News: Another Steel Sports Chronograph? - The Bulgari Octo Finissimo S Chronograph GMT
If you were to type “luxury steel sports chronograph” into Google, do you know what you would find? Steel sports chronographs—that’s a given—but what you might also notice is that every brand under the sun seems to have one. So, when I read about the Bulgari Octo Finissimo S Chronograph GMT—which is also a steel sports chronograph with a blue dial—I got a little excited, because unlike Zenith with the Chronomaster Sport—which you can read about here by the way—the Bulgari is different, a breath of fresh air in an increasingly competitive market.
You might be thinking that you’ve seen this watch before, and that’s because you have. In March 2019, Bulgari introduced the world to the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT—which at the time featured the world’s thinnest mechanical chronograph and came in titanium. Fast forward to this release, and Bulgari have made a few changes. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo S Chronograph GMT is of course now steel; it's ever so slightly chunkier at 43mm x 8.75mm—compared to the 42mm x 6.9mm case of the original—features a more traditional looking dial in blue and a case that is brushed rather than sandblasted.
In addition to the more noticeable differences, the new model also has lume and an increase in water resistance from 30 to 100 metres—both must-haves for a sports chronograph. But what about that record-breaking movement? Don’t worry, the movement as well as those Finissimo good looks remain from the original.
The movement—the Caliber BVL 318—is still just as impressive as it was when it originally launched in 2019. A 55-hour power reserve, a peripheral winding rotor, home to both a chronograph and a GMT complication—which is controlled independently with the pusher at 9—the Caliber BVL 318 at just 3.3mm thick is a pint-sized powerhouse.
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo S Chronograph GMT is definitely different from what others have to offer—it even has the additional GMT complication if you weren’t already convinced. So, if you’re looking for a watch that doesn’t conform to the whole “our watch needs to look like a Daytona” principle—I’m looking at you Zenith—then the Octo Finissimo S Chronograph GMT is the watch for you.
Looking for a Bulgari watch? Click here to shop now
