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 less whimsical form, incorporating Miyajima’s trademark figure eight or infinity symbol on the dial. Just last year, the French conceptual artist Laurent Grasso got to leave her mark on the Octo with a more colorful and feminine touch.
The latest artistic collaboration for the Octo line arrived earlier this month at the Geneva Watch Days fair, and in my humble opinion, it’s one of the most compelling to date with the artist’s canvas expanding from the confines of the dial to the watch in its entirety. The newest addition to the Octo Finissimo lineup comes in co-creation with the South Korean painter and sculptor Lee Ufan. Ufan takes a very specific approach to the use of color and material in his works. He describes his designs as “the art of the encounter,” developing pieces that emphasize the experience and engagement between the observer and the object itself. In this way, the translation of Ufan’s work seems to perfectly lend itself to a timepiece. Watches are objects intimately worn on the body, not only taking the shape of the wearer’s wrist but also drawing the wearer’s eye toward it or gesturing the wearer’s hand toward its functions.
One of Ufan’s most famous works is simply titled “Rock and Mirror,” in which he juxtaposes the weight, texture, and presence of natural, raw stones against more industrial, manmade surfaces like mirrors and steel. This creation laid the foundation for the design of the new Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bvlgari.
Lee Ufan’s work is known for being reserved and minimalistic – the opposite of Bulgari with its bold, Italian roots that lend toward maximalism. In this way, the pairing of the two collaborators seemed unusual and even at odds at first glance. Finding the synergy wasn’t immediate or easy, according to Buonamassa Stigliani. “In the beginning of a partnership, the artist always arrives with ideas,” he told me in an interview. “They have built a reputation for their unique character and taste, but the problem is that sometimes, their ideas are not viable on the small scale we are working with in the world of watches.”
When it comes to the Octo, the parameters are set. “This model is instantly recognizable for its octagonal shape – this is the blank canvas we give artists to work with,” explains Buonamassa Stigliani. However, what makes this iteration of the Octo so unique and special is that this duo recognized the canvas didn’t end there – it could extend to the bracelet, a whole new ground of untapped real estate.
“I was struck by Ufan’s Rock and Mirror, by the contrast of surfaces and materials, and I saw this translating to the mediums we work in with our watches,” Buonamassa Stigliani shares. “So, I took one of the Octo bracelets I had in my office, and I started destroying it – scratching it as if creating a sculpture,” he confesses. “I tried to replicate the natural texture I saw in the rock, something very raw and organic. When I made this first prototype, the watchmakers were in a bit of shock – they felt I was destroying a piece of watchmaking history by altering our bracelet design in this way, but I explained to them that this is the game you must play when you invite a guest artist to collaborate. For me, this collaboration inspired us to do something different that has never been done before in our Octo line or in the watchmaking industry.”
Turns out, the signature Octo Finissimo bracelet was the ideal surface to be destroyed – it’s flat with a lot of angles and surfaces to play with. Then, the pair had to create the contrast of the mirror, and here is where the dial came into play. Against the rough textured bracelet echoing Ufan’s rock is a dial with a smooth, clean approach and seamless fading from black to transparent with an apropos mirror finish. To further highlight this juxtaposition and to better isolate the dial from the bracelet, they also made the choice to render the bezel in stainless steel as opposed to the titanium construction of the rest of the timepiece. This marks a first in the Octo line to combine these metals in a single design.
Still, this collaboration goes deeper than a reinterpretation of an artist’s work or playfully destroying a titanium bracelet. It’s a statement on Bulgari’s approach to the art of watchmaking. “From my point of view, the moment we say we are watchmakers, the moment we put that label on ourselves, we are dead,” says Buonamassa Stigliani. “Watchmakers love to make things the same way each time: the movement, the case, the sapphire crystal, the bracelet, the caseback, the crown – okay, done, this is a watch – there are thousands upon thousands of watches on the market like this. But we are not Swiss, we are Italian. We started as a jewelry maker and now we make perfumes and resorts and other accessories and watches – we must carve our own path and show our capabilities in all our designs because we are not just watchmakers. This is our DNA: to break the rules and make something different.”
The Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bulgari is a limited edition of 150 pieces. The retail price is €22,000. Bulgari
Cait Bazemore
2025-09-18 17:00:00