Worn & Wound
This Isn’t Just Another Octo – This is Art for the Wrist
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo line has become synonymous with its technical prowess and record-breaking, ultra-thin designs (and for good reason). The collection has notched a whopping ten world records in just over a decade. However, we’ve also seen a softer side to the Octo through Bulgari’s more artistic interpretations of the iconic design. The most well-known are likely the sketch editions. As the name suggests, these models celebrate the original sketches of the design rendered by the brand’s Product Creation Executive Director, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. Yet, these more playful and aesthetic-focused editions have also been molded through collaborations with a wide array of co-creators from architects like Kazuyo Sejima and Tadao Ando to conductors and composers like Lorenzo Viotti. Among the Bulgari Octo mashups, the most striking have come from artists themselves. One of the earliest editions came back in 2015 with the Chinese artist Simon Ma. His collection of 13 piece unique watches explored the horse motif of the Chinese zodiac using traditional Chinese calligraphy techniques handpainted on the dial. Three years later, Bulgari enlisted the Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju to interpret a watch with his signature exploration of waterfalls. The resulting design employed mother of pearl on the dial to create a waterfall effect. Next, the Roman Maison took a more contemporary approach, tapping the Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima. This collaboration took a le...
