Bulgari Launch Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic and Perpetual Calendar

It’s been an exciting couple of days for black and gold watches. Just yesterday, Doxa introduced the Sub 300β Sharkhunter, and today, Bulgari has launched the Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic and Perpetual Calendar. The new pair of watches are redesigns of the record breaking ultra-thin watches from 2017 and 2021 respectively, reimagining them in new materials and striking colours. Let’s kick things off with the automatic version.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic looks pretty spectacular. The facetted case is made from high tech anthracite carbon with an organic, swirling pattern to it familiar to types of forged carbon. To my eye this is one of the most pronounced examples around, with a relatively strong contrast between the lighter grey swirls and the darker black ones. It almost looks like an emulsion that hasn’t been mixed properly or maybe even marble, like the tourbillon edition they produced for Only Watch.

Adding a layer of luxury to the piece are the rose gold hour markers, hands and crown. The carbon and gold colourway is by no means a new one for Bulgari, they first visited the concept back in 1993, when their expertise as a jewellery brand gave them everything needed to experiment with various material combinations.

As for the CarbonGold Automatic specifically, it has a 40mm diameter and a thickness of 6.9mm. That means it’s actually a little thicker than the 5.15mm record watch from 2017, which has been caused by the fact that Bulgari (more or less) took a titanium version of that watch and applied the carbon composite on top. Inside, it houses the Calibre BVL 138, a self-winding, ultra-thin movement with a 60-hour power reserve and hour, minute and small seconds functions. It’s priced at £25,000.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar

Joining the time-only automatic edition is the Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Perpetual Calendar, based on the much more recent 2021 Perpetual Calendar version. It has the same carbon style case and dial as the automatic just with the additional subdials and scales of the perpetual calendar that makes the pattern seem more densely packed.

With regards to the specifics of the perpetual calendar, it’s powered by the BVL 305 automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve. It features hours, minutes, retrograde date, days, months and retrograde leap year indicators. And, putting the perpetual in its name, it won’t need adjusting until the year 2100, assuming it’s kept wound.

Of the two watches here, this one has the more prestigious complication by several orders of magnitude and as such is price on enquiry. However, if I had to choose between the pair, I wouldn’t dismiss the Automatic outright due to its cleaner appearance and classier display.