PART ONE: Bvlgari “Octo Finissimo”! The beautiful name alone is enough to get you in the mood, and we haven’t even mentioned the watchmaking achievements yet. But it is precisely the latter that is the subject of these two 4K videos… We were in the Vallée de Joux, where Bvlgari designs and manufactures its own movements. The Bvlgari Manufacture has a high level of vertical integration, with only a few components for the calibres being bought in from suppliers. What was equally exciting for us to discover is the smallness of these parts. This is a veritable watchmaker mini mundus! As we all know, the name “Octo Finissimo” stands for ultra-flat watches equipped with equally ultra-flat movements. By the way: Bvlgari has already been able to present eight world records with these ultra-flat movements and watches.
Now we at WatchAdviser hope you enjoy watching the two videos and I am already looking forward to your hopefully numerous comments…
Here is a technical supplement for those of you who want to know what has been changed in the “new” BVL138 calibre. Time does not stand still and Bvlgari is already at the start with the second generation of its basic calibre.
1. REDISIGNED AUTOMATIC SYSTEM: winding efficiency improved by approximately 40%
The new system is incorporating the developments from another record-breaking Bulgari caliber – an ultra-thin automatic chronograph movement BVL 318. With a micro-rotor with contiguous balls being able on its own to withstand all the shocks without using a limiting bridge. Inverters replaced by a single 2-way inverter identical to BVL 318 caliber.
2. CLOSED BARREL: improved distribution of energy
The closed barrel allows us to control each barrel independently of the movement in order to introduce compliant controlled barrels into our production flow. The closed barrel also guarantees better torque variation and better efficiency, beneficial to the oscillator.
3. NEW ESCAPEMENT AND BALANCE WHEEL: adjustment and stability of the movement improved
The entire escapement line has been revoked, achieving a stricter level of tolerance, from the plate to the anchor bridge, by adjusting more finely the clearance of the balance wheel a s well.
4. MONOBLOC CONSTRUCTION: n e w construction for an optimized production flow
The reduced number of components – 208 in the new version compared to 242 components in the initial version – and of jewels – 31 versus 35 – allow for an optimized production flow. This new construction has made it possible to eliminate the use of some components, such as the roller (a jewel without a hole used to adjust the clearance of different functions – barrel, ratchet, micro-rotor, reverser) and to guarantee the proper functioning of all parts without necessarily relying on any particular retouching or adjustment.
