While it has still been less than a decade since Bulgari first introduced the Octo Finissimo in 2014, the model has quickly become one of the brand’s signature designs, and its core blueprint has served as the foundation for a wide variety of models that have showcased a number of different case materials and complications. As one of its latest new releases for Geneva Watch Days 2023, Bulgari has announced a duo of new Octo Finissimo models crafted from forged carbon and highlighted with rose gold accents.
The first of the two new models is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic (ref. 103779), which applies this new material configuration to the standard three-handed model from the collection. Measuring 40mm in diameter by 6.9mm thick, the forged carbon case of the watch is fitted with flat sapphire crystals above both its dial and screw-on caseback, while a rose gold crown with a black ceramic insert sits at the 3 o’clock location, and a matching rose gold plate with the watch’s hallmarks is attached to the opposite side of the case at 9 o’clock. Water resistance for the new Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic still comes in at a respectable 100 meters, and while the case is still fitted with the collection’s signature flat single-link bracelet, it is now constructed from forged carbon to match the case.
The dial of the new Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic offers the same overall design and layout that characterizes the rest of the three-handed models from the collection, with elongated Arabic numerals for the 6 and 12 o’clock hour markers, along with a running seconds register occupying the position of the index at the 7 o’clock location. With that in mind, to match the overall aesthetic of the watch, the dial surface is now forged carbon, and it is punctuated by rose gold-finished hands and hour markers. Inside the forged carbon case is the same Bulgari manufacture Caliber BVL 138 ultra-thin automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of 60 hours. While the Cal. BVL 138 inside the new CarbonGold edition is functionally identical to what can be found in the standard stainless steel model, its upper plates and bridges, along with its platinum micro-rotor are given a rose gold finish to match the rest of the watch.
The other new watch is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar (ref. 103778), which takes the same novel material approach as its time-only sibling and applies it to the perpetual calendar model from the collection. Slightly taller than its time-only counterpart, the case of the CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar measures 40mm in diameter by 7.6mm thick; however, just like its sibling, it also features a pair of flat sapphire crystals fitted to either side of the case, along with a rose gold crown and a matching rose gold plate attached to the 9 o’clock flank of the case. While the perpetual calendar version receives the same forged carbon single-link bracelet, water resistance comes in at only 30 meters, and three additional push-pieces sit slightly recessed into the side of the case to facilitate the setting process for its various calendar displays.
While the dial of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar adheres to the same layout as previous editions of the model, it features the same carbon and rose gold appearance as its time-only sibling. Set against the dark forged carbon surface are subtle rose gold hands and dial markings, which ultimately offer a surprisingly refined and elegant appearance, despite the utilitarian aesthetic that typically accompanies forged carbon components. Inside the case is the Bulgari manufacture Caliber BVL 305 automatic perpetual calendar movement, which runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of 60 hours, and it features retrograde displays for both its date and leap year indicators. Similar to the movement fitted to the time-only CarbonGold model, the version of the Cal. BVL 305 found inside the new Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar features rose gold finishing on both its micro-rotor and its upper plates and bridges.
As you might expect, the perpetual calendar model from this latest duo of forged carbon and rose gold watches costs quite a bit more than its time-only sibling, and while the three-handed Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic is accompanied by an official retail price of $26,800 USD, the Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar is priced at more than three times its counterpart with an official retail price of $89,000 USD. That said, with one CarbonGold model representing the most simple and straightforward version of the Octo Finissimo, and the other positioned at the total opposite end of the spectrum, it will be interesting to see if additional CarbonGold models start to appear in the near future. For more information on the Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic and the Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar watches, please visit the brand’s website.
