Brave New World

Bulgari ups the ante with another world record for its Octo icon, and finds a kindred spirit in artist David Alexander Flinn.

- Tan Siok Hoon

Back in March, the Bulgari presentation at Baselworld 2019 featured a star-studded line-up. Chinese actress Shu Qi and her Hollywood counterpart Olivia Wilde, together with David Alexander Flinn were on hand with CEO Jean-Christophe Babin to unveil two exceptional timepieces: Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic and Serpenti Seduttori.

“Our capability of fusing edgy, magnificent Italian design with the ultimate Swiss engineering and craftsmanship – this is why I talk about Rinascimento from Bulgari. It is truly a revolution of design and technology,” Babin described the new Rinascimento (Italian for renaissance) that “breaks the mold of Swiss watchmaking.” What this means is that for each of its debuts, Bulgari’s objective is to rewrite the codes for contemporary watches with an unexpected, fearless and creative twist.

As always, this year’s stunning novelties exemplify Bulgari’s bold creativity that leverages on the maison’s unique heritage in the making of iconic modern timepieces. For men, the narrative of the Octo family was headlined by the Octo Finissimo Chronogaph GMT Automatic, which hits new heights in setting yet another world record for Bulgari – the fifth for the thinnest ever mechanical chronograph in watchmaking history. This amazing triumph – an automatic movement with GMT function and record-setting 3.3mm thinness, the thinnest for existing flat automatic chronograph movements – spells and affirms Bulgari’s remarkable Haute Horlogerie skills.