BASELWORLD 2016 PREVIEW:

Bulgari Octo Ultranero Collection


Bulgari’s flagship men’s watch collection, the Octo, gets a sleek black makeover at the upcoming Baselworld watch fair. The new Bulgari Octo Ultranero series, which combine black DLC with elements in rose gold, consists of a three-hand watch in two executions, a chronograph, and the newest variation on the brand’s record-setting ultra-thin tourbillon.

The three-handed Bulgari Octo Ultranero Solotempo, powered by Caliber BVL 193, has a 41-mm diameter stainless steel case treated with black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating. Two versions are available, one with a black DLC bezel and the other with a rose-gold bezel. Both feature 18k rose gold winding crowns with a black ceramic insert and hand-applied, rose-gold-plated hands and hour indices on the black lacquered dial. The multifaceted, octagonal case — a hallmark of the Octo collection — has a clear sapphire caseback and is water-resistant to 100 meters. The Octo Ultranero Solotempo comes on an integrated black rubber strap with a black DLC-treated steel pin buckle.

Bulgari Octo ltranero Solotempo RG bezel
Bulgari Octo Ultranero Solotempo BK bezel

The sportiest of the new models is the Bulgari Octo Ultranero Velocissimo Chronograph, equipped with an integrated chronograph movement, Caliber BVL 328 — based on the famous El Primero from Zenith, Bulgari’s sister brand in the LVMH luxury group. The movement — here again, visible through a transparent sapphire caseback — has automatic winding, a speedy frequency of 36,000 vph, a silicon escapement and a 1/10-second chronograph function controlled by a column wheel. Like the other movements in Bulgari’s Octo watches, it boasts a high level of haute horlogerie finishing, including circular graining, côtes de Genève, and chamfering. The Octo case is 41 mm in diameter, and all hands and applied indices are in rose gold, along with the bezel. The Velocissimo also comes on a black rubber strap.

Bulgari Octo Ultranero Velocissimo Chronograph

Bulgari scored a technological coup at Baselworld 2014 with the launch of the first Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, a watch that has yet to relinquish the title of world’s thinnest tourbillon. This groundbreaking timepiece, whose black DLC-coated case is 40 mm in diameter and only 5 mm thick, will now be available in the Ultranero collection. The movement, Caliber BVL 268, is manual-winding and measures 32.6 mm in diameter and a mere 1.95 mm in thickness. The watch has the rose-gold elements of the other Ultranero watches but a few significant differences: the case material is not steel but titanium, which makes it lighter in weight as well as ultra-thin; and the strap is not rubber but a more luxurious black alligator.

Bulgari Octo Ultranero Finissimo Tourbillon
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