in titanium. - and just like yourself, I am a big fan of the Tadao Ando, the best of the collection imo. Though I could never find myself to pull the trigger when I saw one. There was always another Lange, or some other Ger...
My favorite as well!
And oddly, I don't have my favorite Lange neither... the 233.026. Too bad they only make a 38mm 1815 now, and no longer the 40mm.
What a fantastic report!
I highly appreciate this. So much profound knowledge. So much work to our benefit here. A heartfelt thank you, dear Patrick!
Thank you MTR!
Thank you MTR for the very kind words! I'm a fan of watches and a collector too. So I try to approach everything from a collector's perspective. But at the same time, I also try to understand the goals the manufacturer sets out. Overall, Bulgari has defin...
Wow just read your 2-part report Patrick!
Awesome reporting! It would be really nice to see Bulgari incorporate a quick-strap changing feature for the Octo Finnisimo line where the owner can order various colored straps (rubber, leather, croc) and quickly swap straps using a quick strap change me...
Are you sure you dun work fr Bvlgari?
Thanks for the excellent and detailed write-up! I still trying to find the 4th hammers on the sonnerie movement as I can only see 3. 🤣