The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days Gübelin Special Edition

Collaborations are one of the hottest trends in watchmaking today, as brands, high and low, team up with artists, retailers, collectors – you name it – to create special customised editions. The latest collaboration involves Italian powerhouse Bulgari and Gübelin, the Swiss, family-owned jewellery and watch retailer. The model selected is the Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days, Bulgari’s ultra-thin skeletonised marvel with an impressive 192-hour power reserve.

Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo is no newcomer to collaborations. We’ve seen the Octo Finissimo transformation courtesy of Japanese architects Tadao Ando and Kazuyo Sejima, a three-way collaboration with Chronoswiss and Laurent Picciotto resulting in the unforgettable tattooed version of the Octo Finissimo or the dreamy iridescent clouds wafting across the dial created by French conceptual artist Laurent Grasso.

Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo series has marked a before and after in watchmaking. In addition to its impressive and unrivalled collection of ten record-winning ultra-slim models (including the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon released earlier this year), Bulgari understood that a collection cannot survive on ultra-lean victories alone. While their unmistakable stepped octagonal profiles reference elements of Rome’s imperial architecture, their stylish contemporary design is veramente italiano.

The Octo Finissimo Skeleton joined Bulgari’s legion of ultra-thin Finissimo watches in 2022. Although it didn’t smash any world records, its power reserve was and is formidable. Recently revisited in a handsome sandblasted matte titanium suit, the new Gübelin Special Edition has also gone for a lightweight yet resilient titanium look but departs from the total monochromatic grey of the earlier edition with its attractive blue touches.

Its 40mm sandblasted titanium case has a height of 5.95mm, and the notched crown features a black ceramic insert. Displaying the unmistakable geometry of the Octo family, the watch showcases the impressive skeletonised manual-winding movement – calibre BVL 199 SK – from both sides of the case. A network of matte openworked grey bridges reveals the complex machinery, including the massive barrel between noon and 2 o’clock, providing the watch with its formidable 8-day/192-hour power reserve. A small seconds counter with a spoked wheel and a power reserve indicator can be seen between 7 and 8 o’clock.

The novel blue accents, on the hands, the indices and the power reserve gauge not only look good but make consulting the time and energy left in the tank much easier. One of the problems with the entirely grey monochrome version was legibility. The flat sapphire on the caseback reveals more details of the 3Hz manual-winding movement and the words “Gübelin Special Edition” etched in blue.

The lightweight integrated sandblasted titanium bracelet is closed by a triple-blade folding clasp. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days is available exclusively at Gübelin for CHF 27,900 (incl. 8.1% VAT) and can be reserved at gubelin.com.