Bvlgari’s Octo Finissimo Finds a New Balance at 37mm

The Octo Finissimo has spent more than a decade teaching the watch world how thin a serious mechanical watch can be.

For 2026, Bvlgari’s most important move isn’t another fraction shaved from the case, but a new 37mm size that makes the collection feel more considered, more wearable and, in some ways, more complete.

It’s a subtle shift on paper, but not on the wrist.

At a glance

• Bvlgari has introduced a new 37mm Octo Finissimo family for 2026, including three automatic models and a Minute Repeater.
• The automatic references use the new BVF 100 micro-rotor caliber, a 31mm movement with a 72-hour power reserve.
• The smaller case marks a more wearable direction for the Octo Finissimo after years of ultra-thin record-setting watches.

A smaller Octo with bigger intent

The new Octo Finissimo 37mm arrives in three automatic references, set in sandblasted Grade 5 titanium, satin-polished Grade 5 titanium and satin-polished yellow gold.

That 37mm measurement is the story, but it’s not an arbitrary one.

Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bvlgari’s Product Creation Executive Director, has said the idea of a smaller Octo Finissimo had been present since the early days of the 40mm model, even if the movement architecture of the time made that case size necessary.

The new size took years to reach production, with discussion around the smaller case starting five years before launch and product development taking three years.

Bvlgari considered the difference between 40mm and 38mm or 39mm too slight, while 36mm was ruled out on technical grounds if the watch was to retain a screw-down crown and the intended power reserve.

The result is a case that still reads unmistakably as an Octo Finissimo, with its architectural profile, pared-back dial, metallic markers, open-worked hands and small seconds positioned at 7:30.

Yet the effect is different because the Octo Finissimo has always worn wider than its diameter suggests, thanks to its flat surfaces and angular geometry.

At 37mm, the watch becomes less insistent on the wrist without losing the design tension that made the collection distinctive in the first place.

The BVF 100 caliber changes the equation

Downsizing the case was not a matter of dropping the existing BVL 138 movement into a smaller shell.

The BVL 138 measures 36.6mm in diameter, which left Bvlgari needing a new movement rather than a simple adaptation.

The BVF 100 was developed as a new caliber that follows the design philosophy of the BVL 138 but is not a scaled-down version of it.

Only the platinum rotor, further optimized, and the balance wheel were carried over from the BVL 138, with the remaining components re-engineered.

The new automatic movement measures 31mm across and 2.35mm thick, compared with 2.23mm for the BVL 138.

That slight increase in thickness is offset by a meaningful reduction in overall volume, while the power reserve rises from 60 hours to 72 hours.

Bvlgari achieves this with a recessed bi-directional platinum micro-rotor and a redesigned barrel, preserving the ultra-thin feel while answering a practical expectation of modern collectors.

Jonathan Brinbaum, Managing Director of Bvlgari’s Watches Division, has framed the challenge as one of fitting complexity into a smaller surface without compromising the caliber.

It’s a useful way to understand the watch, because the 37mm Octo Finissimo is less about spectacle and more about density of engineering.

More substance in the bracelet and case

The case thickness is now 6.45mm, up from the 5.15mm thickness associated with the 40mm Octo Finissimo Automatic.

That makes the watch slightly sturdier, but the added presence may be one of its strengths.

The extra depth gives the watch a more tactile feel, while the 0.8mm dial also opens creative room that the thinner 0.4mm dial of the 40mm model did not allow.

Buonamassa Stigliani has indicated that this could allow Bvlgari to explore materials and finishing approaches that were previously restricted by the ultra-thin dial construction.

The bracelet has also been reworked with multi-component links rather than the earlier monolithic construction.

That change improves finishing possibilities and proportions, while also allowing two-tone and mixed-material executions that were not structurally possible before.

The first link is now fixed to the case with a screw-fastening system, removing the visible gap between case and bracelet seen on the 40mm version.

Bvlgari has also added pushers to the butterfly clasp, a practical adjustment that speaks to the collection’s shift from record-setting object to daily-wear watch.

A record-era watch without chasing another record

The Octo Finissimo’s credibility was built through a run of ultra-thin achievements beginning with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon in 2014.

That trajectory continued with pieces including the Minute Repeater in 2016, Automatic in 2017, Chronograph GMT Automatic in 2019, Perpetual Calendar in 2021, Ultra in 2022, Ultra COSC in 2024 and Ultra Tourbillon in 2025.

The 37mm models don’t replace that history, but they change the emphasis.

Rather than asking how thin the Octo Finissimo can be, Bvlgari is asking how well the idea can wear.

The answer is not limited to the automatics.

Bvlgari has also introduced a 37mm Minute Repeater in sandblasted titanium, using the BVL 362 caliber from the 2016 Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater.

That movement measures 28.5mm in diameter and 3.12mm thick, which made it suitable for the smaller case a decade after its debut in the original 40mm repeater.

Brinbaum has said Bvlgari was able to bring the same quality of sound and efficiency of the 40mm minute repeater into the 37mm case.

As a companion to the automatic trilogy, the repeater suggests that this new size is not a one-off adjustment but a platform for the next stage of the collection.

Details & Specifications

The Octo Finissimo 37mm is not Bvlgari stepping back from ambition.

It is the collection moving into a more mature phase, where comfort, proportion and mechanical compactness matter as much as the headline measurement.

For collectors who admired the Octo Finissimo but found the 40mm case too broad or too flat on the wrist, this may be the version that finally makes the design click.