Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition perpetuates the prestigious marque’s reputation for making supremely slim watches. However, in this instance, Bulgari has collaborated with the Japanese architect, Kazuyo Sejima. The resultant watch arrests attention with its mirror-like appearance and its masterful use of transparency. US-based journalist, Meehna Goldsmith explores this artistic take on contemporary watchmaking.
Gerald Genta – watch designer extraordinaire
Legendary designer Gerald Genta is the man behind such iconic watches as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. With the release of the Royal Oak in 1972, he not only created the luxury sports watch category, he also saved Audemars Piguet from fading into horological history. The brand was on its last gasp financially and the Royal Oak proved its saviour. As we know, it connected with the public, a game winning play that reverberated in the industry and created an icon.
In the 1980s, Genta presented the Octogonal under his own brand’s moniker. It was his personal entry into the luxury sports watch market and featured a layered eight-sided case. The Octogonal didn’t break through, failing to enjoy the success of his previous efforts, the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Looking to establish itself in the upper echelons of Haute Horlogerie, Bulgari acquired the Gerald Genta brand and all its assets in 2000. The watches continued to be marketed under Genta’s name until 2010, when Bulgari applied its own marque to the models. 
The Bulgari Octa, launched in 2012
Two years later, in 2012, Bulgari launched the Octo, a wholly new model, inspired by Genta’s original Octogonal. However, it wasn’t until 2014 that the Octo Finissimo, the first ultra-thin version of the Octo, arrived on the scene. This elegant and svelte relation made quite a splash, giving Bulgari true street cred in the luxury watch arena. More than just a contender among established luxury sport watch royalty, the Octo Finissimo became an immediate icon for the brand.
The Octo became a byword for ultra-thin watches with Bulgari frequently breaking records for its super-slender models. Genta would be so proud.
Bulgari Octa Finissimo Sejima Edition – beyond complications, aesthetic simplicity
Bulgari has presented many iterations of the Octo Finissimo, including the high complication Octo Finissimo Tourbillon and Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater. This year the brand added another model to its portfolio, this time a limited edition collaboration with Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima, appropriately named the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition.
When I saw the Sejima Edition, I swooned and immediately fell in love. While I’ve always been attracted to the Octo Finissimo line, this one is definitely marriage material. The Sejima Edition perfectly encapsulates Sejima’s style, combining a mixture of textures and swooping angles, imbuing her work with life.
Kazuyo Sejima – an impressive body of work
If you are not familiar with Sejima’s name, you will almost certainly be familiar with some of her work. Examples include Bocconi University in Italy with its maze-like aerial view; a new branch of Louvre Museum in France; the Glass Pavilion in Toledo, Ohio, with its curving glass walls; and the New Museum in New York city that resembles an elegant Jenga sculpture. For her accomplishments, Sejima earned the Pritzker Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of architecture; only the second woman to do so.
Bulgari Octa Finissimo Sejima Edition – a brilliant performance
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition is a beautiful fusion of Bulgari and Sejima’s artistry. The dial dispenses with all markings to put the focus on Sejima’s inimitable contribution to the design. All that remains are the rhodium-plated hour and minute hands as well as the subsidiary seconds hand.
Polished to a high sheen, the dial acts like a mirror. A thin sapphire crystal with a Sejima-designed dot pattern superimposed over it creates a wonderful play of light and shadow. While some might grumble that the mirroring effect makes the dial hard to read, they are clearly missing the point. The Sejima Edition is itself a piece of architectural art meant to challenge and dazzle.
In Sejima’s architectural work, she is interested in the contrast between what can be seen and what remains hidden: the transparent versus the opaque. She applies the same principles to the Octo Finissimo Sejima edition. The theme continues with the fully polished stainless steel case and bracelet with three-blade folding buckle.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition – Calibre BVL 138
Inside the Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition ticks the Calibre BVL 138, an automatic ultra-thin movement with a platinum micro-rotor fully manufactured by Bulgari. It has a power reserve of 60 hours. You can see the movement through the sapphire case back, which also features Sejima’s inscribed signature. Produced in a limited edition of 360 pieces, the 40mm Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition comes in a mirrored steel presentation box.
A watch or a piece of art?
With the Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition, Bulgari has crafted something special. By teaming with this renowned architect, the brand has delivered a cutting edge piece of art for the wrist that also tells the time.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sejima Edition
- Reference: 103710
- Case: polished steel, diameter 40 mm, height 6.40mm, water resistance 10ATM (100m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition caseback
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, date
- Movement: Calibre BVL 138, self-winding movement, frequency 21,600 vph (3Hz), power reserve 60 hours
- Strap: Polished steel bracelet with 3-blade folding buckle.
- Price: £12,100 (RRP as of 11.11.2022)