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Bvlgari is not the first name most watch collectors think of when they discuss serious watchmaking. The brand is associated with Italian glamour, bold jewelry, and a visual identity rooted in Roman heritage. This reputation, while commercially valuable, has led many enthusiasts to underestimate what Bvlgari has accomplished mechanically over the past decade.
Since 2014, Bvlgari has broken the world record for the thinnest mechanical watch eight times. Eight. No other brand in history has held the ultra-thin record with such frequency or consistency. The Octo Finissimo, the collection that houses these records, has become one of the most technically significant watch families of the twenty-first century. It is a serious piece of haute horlogerie that happens to come from a brand better known for serpent necklaces and hotel lobbies.
Origins
Sotirio Bulgari, a Greek silversmith, founded his jewelry business in Rome in 1884. The brand grew into one of Italy’s most prominent jewelers, known for bold use of colored gemstones, cabochon cuts, and a design sensibility that drew on Greco-Roman architectural motifs. Bvlgari (the brand uses the classical Latin spelling of the letter U as V) became synonymous with Italian luxury, particularly among Hollywood stars and European aristocracy during the mid-twentieth century.
Bvlgari entered watchmaking in the 1970s with the Bvlgari Bvlgari, a watch whose most distinctive feature was the brand name engraved twice around the bezel. It was a piece of wearable branding as much as a timepiece, and it established the brand’s presence in watches. LVMH acquired Bvlgari in 2011, and under LVMH ownership the brand has invested aggressively in watchmaking capability, acquiring movement manufacturers and developing in-house calibers that have transformed its horological credibility.
The Octo Finissimo
The Octo Finissimo is the collection that changed how the watch industry thinks about Bvlgari. Introduced in 2014 with a tourbillon measuring just 5.15mm thick (the world’s thinnest tourbillon at the time), the Octo Finissimo has since set records for the thinnest automatic watch, the thinnest minute repeater, the thinnest chronograph GMT, the thinnest perpetual calendar, and the thinnest watch of any kind with the Octo Finissimo Ultra, which measures an astonishing 1.80mm in total thickness.
The Octo Finissimo’s case design is itself distinctive. It features a 103-facet octagonal case (inspired by the geometry of the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome) that catches light in a way few other watches can replicate. The case is available in titanium (which is sandblasted to a matte grey finish), steel, ceramic, gold, and platinum. At 40mm in diameter, it sits comfortably on most wrists, and its extreme thinness gives it a presence that is felt rather than seen. It lies flat against the wrist and disappears under a shirt cuff in a way that even dedicated dress watches from other brands cannot match.
Retail prices for the Octo Finissimo start at approximately $11,000 for the automatic in titanium and climb through $15,000 for the GMT, $30,000 and above for the chronograph, and well into six figures for the tourbillon, minute repeater, and perpetual calendar references. On the secondary market, the Octo Finissimo automatic trades for $7,000 to $9,000, representing remarkable value for a watch with this level of design and mechanical distinction.
The Collections
Beyond the Octo Finissimo, Bvlgari’s watch catalog reflects its jewelry house roots.
The Serpenti is Bvlgari’s most recognizable watch design, featuring a coiled bracelet inspired by the serpent motif that has been central to the brand’s jewelry identity since the 1940s. Serpenti watches range from quartz fashion pieces to high-jewelry versions set with hundreds of diamonds and colored gemstones. They are jewelry first and watches second, aimed at a clientele that values visual impact and brand identity above mechanical substance.
The Lvcea collection is Bvlgari’s round-cased women’s watch, featuring a distinctive crown guard at 4 o’clock and dials that often incorporate mother-of-pearl, lacquer, or gemstone elements. The Bvlgari Bvlgari, the brand’s original watch with the double-engraved bezel, continues as a core offering in both men’s and women’s sizes.
The Octo Roma is positioned between the fashion-oriented collections and the Finissimo. It uses the same octagonal case geometry but in a slightly thicker, more conventional format, powered by in-house movements. Retail prices for the Octo Roma start around $6,000 to $8,000, making it the most accessible entry point to Bvlgari’s in-house watchmaking.
Manufacturing
Bvlgari’s watchmaking infrastructure is more substantial than many collectors realize. The brand operates multiple manufacturing facilities in Switzerland, including a movement manufacture in Le Sentier (in the Vallée de Joux, neighboring Audemars Piguet and Jaeger-LeCoultre), a case and dial facility in Saignelégier, and an assembly facility in Neuchâtel. The Le Sentier manufacture, acquired by Bvlgari in 2000 (previously Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth’s workshops), gives the brand access to genuine haute horlogerie movement-making capability.
This infrastructure is what makes the Octo Finissimo records possible. Breaking ultra-thin records repeatedly requires not just clever design but the ability to manufacture components to tolerances measured in hundredths of a millimeter. Bvlgari’s investment in its own manufacturing has given it the tools to compete at the highest level of mechanical watchmaking, even if its brand perception has not yet fully caught up.
Buying Bvlgari Today
Bvlgari watches are available at Bvlgari boutiques and authorized retailers. The brand’s distribution benefits from LVMH’s global retail infrastructure, and availability is generally good across the lineup. There are no significant waitlists for standard production models.
On the secondary market, Bvlgari watches depreciate more than the Octo Finissimo’s technical achievements might justify. Automatic Finissimo references in titanium can be found for $7,000 to $9,000 pre-owned. Octo Roma references trade from $3,500 to $5,500. For a brand with Vallée de Joux manufacturing, in-house movements, and a record-breaking ultra-thin portfolio, these prices represent some of the strongest value in the Swiss market. Bvlgari’s challenge is the same as Breguet’s and JLC’s: convincing the broader market that its mechanical substance matches its brand heritage. For buyers who already understand that, the opportunity is clear.
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This article is for informational purposes only. Prices, secondary market values, and specifications are approximate and based on market conditions as of early 2026. Bvlgari is a registered trademark of Bulgari S.p.A., a subsidiary of LVMH. Tempo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Bvlgari or LVMH.