THINK THIN

Bvlgari's new Octo Finissimo timepieces are super svelte, but they are big on style and technical refinement.

- Alvin Wong

At the upper echelons of mechanical watchmaking, lean is always in. To put it simply, it is easier to pile a watch with extra features and complications-—and some brands do so at the expense of bulking up the timepiece until it looks like a horological equivalent of a burly gym rat.

The real skill, as Bvigari demonstrates time and again, is in imbuing a watch with numerous mechanical marvels while keeping it as thin as possible. In the past decade, Bvlgari has broken nine world records for the world's thinnest watches across a variety of categories, including chronograph, tourbillon, and this year, for the world's slimmest mechanical watch.

Read on to get acquainted with Bvlgari's latest record-holder and other sensationally svelte creations that will slide from under your shirt cuff with minimum fuss and maximum impact.

New Heights

Measuring just 1.7mm in thickness—that is about the height of two credit cards—the new Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC takes the top spot for the world's thinnest mechanical watch, beating Richard Mille's previous record by 0.05mm.