Even by the helium-stoked ­standards of current watch hype, this bit of corporate braggadocio sounds hyperbolic: “The watchmaking icon of the XXIst century... Fuelled by passion, renowned for excellence and artistry, Octo Finissimo continues to stake its claim as the contemporary quintessence of masculinity, this time redrawing the design codes of modern sport watches.”

And yet, cynic though I am, there is more than a kernel of truth to this introduction to Bulgari’s slimline timekeeper.

Bulgari is, of course, primarily known as a jeweller most famous for being the bedizener of choice of the showbiz elite during Rome’s glory days as Hollywood on the Tiber. It is fair to assume that during a lifetime of collecting, Elizabeth Taylor managed to accumulate her own body weight in Bulgari jewels, a feat also almost accomplished by Sharon Stone’s character in Casino, when she sprawled on a bed covered in Roman bling. From jewels it was a short hop to watches: the Serpenti bracelet (popularised by Taylor on the set of Cleopatra in 1962) often used to feature a concealed watch in the snake’s head and when relaunched in 2009 it became a highly popular women’s watch.

The first notable men’s watch came in 1977 with the launch of the Bulgari Bulgari, which genuinely was a revolution in the then relatively staid world of watches inasmuch as the brand name was taken from the dial of the watch, where it had sat more or less discreetly for generations, and moved to the highly polished bezel, where it looked so good Bulgari engraved it twice. It was audacious, or, if you were feeling censorious, flashy. Either way, it was perfect for the 1980s.

By the 1990s, the Bulgari Bulgari was established as a masterclass in fin de siècle slick and sleek branding. There was a cult around the plastic Bulgari Bulgari “service watch” lent to clients when their own piece was being mended; an Alitalia plane was repainted to feature the Diagono Aluminium with a double signed rubber bezel. And for many, including me, the Bulgari Bulgari bezel reached its apotheosis in Heat, where it accented a typically exaggerated performance by Al Pacino.

Indeed, for a long time it looked as though the Bulgari Bulgari would remain the jeweller’s main contribution to male watches and much else besides (the Bulgari Bulgari moved seamlessly to fragrances and jewellery). Bulgari tried to break out with Assioma, a watch with a case that was both round and straight-sided (yes, it is as bad as it sounds), and I liked the Bulgari Scuba, but alas, a recent attempt to relaunch it was not successful.

Then, in 2014, Bulgari released the Octo Finissimo tourbillon. In itself, that’s unremarkable. What set it apart was the design by Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. Two years earlier, Bulgari had launched the Octo, which featured an octagonal case, circular bezel, octagonal flange around the dial and angular lugs. However, for the 2014 edition, Bulgari put the Octo on a diet: the case thickness was halved to around 5mm and the movement was a squeak under 2mm. It was something not seen before at Bulgari: eye-catching and discreet, identifiable across a crowded room (even sans branded bezel) yet so svelte it would slip under the narrowest shirt cuffs.

But there was a problem: it was pitched at the high-complications market. Someone cleverly discovered this was the thinnest tourbillon around, setting off, particularly with the launch of the titanium version in 2017, an annual scramble for world records – some impressive (the thinnest tourbillon, 2018), others not widely known as a record in need of breaking (the thinnest tourbillon chronograph, 2020). This year’s record breaker is more relevant and bang on trend: a perpetual calendar comprising 408 components in a movement 2.75mm high, which slots easily into the slender 5.8mm case of the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar.

It is a marvel of miniaturisation.

But as well as horological complications, the Octo Finissimo is the perfect canvas for aesthetic complications, the most desirable, for my money, being the iteration made with tattoo artist Mo Coppoletta. As Buonamassa Stigliani put it, “This watch is like a second skin when you put it on. And when thinking in terms of a second skin, you have the tattoo.” His logic was irrefutable. The design was superb, but only ten were made and they sold out in two hours.

Happily, 2020 also brought news of the Octo Finissimo S, a stainless-steel version of the thinnest automatic movement, with a screw-down crown that gave it 100 metre water-resistance. (Personally, I would always recommend the titanium version, as this makes the most of the lightweight design. But titanium is a polarising material; steel is not.) The broadening of the offer continued this year with a new iteration of the Octo Finissimo S and the Octo Finissimo S Chronograph GMT.

The Finissimo S was the clearest indication yet that Bulgari was intent on taking the Finissimo into the mainstream, which is where great industrial design belongs. It’s a piece so good it deserves to be worn and enjoyed daily.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Platinum, £74,000. bulgari.com

Strap Alligator leather with platinum pin clasp.

The platinum Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar was launched in November.

Movement The 2.75mm Calibre BVL 305 has a 60-hour power reserve.

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