When it comes to ultra-thin watchmaking, few brands have as much claim to the space these days as Bulgari, and in particular its Octo Finissimo collection. The collection launched in its current form in 2014 and has since blazed a trail of world-record-setting thin watches including the Octo Finissimo Automatic, Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, Octo Finissimo GMT Chronograph, and most recently the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic. Continuing to set the standard in the industry for ultra-thin watchmaking, the Italian jeweler-watchmaker unveiled the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, and with it its seventh thinness record, at Watches & Wonders this past week.

The watch, as you may have gleaned from its name, is now the world?s thinnest perpetual calendar watch, replacing the previous record holder, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Bulgari is releasing the watch in both the Octo Finissimo?s now-signature monochrome titanium look, as well as a new platinum-and-blue edition.
The familiar eight-sided Octo Finissimo case is 40 mm in diameter and a svelte 5.8 mm thick, in titanium or platinum, and catches the eye with its multi-faceted, supremely geometric look. The thin but layered-looking case is finished either with an unusual sandblasted finish (for the titanium) or a more traditional satin- and polished-finish (for the platinum). The cases’ crowns are in either titanium, with a ceramic insert, or ...