BVLGARI – OCTO Finissimo Tourbillon Marble Only Watch 2023

 

BVLGARI – OCTO Finissimo Tourbillon Marble Only Watch 2023

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 In 2014, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon began the epic run of 8 ‘thinness’ world records set by Bulgari over a period of 8 years. To celebrate the Only Watch 2023 charity auction in the most beautiful way, this iconic watch is now the subject of a unique edition made of... marble! A material dear to Bulgari, often associated with the world of art and architecture, it transforms, for this unique occasion, a watchmaking feat into an artistic masterpiece.

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•     Bulgari, renowned for its mastery of miniaturisation again demonstrates its know-how by creating a watch in marble.
•     The case of the Octo Finissimo, consisting of 110 facets, has been carefully clad with a thin layer of marble, with every care given to preserving the delicate components and achieving visual harmony. The dial, too, features a thin marble wafer (just 0.6-mm thin). The bracelet, the most delicate part, required untold hours of painstaking work: the front and sides of each link had to be set with a sliver of marble, leaving only the interior surface in black DLC titanium.
•     The green marble used for this spectacular watch, named Verde Alpi, comes from the Aosta Valley, the natural passage linking Switzerland and Italy, though the Alps. Its dominant colour in nature, evoking abundance, growth and energy, is offset with white veins, recalling the serpentines of alpine forests and snowy peaks.

Artistic expression in marble

What better material than marble to express the distinctness of Bulgari and dare the Roman brand to transform a watchmaking feat into an artistic masterpiece? The answer is obvious and refers to the history of Bulgari and its relentless drive to keep pushing boundaries and ‘set in stone’, for all eternity, artistic and technical feats. But exemplary human endeavours, too, such as the biennial Only Watch charity auction, which since 2005 has been raising funds for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

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This year again, the great cause has spurred Bulgari's designers, engineers and watchmakers on to surpass themselves and create a unique and extraordinary timepiece for the 2023 edition of the Only Watch charity auction. Truth be told, it has taken almost five years of research, of encountering obstacles, exploring different avenues and fine-tuning to finally complete this unparalleled project: a watch in marble! And yet, this feat is deeply rooted in Bulgari's history, which is inseparable from this material, sublimated by brilliant artists and craftsmen throughout the ages.

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The Venus de Milo, the Carrara Cathedral, the Taj Mahal… – from ancient Greece to Italy to Mughal architecture in India, marble has held a special place in the history of art, across continents and cultures. Italy has contributed decisively to this fixation, as the Italic Peninsula’s artists and architects who shaped this material left their eternal imprint on European culture and history can attest – just think of the cathedrals of Pisa, Siena and Florence, or Michelangelo’s David. Marble was first imported during the Roman conquests – from Numidia (today’s Tunisia), Greece and Egypt – and then extracted closer to the capital of the Empire. Only the splendid white marble from the quarries in the Apuan Alps (Carrara) would do for the main monuments of Rome 

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Throughout its history, Bulgari has been steeped in this great Roman tradition. For the Italian brand, the use of marble is a natural nod to its roots. And so it has been for almost a century. Marble was adopted by the Maison as early as 1934 when the famous architect Florestano Di Fausto expanded and renovated the Bulgari flagship boutique in the Via dei Condotti in Rome. Marble was again the main material used by star architect Peter Marino during the boutique’s refurbishment in 2014 for Bulgari’s 130th Anniversary.  

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Bulgari took a bold step in 2012, using marble as a material for a piece of jewellery, which was both unexpected and, at the same time, an artistic tribute – transporting an ancient stone long associated with enduring luxury and sculptural beauty into modernity and the industrial lines of the B.zero1 collection.

An unparalleled creative feat

In keeping with this unique history, Bulgari has taken on a far more daunting challenge: to produce a piece of fine watchmaking clad in a thin layer of marble. To meet it, the Maison chose the Octo collection: in just a decade it had become a true icon of contemporary horology, recognised by both watchmaking experts and enthusiasts of minimalist design with uncompromising engineering. The 60 or so international prizes awarded to the collection since its inception in 2012, including the Aiguille d'Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, bear witness to this. Neither round nor square, the Octo harmoniously unites two primordial shapes in one octagon – the geometry of perfection. Its eight-sided architecture is directly inspired by the geometric motifs of the Pantheon in Rome. It proclaims the collection's unwavering link to the heart of Bulgari's heritage, rooted in this Roman spirit. 

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As for the Octo Finissimo collection, it redefined the contours of traditional Haute Horlogerie, reinterpreting classic and sophisticated horological complications in a resolutely contemporary way. Just as deliberately, it symbolises Bulgari's own Estetica della Meccanica – the art of absolute innovation in form and substance – echoed in 8 world records for ‘thinness’, the first of which was set in 2014 with the hand-wound Octo Finissimo Tourbillon. This same model served as the foundation for Bulgari’s donation to the 2023 edition of the Only Watch charity auction: the first Bulgari watch in marble.

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The green marble used for this watchmaking coup – Verde Alpi – comes from the Aosta Valley, the natural passage between the Alps of Switzerland and Italy. A dominant colour in nature, green exudes a sense of abundance, growth and energy. The bright green of the rock, criss-crossed by white veins, recalls the snowy serpentines in the Alpine forests on the flanks of the Valle d'Aosta. The continuity of these irregular patterns creates a striking visual effect on the timepiece.

The unprecedented combination of marble and watchmaking finesse

Even though the art of miniaturisation is one of Bulgari's hallmark skills, it took all the brand’s know-how in this particular domain to overcome this complex challenge. Indeed, the Octo Finissimo’s case (40 mm in diameter) is composed of no fewer than 110 facets! 

 

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That many elements had to be covered with a thin veneer (0.4 - 0.5 mm) of marble, taking care not to shatter the delicate slivers and at the same time achieve a visually harmonious design. Before being affixed, the minutely thin ‘slabs’ of marble had to be machined, then smoothened and finally polished by hand. The bracelet no doubt proved the most delicate part; together with the case of the watch, the work took about 190 hours to complete.

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Here, it should be noted that each slice of marble is delicately set on each one of the bracelet’s links with a three-dimensional element covering both the top and sides of the link, leaving only the interior surface of the bracelet in black DLC titanium. 

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The dial, meanwhile, consists of a 0.6-mm wafer of marble with indices on top, and reveals the tourbillon at 6 o'clock. The caseback, fitted with a sapphire crystal sporting the Only Watch logo, offers a generous view of the BVL 268 calibre, an ultra-thin (1.95 mm) hand-wound manufacture movement with a flying tourbillon. For the occasion, Bulgari created a custom-made box which, too, is enhanced by a fine layer of marble. 

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With this Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, produced as a one-off and with no equivalent in the watchmaking world, Bulgari intends to etch the 2023 edition of Only Watch in stone for all time.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Lot 15. BVLGARI  Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Only Watch 

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Reference: 103660

Unique (one-off) piece, carrying the Only Watch logo

Case
Material: Black DLC titanium polished case and bracelet covered with green marble layer of 0.4 - 0.5mm
    Dimensions: 40 mm
    Thickness: 6.00 mm
    Rose gold crown with black ceramic insert
    Transparent caseback
Dial and hands
    Marble dial
    Rose gold plated hands
Movement
    Caliber BVL 268 hand-wound manufacture ultra-thin mechanical movement with flying tourbillon
    Thickness: 1.95 mm thick
    Power reserve of 52 hours
    Frequency: 21,600 vph (3Hz) frequency
    Water-resistant to 3 ATM
Functions/Indications
    Hours, minutes
    Seconds via tourbillon
Strap and buckle
Marble with a three-dimensional element covering both the top and sides of the link; interior surface of the bracelet in black DLC titanium.

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 🔰Edition
Limitation: Unique piece for Only Watch 2023

 🔴Prices    Lot 15      Estimated at CHF 150,000 - CHF 250,000 💰

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www.OnlyWatch.com

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Press Release - 2022
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JC BIVER — Catharsis Unique Piece for Only Watch 2023

 

JC BIVER — Catharsis Tourbillon Carillon Minute Repeater Unique Piece for Only Watch 2023

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JC BIVER Watches presents Catharsis

On a starlit night, the moon cresting over the horizon, a wave of sapphires breaks, sweeping aside hands and indexes to reveal a new order.

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JC BIVER Watches is pleased to preview this new, unprecedented configuration in which dial, crown and hands play off each other in a completely new division of roles.

Catharsis is a singular interpretation of the minute repeater carillon tourbillon, with no visible display of time. Made of titanium, the piece combines unusual handcrafts, with unique techniques for invisible gem-setting, stone marquetery and guilloché.

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Thanks to the total absence of hands on the dial, and freed from all technical constraints, the dial can fully express itself with a seemingly random pattern of 89 sapphires, in three dimensions, to give volume to the stones, the natural effect of the movement of sea waves.

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"We give birth to the soul of the watch." Jean-Claude Biver, after 50 years in the watchmaking industry, and his son Pierre, both passionate collectors, have created a hyper-exclusive brand. Free from all economic pressures, they have called upon the best specialists in each field (movements, dials, hands, bracelets, cases) to create museum-quality pieces of great prestige.

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The first chapter of this story, which is just beginning to unfold, is dedicated to a watchmaking complication that is close to their hearts: a minute repeater. More precisely, a minute repeater with a tourbillon and a micro rotor, the prototype of which was sold for the record price of CHF 1.27 million by Phillips in Geneva on on May 15, 2023.

Catharsis

What is it about time that fascinates, if not obsesses, humans? Forever we have tried to interpret it, understand it and sometimes even master it. Watches for Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver, who are both passionate collectors, have always harbored this duality: on one side showing us we are well and alive in this time; on the other indicating our own time passing and slowly running out.

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The Catharsis timepiece was an idea from an artist friend who once told Jean-Claude Biver: “Make me a minute repeater with no hands, no indexes. I want time to be MINE”. Self-evident in the way it captures the intricate relationship between a watch and its owner.

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 The singularity of this minute repeater carillon tourbillon resides in its giving the time without your having to look at it. The concept is to replace it with a true work of art, and in so doing to enhance the timekeeper. The starry sky above is made of silver obsidian, chosen for attributes recognized for thousands of years: it confers dynamism, optimism and is very stimulating. With stars of opal and a moon of meteorite, this sky is deeply poetic, levitating above the seascape that occupies the lower part of the dial. 

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Composed of 89 sapphires – no two alike in size or weight – skillfully set, seemingly at random to reflect natural waves. Ultimately, time shows only through the hour hand at the back of the watch. It is flame-blued by hand in JC Biver’s workshops in the magnificent old farmhouse the brand calls home mid-way between Geneva and Lausanne.

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The Catharsis timepiece is a distillation of watchmaking culture aimed at the enlightened watch lover. Each element tells a story, creating a bridge between the past, the present and the future. It is both a collector's item and an art object, as even its smallest constituents, including those that cannot be seen, are decorated by hand. Because it is in the finishing touches that one recognizes the Biver signature, the quest for invisible beauty.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Name: Catharsis 

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Unique piece for Only Watch 2023

Technical Specifications

Functions: Hours, tourbillon, carillon minute repeater, micro-rotor
Movement
Caliber JCB-002
Type: Automatic caliber, wound by micro-rotor
Winding and setting the time: via the crown (2 positions)
Caliber characteristics
Number of components: 374
Jewels: 44 rubies
Diameter: 34 mm
Power reserve: 72 hours
Specificity: platinum micro-rotor with decorative plate in rose gold
Frequency: 21,600 vibrations per hour (3Hz)
Decorations: white gold bridges, black-polished and grained; steel components, black-polished and satin-
finished; bevels, black-polished and straight-grained
Display
No visible display of time
Dial: silver obsidian hardstone, meteorite and opal
Gem-setting: 💎89 blue sapphires, each of a different size and weight
Hour hand (on the movement side): flame-blued by hand
Case 
Vaterial: Grade 5 Titanium
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 13.90 mm
Crystal: Sapphire with inner anti-reflective coating
Case back: display back with sapphire crystal
Water resistance: 5 ATM (50 meters, approx. 160 feet)
Bracelet
Leather strap, hand-stitching
Buckle: Buckle and pin in Grade 5 Titanium

 🔴Price    Lot 10      Estimated at CHF 500,000 - CHF 700,000 💰

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www.OnlyWatch.com
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