Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic 37mm: Smaller, Lighter, and a Brand-New Calibre BVF 100 Micro-Rotor

Description

At Watches & Wonders Geneva 2026, Bulgari has done something collectors have been asking for ever since the Octo Finissimo Automatic first appeared in 2017: it has made the watch smaller. The brand new Octo Finissimo Automatic 37mm reshapes the Roman maison's most celebrated modern platform into a 37mm × 6.45mm case, and hands it a brand-new in-house micro-rotor movement, the Calibre BVF 100. Three references debut together — sandblasted titanium (ref. 104089), satin-polished titanium (ref. 104351, arriving September 2026), and satin-polished 18k yellow gold (ref. 104120).

This matters because the Octo Finissimo has, for more than a decade, been Bulgari's defining ultra-thin icon — a watch that has repeatedly broken world records for thinness in tourbillon, automatic, minute-repeater and perpetual-calendar forms. Getting it smaller, lighter and mechanically fresher without sacrificing its mathematical precision of form is a significant evolution, not a reskin. At just 65 grams in titanium, it is also the most wearable Octo Finissimo ever made.

Design

The dimensions are the story. 37mm across, 6.45mm thick, with the signature Octo geometry of eight facets intersecting at the bezel, and the stepped integrated bracelet that remains one of the purest expressions of integrated-case design in modern watchmaking. The sandblasted titanium finish reads as stealthy and technical, while the yellow-gold reference is warmer and more jewel-like — both dials are in matching metal to reinforce the monochrome discipline. The crown carries a black ceramic insert, a small but characterful Bulgari signature. A sapphire caseback reveals the BVF 100 and its new micro-rotor geometry.

Specifications

References: 104089 (sandblasted titanium), 104351 (satin-polished titanium, September 2026), 104120 (satin-polished 18k yellow gold)
Case: 37mm × 6.45mm
Material: Grade 5 titanium or 18k yellow gold
Crystal: Sapphire front with anti-reflective coating
Caseback: Sapphire exhibition
Crown: Set with black ceramic insert
Dial: Matching metal, Octo stepped architecture
Bracelet: Integrated matching-metal, folding clasp
Water resistance: 30m
Total weight (titanium): approximately 65 grams
Movement: Calibre BVF 100, in-house, automatic micro-rotor
Movement dimensions: 31mm × 2.35mm
Power reserve: 72 hours
Frequency: not disclosed at launch (expected 21,600 vph)
Price: CHF 43,600 (18k yellow gold confirmed); titanium at lower tier

What's Exciting

The Calibre BVF 100 is not a tweak. It is Bulgari's first genuinely new Octo Finissimo micro-rotor base calibre in several years, designed specifically for a more compact 37mm case while retaining the 72-hour power reserve collectors expect from this line. Engineering a smaller movement that gives more power than its predecessor is not something micro-rotor specialists manage very often — it requires rethinking the barrel, the gear train, and the winding architecture simultaneously.

For Freddy's value-for-money lens, the titanium references are arguably the most wearable serious ultra-thin automatic at the show. You get integrated-bracelet discipline, a new in-house micro-rotor, 72h power reserve, and 65 grams of total weight — without any of the platinum-and-diamond surcharges that push the Octo Finissimo line over six figures. This is the Octo that should have existed five years ago.

History

The Octo platform dates to 2012, but the Octo Finissimo is a 2014 creation — launched as the world's thinnest tourbillon that year, and steadily extended through a decade of record-breaking ultra-thin variants (Minute Repeater in 2016, Automatic in 2017, Chronograph GMT Automatic in 2019, Perpetual Calendar in 2021, Ultra in 2022 at 1.80mm, and the Ultra Tourbillon in 2025 at 1.85mm). The collection is the brainchild of Bulgari's CPO Fabrizio Buonamassa and movement architect Guido Terreni (during his CEO tenure). Until now, the automatic has only been available in 40mm — the 37mm release finally brings the Octo Finissimo to wrists that have always wanted it but found the original slightly too wide.