Bulgari - The New York Watch Auction: XI New York Saturday, December 7, 2024 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Bulgari
    Year: 2024
    Reference No: 104217
    Case No: BU9VLFD
    Model Name: Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Sketch – TimeForArt Edition
    Material: 18K pink gold
    Calibre: BVL 318
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K pink gold Bulgari bracelet with integrated folding clasp
    Dimensions: 43mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Personalized caseback with TimeForArt logo and “esemplare unico 1 / 1” marking
    Accessories: Accompanied by Bulgari presentation box and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Over the past decade, the Octo Finissimo series has set nine records, including the world's slimmest three-hand watch COSC certified and the world's slimmest automatic chronograph.

    This year, Bulgari celebrates its 140th anniversary. For this special occasion, the Manufacture ventures into uncharted territory as it introduces a series of watches with an illustrated dial, revealing the caliber of each timepiece.

    The Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Sketch embodies this innovative approach, featuring a 43 mm satin-polished rose gold case with a slimness of 8.75 mm to elegantly house its GMT chronograph complications. The automatic Manufacture movement with a peripheral oscillating weight provides a 55-hour power reserve. This design, pivotal for the watch’s record-breaking thinness in 2019, incorporates a caliber measuring a mere 3.3 mm in height that not only includes a 30-minute chronograph and central second but also displays a second time zone at 3 o'clock.

    This unique piece for Time for Art showcases a sketch featuring key elements of the dial and the back of the movement. Skillfully blending the iconic chronograph display (GMT at 3 o'clock, 30-minute counter at 6 o'clock, small seconds at 9 o'clock) with a balance represented between 4 and 5 o'clock, the emblematic column wheel at 8 o'clock, and exquisite finishing details on the bridges and gears. The open caseback reveals the original BVL 318 caliber with special marking "esemplare unico 1/1" and “Time For Art logo”.

  • Artist Biography

    Bulgari

    Italian

    Originally from Kalarites, Greece, Sotirios Voulgaris emigrated to Rome because of Greece's rising poverty and difficulty separating from the Ottoman Empire. He set foot on Italian soil in 1880 with little money in his pocket and spent the next four years preparing what would go on to become Italy's oldest jewelry company. 

    In 1884, Bulgari opened its doors to the Italian people with its offering of jewelry and accessories. Bulgari's style takes from traditions in Greek and Roman craftsmanship to elegantly balance volume and subtlety. Later, in the late 1960s, Bulgari bridged classicism and modernity by introducing its seductive, now-iconic Serpenti collection of snake-shaped coil bracelets and watches. It is through its meticulous combination of influences that Bulgari has garnered an international and loyal high-profile clientele, which included Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. These Hollywood stars have immortalized the house's unique gem-adorned bracelets, necklaces and earrings in rounded forms. 

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Lot offered with No Reserve

Ref. 104217
A unique pink gold wristwatch with chronograph and GMT function, sold to benefit Swiss Institute

2024
43mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Personalized caseback with TimeForArt logo and “esemplare unico 1 / 1” marking

Estimate
$40,000 - 80,000 
CHF35,300-70,500
€38,000-76,000
HK$311,000-623,000

Sold for $76,200

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
watchesny@phillips.com

Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: XI

New York Auction 7 - 8 December 2024