First established by the Epirote silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris in 1884; today, Bulgari is a legendary jeweller of international renown — beloved for an opulent aesthetic inspired by Roman art & architecture and the historical-cultural movement of la dolce vita.
Already popular among lovers of fine jewellery thanks to its Serpenti and B.zero1 collections, the brand is also — low-key — a serious player on the horological front.
Since 1980, Bulgari watches have been produced in the brand’s Swiss production facilities at Neuchâtel. As with a small handful of other visionary luxury houses, this investment in mechanical watchmaking enabled Bulgari to set industry-wide benchmarks early on.
In the last 11 years, the brand’s groundbreaking Octo Finissimo has won a host of technical awards: culminating in a ‘best in show’ award at the GPHG (a.k.a. the “Oscars of watchmaking”) in 2021.
Explore it, along with a shortlist of our other favourite Bulgari watches below.
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BH Approved: The Best Bulgari Watch Overall
Bulgari Octo Finissimo ‘Tuscan Copper’
Exceptional
96/100
SCOREPROS
- Well-executed ‘copper’ dial
- Case & bracelet in 904L steel
- Highly distinctive Finissimo design language
CONS
- Cuff-like form factor
Even those who are relatively unfamiliar with Bulgari’s watchmaking line-up will have, at the very least, heard the name ‘Octo Finissimo’. Over a decade, this emblematic Bulgari design — consisting of overlapping circular and octagonal motifs — has become the bedrock of the House’s sport watch business.
For the more radical watch lover, it has also developed the reputation of an icon-in-the-making: the sort of object we’re certain to appreciate with the passage of time. (Though, of course, a slew of groundbreaking technical records also helps.)
Assuming your goal is to appreciate the Finissimo in its purest most unadulterated form, then the ‘Tuscan Copper’ model should be of much interest. We actually reviewed the watch in-depth following its release in 2024; and since then, everything desirable about it remains unchanged.
In short: it’s the same uniquely cuff-like form factor Bulgari’s fans already love, rendered here with a dressy effect in an extremely fashionable shade of light tonal brown.
Bulgari Octo Roma WorldTimer
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 41mm
- Case Thickness: 11.35mm
- Case Material: DLC-coated steel
- Bezel Material: N/A
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Textured rubber
- Dial Colour: Black
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Movement: BVL257
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
Featuring a more robust and sporty form language than its ‘Finissimo’ branded siblings, the Roma is Bulgari’s signature sub-collection with this reference aimed at globetrotting adventurers.
This model will be particularly resonant with on-the-go audiences: incorporating a worldtime complication pre-programmed with timezones in 24 destinations across the globe. (Naturally, Rome — being the House’s spiritual heartland — is one of these.)
In contrast to many of the Bulgari watches you’ll find peppered across our shortlist, this Roma sports a very tacti-cool aesthetic. All 41mm of the case are armoured in carbon-coated steel. Sure, it’s on the chunky side; but it’s still a stylish accompaniment to the kind of soft, luxuriously knit sportswear you’re bound to spot in the first class lounge.
Bulgari Bulgari
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 41mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel Material: N/A
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Stainless steel
- Dial Colour: Blue
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Movement: BVL191
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
An evolution of founder Sotirios Voulgaris’s inaugural Bulgari watch (first conceived in 1975) the modern Bulgari Bulgari remains “a unique collision” of Italian design and Swiss engineering.
We’re of the firm belief that the best way to enjoy the distinctive ‘BVLGARI BVLGARI’ engraving and opposed geometries is with as little distraction as possible. That’s why we’ve picked this steel reference, fitted with a sunburst-blue dial.
The round, uncluttered case will suit men with medium-to-large wrists; and, in keeping with the watch’s chic outlook, is equipped with a straightforward self-winding movement — the calibre BVL 191.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 6.9mm
- Case Material: CarbonGold
- Bezel Material: N/A
- Bracelet/Strap Material: CarbonGold
- Dial Colour: ‘Carbon’ black
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Movement: BVL138
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
Excellence in engineering and design are both goals Bulgari’s watchmaking division has doggedly pursued for over a decade; yet this Octo Finissimo in ‘CarbonGold’ should also be singled out, on account of its material inventiveness.
Featuring a colour and texture that evokes the image of black Calacatta marble, Carbon Gold is a proprietary material from Bulgari: consisting of different colours of high-tech resin, blended for extremely lightweight wear and a matte finish.
A few cleverly deployed details in rose gold are used to punctuate this Octo Finissimo’s otherwise baroque marble look. Meanwhile, the material proves complementary to the very thin, very flat Finissimo S shape — itself made possible by the BVL 138 (i.e. Bulgari’s signature micro-rotor movement).
Bulgari Aluminium Smeraldo
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 11.1mm
- Case Material: Aluminium
- Bezel Material: Rubber
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
- Dial Colour: Shaded green
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Movement: BVL138
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
First launched in 2020, Bulgari’s Aluminum collection is an ode to the popular ’90s design of the same name. Over the ensuing half-decade, the brand has expanded this approachable collection of unisex sports watches with new sizes and numerous complications.
In the case of this ‘Smeraldo’, the Aluminium’s familiar design codes are reimagined in a dark sea foam-inspired green. Meanwhile, the dial sports a textured white-to-emerald gradient — a nuanced detail that picks up on most of the other shades used in the Smeraldo’s case and bracelet.
Despite its lightweight aluminium construction, the Smeraldo is water-resistant to 100 metres. In tandem with the chronograph function, this makes for a highly compelling weekend option: one that can be worn equally well on the water and at coastal cafes.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 5.8mm
- Case Material: Platinum
- Bezel Material: N/A
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Alligator
- Dial Colour: Lacquered blue
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: BVL305
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
Described by watch writers as “perhaps the most stylish perpetual calendar on the market”, this Octo Finissimo model is an inspired piece to add to the collection — when money is no object.
Beyond its sartorial credentials (it’s surprising just how effectively the Finnissimo’s architectural geometries blend with alligator leather), diehard watch lovers will know that it’s precisely this Octo Finissimo that nabbed the record for ‘world’s thinnest perpetual calendar’ back in 2021.
Also available in a titanium construction, this platinum number remains the rarest (and costliest) Bulgari watch in our Buyer’s Guide. Plus: we happen to think that, of the two, it’s also the more readable — with the three circular calendar displays popping pleasantly against the blue sunburst dial.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chrono GMT
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 8.75mm
- Case Material: Titanium
- Bezel Material: N/A
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Titanium
- Dial Colour: Titanium
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: BVL318
- Power Reserve: 55 hours
One of three Bulgari watches in our shortlist that best conjures the spirit of travel, this chronograph-equipped version of the Octo Finissimo also manages to fold in another (arguably even more) useful feature — a GMT hand.
By removing the 12-hour totaliser seen in more conventional chronographs, Bulgari’s watchmakers are free to incorporate a 24-hour timezone. Understandably, even for a mechanical architecture as famously efficient with space as the Octo Finissimo, the integration of not one, but two distinct complications means this watch is on the larger size.
Those who already enjoy the Finissimo’s striking, cuff-like design language will find nothing to complain about – and that’s especially true in this instance, in which Bulgari reins in the large case and info-heavy dial with a clean monochrome palette.
Bulgari Aluminium
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 9.4mm
- Case Material: Aluminium
- Bezel Material: Rubber
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
- Dial Colour: White
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Movement: B192
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
Modestly priced and defined by its easygoing wearability, this Aluminium GMT would surely get a plaque if we were handing out awards for the ‘best value’ Bulgari.
Like the Smeraldo chronograph, the construction here is mostly aluminium — notwithstanding a rubber bezel and titanium caseback Bulgari’s watchmakers have opted for to guarantee 100m of water resistance.
We’re also big fans of the Coke-style GMT treatment: rather than opting to illustrate this iconic colour combo by way of a metallic bezel, black and red are used to highlight the rehaut (indicating PM and AM hours respectively).
Bulgari Octo Finissimo (18k Rose Gold)
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 5.15mm
- Case Material: 18k rose gold
- Bezel Material: N/A
- Bracelet/Strap Material: 18k rose gold
- Dial Colour: Rose gold
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: BVL138
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
This fully gold iteration of the classic second-gen Octo Finissimo makes it into our Buyer’s Guide almost purely on the quality of material execution.
The watch’s distinctively wide and ultra-flat design harmonises well with precious metal. And, in this instance, Bulgari has leveraged its know-how in jewellery to obtain a sandblasted effect that lends the rose gold Octo Finissimo a futuristic and visually striking quality.
Like the ‘Tuscan Copper’, this Finissimo reference is powered by the BVL 138. A deliciously thin self-winding movement, it utilises an interesting bridge architecture, in tandem with the brand’s now-signature platinum micro-rotor, to achieve an impressive thickness of just 2.23mm.
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