SLIM AND STYLISH. Fashion icon Jon Kortajarena presents the record-breaking Octo Finissimo Automatic
There’s something fascinating in the way world-class brands, such as Bulgari, pick their ambassadors. Sure, popularity is always a huge factor, but there’s also a palpable resonance between the chosen individual and the brand—or a certain product—which leads to a story that simply needs to be told.
In this case, it is the story of Jon Kortajarena and Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Automatic.
“Bulgari broke the mold when it made the Octo Finissimo Automatic”
The Model
Jon Kortajarena, the new Bulgari Global Watches Ambassador, is bona fide fashion icon. He has walked on the some of the world’s most celebrated catwalks and has worked together with photographers the likes of Peter Lindbergh and Mario Testino. Moreover, he has also successfully branched into acting following his big-screen debut in the Oscar-nominated movie “A Single Man.” Through his illustrious career, Jon Kortajarena has grown to symbolize a sensual and unique beauty.
This, in turn, made him the perfect personality to represent the Octo Finissimo Automatic.
The watch’s caseback
The Introduction
So, at this year’s Baselworld fair, award-winning top model Jon Kortajarena introduced Bulgari’s newest award-breaking timepiece. The Octo Finissimo Automatic represents yet another incredible feat of engineering from the Italian house and its third world record. It is essentially the world’s slimmest ultra-thin self-winding watch, with a thickness of only 5.15mm. More importantly, this thinness is quite palpable as you wear the watch, or as Kortajarena puts it: “It almost feels like part of my skin when it is on.”
Of course, the Octo Finissimo Automatic sounds even more impressive when you consider that the ultra-thin case houses an even thinner movement. In this case it’s the 2.23mm thick—in itself yet another world record—Calibre BVL 138. It is also a self-winding movement which comes with a platinum micro rotor. Despite the apparent constraints inherent to the creation of such a minuscule mechanism, the movement is hand-decorated with Côtes de Genève and circular-grained finishing. An offset small seconds hand and water resistance rating of up to 30 meters further hint at the supreme craftsmanship that went into this tiny case.
Jon Kortajarena sporting the record-breaking watch
The outward appearance of the Octo Finissimo Automatic might seem more subtle in comparison, yet here too do we see Bulgari’s mastery of shapes and materials. The iconic case shape incorporates a clever play on perspective and light whereby the case’s facets create shimmering reflections that draws attention.
Finally, wearing the Octo Finissimo Automatic provides a unique tactile experience. The watch’s dial and case are both constructed using titanium, and the lightweight feel of the material adds a sensual nuance to how it feels on your wrist. This sensation extends to the watch’s alligator leather strap with its matching titanium pin buckle. Alternatively, you could wear the watch with a beautiful titanium bracelet.
Perhaps Kortajarena said it best when he pointed out how “Bulgari broke the mold when it made the Octo Finissimo Automatic.” Sleek, refined yet utterly wearable, this is the quintessence of Bulgari watchmaking as it strives ever forward, one world record at a time.
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