One of the most consistently interesting brands to watch at large scale watch shows like Watches & Wonders over the last few years has been Bulgari. Love it or hate it (personally, I love it) there?s no denying that the brand has used the Octo Finissimo platform to great effect to break all kinds of records for thinness, complications, and thinness combined with complications. It seems like every year they have a new novel achievement to boast about, and this year is no exception, with the release of the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, the world?s thinnest automatic watch with such a complication. It?s a great achievement, and is rightly attracting a lot of attention this week, but my personal favorite Bulgari release at this year?s fair is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of complexity, both in terms of the caliber and complications, and the design itself. It illustrates just how much variance is possible within the Octo Finissimo line, which itself would seem to underscore how important this series of watches is to Bulgari, and how influential it may be in years to come. Let?s take a look at the Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando.
Tadao Ando is a Japanese architect who has collaborated with Bulgari before, lending his name to two prior limited edition Octo Finissimo models. Ando?s Octo Finissimo?s takes a watch that already has a minimalist vibe running through it and strips it down even further – his earlier watches feature no numerals and rings...