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BaselWorld 2014: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon-Thinnest Tourbillon Movement
Apr 05, 2014,17:53 PM
This year at BaselWorld 2014, Bulgari introduces its new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon. The spectacular extra-slim tourbillon movement, with a thickness of 1.95mm, is the the thinnest on the market and slimmest ever made.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon
The tourbillon cage which measured 1.95mm in thickness determined the overall thickness of the entire movement. The movement also incorporates two bridges, one for the minute wheel and the other for the gear train of the tourbillon cage, which rotates once a minute. Bulgari was able to create such a thin tourbillon movement by using various elements including:
- Ball bearings for the moving parts. There are 7 ball bearings positioned on the basic movement, while the tourbillon cage has a cartridge bearing that allows it to pivot. The final ball bearing lets the escape wheel pivot.
- The regulator assembly was omitted. Instead, timing is now adjusted on the balance wheel directly. This helped to make the movement even thinner.
Another significant development for this watch is how the barrel remains in position guided by three ball bearings around the outer edge. The height of the spring was able to be doubled due to this and as a result yields a power reserve of close to 55 hours. Other notable elements of this watch include:
Movement
- Finissimo Tourbillon calibre, Manufacture-made ultra-thin hand-wound flying Tourbillon movement performing one turn/minute. The thinnest ever made at just 1.95 thick
- Total thickness of the watch: 5.00 mm
- Fitting diameter: 32.00 mm; total diameter: 32.60 mm; 14.5 lignes
- 249 parts, frequency of 21,600 vph (3Hz)
- Tourbillon carriage: 1.95 mm thick, mounted on a peripherally-driven ultra-thin ball-bearing mechanism
- Variable-inertia balance requiring no index-assembly
- Approx. 55-hour power reserve
- High-end finishing: bevelling, Côtes de Genève
Case and dial
- Platinum case, 40 mm in diameter
- Polished black lacquered dial
- Black alligator leather strap
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon
With the addition of the new Finissimo watches, Bulgari continues to develop its Octo collection of watches with innovations in both form and content. The iconic line is expanding significantly with a wider range of sizes and complications, having added a chronograph version as well in addition to the elegant and formal hand-wound ultra-thin complication watches.
It is evident that Bulgari has learned how to combine a sensational aesthetic inspired by Italian creativity with its fine-jewelry legacy and the wonderful precision of exceptional Swiss mechanics. The manufacture’s advancements have been fueled by its efforts to gradually bring all of the traditional skills under its roof and gaining full mastery of modern technologies and all of its production abilities. As a result, Bvlgari now has complete control of all creative and assembly processes.
With the Octo Finissimo watches, Bulgari matches style with performance. The tourbillon improves the accuracy of mechanical watches by offsetting perturbations caused by the earth’s gravity in the balance wheel’s isochronism. Delicately made and protected by its cage, the tourbillon defies gravity with its rotations, which are as “finely tuned as a high-performance racing engine and as poetic as a beating heart.”
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon
This message has been edited by pingtsai on 2014-04-06 10:24:35