Bulgari Octo Finissimo X Pisa Orologeria: Lesson Of Style

It is not easy for a watch to become the undisputed symbol of its brand in less than a decade. Watchmaking’s time pace has accustomed us to much longer waits. But the Octo Finissimo succeeded. Born in 2014, two years after the launch of the Octo L’Originale, the most amazing Bulgari design piece is now a touchstone in the haute horlogerie segment, and has opened the collection to incredible collaborations. The last with Pisa Orologeria in Milan.

A special edition following those – to remember the most amazing – created together with Japanese architects Tadao Ando and Kazuyo Sejima. Two incredible watches, in which the starchitects have further enhanced the essentiality of the design with their minimal and fascinating touch. Now it is the Octo Finissimo for Pisa Orologeria’s turn. No architect behind the timepiece, but an ode to purity, to the history of Pisa, and to the legacy of the Lombard capital.

Because the genius of Bulgari’s creative director, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, conceived this limited edition starting from the fascination that a 1950s table clock created by Divino Pisa, one of the founders of the company, exerted on him. The Divino Clock, as it is called in Pisa Orologeria, is the first example of a timepiece working only thanks to terrestrial magnetism, a feature that was patented at the time.

THE DESIGN OF THE OCTO FINISSIMO FOR PISA OROLOGERIA

So, what connects the Octo Finissimo for Pisa Orologeria to the company and to Milan’s history? Mainly the dial. It is in bronze with a rough satin finish, and its color closely recalls that of the Pisa Orologeria logo; the laser-engraved indexes and the bronze processing give the impression of something raw, as if it had just been rough-hewn by a blacksmith. An incredible understatement that makes the watch super elegant.

The absolute minimalism of the dial is also highlighted by the fact that it bears no logo, neither that of Bulgari nor that of Pisa Orologeria. The whole character of the watch is expressed in the shapes, materials and color nuances. With a stroke of genius from Buonamassa Stigliani: the small-second indicator of the Octo Finissimo limited edition Pisa Orologeria reproduces the minute track of the historic Divino Clock, created in 1957 and exhibited, in the following years, among the works of the National Science and Technology Museum in Milan.

MOVEMENT AND TECHNICAL DETAILS

The homage to Pisa Orologeria can be found on the sapphire crystal case back, where the company logo and the indication of the limited edition (15 pieces) are shown, with the number of each watch. Through the caseback, you have a full view of the ultra-thin mechanical manufacture caliber BVL 138, self-winding with micro-rotor, with small seconds indicator. Only 2.23 mm thick, it has a 60-hour power reserve and is hand-decorated with Côtes-de-Genève, anglage and perlage finishes; this caliber also moves the Octo Finissimo of the current collection.

As for the other technical details, the case has the Octo Finissimo’s classic 40mm diameter and thickness of 5 mm, and is waterproof up to 3 bars. It is in sandblasted titanium, and so are the bracelet with folding clasp and the crown, which has a black ceramic insert.

ROME AND MILAN UNDER THE SIGN OF EXCELLENCE

From everything written so far we are sure it is now clear that the Octo Finissimo for Pisa Orologeria is also the confirmation that when the best of Rome and Milan work together wisely, the result can only be excellent. Inspired by Roman architecture, the Octo Finissimo is a challenge to the limits of design and watchmaking – reinterpreted, through this collaboration, around the concept of “Industrial Milan:” the city that in the post-war period, thanks to its resourcefulness and dynamism, has become the modern European metropolis we know today. Pisa Orologeria has grown and established itself by adjusting its hands to the frenetic ticking of the city.

“This collaboration – says Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani – stems from an excellent relationship with Pisa Orologeria, a brand that has been carrying on a long history of human and professional values for three generations. From the very beginning, we wanted to follow an aesthetic path that linked our iconic Octo Finissimo watch to the history and entrepreneurial value of the Pisa family.”

This is confirmed by Chiara Pisa, CEO of the family business: “The choice of the Octo Finissimo in titanium was intuitive: it represents one of the icons of the Bulgari brand, in which Pisa Orologeria has always believed, and in which it is fully reflected in terms of technical and aesthetic values.”

Octo Finissimo for Pisa Orologeria is available exclusively in the Pisa Orologeria Flagship Store in via Verri 7.

By Davide Passoni