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  • Bulgari Is Still Not Done With The Octo Finissimo, Luminox Makes A Realy Military Watch, Autodromo Brings Back The Group B and Patek Updates Their Ultimate Complication

Bulgari Is Still Not Done With The Octo Finissimo, Luminox Makes A Realy Military Watch, Autodromo Brings Back The Group B and Patek Updates Their Ultimate Complication

They announced they are killing off the Octo Finissimo in January, now they come out with a very cool Skeleton in titanium

Author

Vuk Radic
April 12, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Hey friends, we’re back with another edition of It’s About Time, this one a bit thinner since all the brands rolled out everything at Watches and Wonders, but with some awesome reading and watching suggestions.

In this issue:

  • Bulgari brings back the Octo Finissimo

  • Luminox makes a military watch you weren’t expecting

  • Autodromo brings back the Group B

  • Patek Philippe updates the ultimate Complication

Today’s reading time: 5 minutes and 48 seconds

👂What’s new

1/ 

Officially, Bulgari announced in January of this year that they are done with the Octo Finissimo line and a couple of months later they introduced nine new Octo Roma models which were supposed to replace the Finissimo line al together. But then a month or two after the announcement they are shutting down the, Bulgari announced the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT, as a last model. Yesterday, they announced the Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Day in Titanium. Is this the last model?

You won’t see me complaining much. I love the Octo Finissimo. And the Skeleton 8 Days might be the most impressive of them. Technically, it squeezes out almost 200 hours of energy from a movement that features a single barrel and that measures only 2.5mm in height. That’s the in-house Calibre BVL 199 SK. For this skeleton version of the watch, the movement is treated in titanium as well and it looks stunning.

Aesthetically, it’s just as impressive - the Skeleton 8 Days was already available in gold with an anthracite movement, but now it’s all gray titanium, everywhere, including the entire integrated bracelet. It measures 40mm across, with a height of 5.95mm.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days Titanium will be available from boutiques and retailers in late May or June 2023 and priced at EUR 23,360.

2/

The Dirty Dozen military watches I mentioned yesterday were perfectly fine timepieces for soldiers to carry into war. They were, that is, at a time when trench warfare was just being phased out and new ways of fighting were being invented. Today, we can still buy vintage military inspired watches. However, people who have to go to war will chose a different type of military watch.

Enter Luminox, with their three decade long partnership with the US Navy SEALs, and their new watch - the Master Carbon SEAL Automatic.

The light and rugged case is made out of a material Luminox calls CARBONOX+ and they claim that the material boasts ultra-strong and weatherproof properties that in weight, equates to three times lighter than titanium. It’s a big one at 45mm, but not many people will care - this is a true utilitarian watch.

There are two variations that are currently available – a jet black dial with either an army green or a gun metal gray outer-ring with a color-matched cut-to-size rubber strap. What’s kind of weird about this watch is that it has a mineral crystal and steel exhibition caseback that, bizarrely, shows of the Sellita SW 200-1 that’s inside.

The watch is priced at $1,195.

3/

As we reported on our Twitter yesterday morning, when Hodinkee messed up and released the picture of their new collaboration before they were supposed to, the watch media juggernaut has teamed up with Autodromo to bring back their sold out Group B collection, introducing new colors.

Group B has always been a favorite of mine in terms of Autodromo watches, so it’s great to see them back. I have to say, all five of the version they made with have fantastic colorways. Everything else is the same as the Group B watches we have already seen - The Group B Chronograph measures 40mm in diameter, and 13.4mm in thickness.

Inside is the Sellita SW 510 M B movement, a manually wound chronograph with 63 hours of reserve, a movement used with increasing frequency across the realm of micro-brands - Farer, Nivada Grenchen, Massena LAB and Hanhart.

The watches will be available only through the Hodinkee shop, they are limited to 100 pieces each and they are priced at $1,495.

4/

Not too long ago, a steel variant of the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime sold for CHF 31 million, surpassing Paul Newman’s Paul Newman and Patek Philippe’s own Henry Graves Supercomplication. This is Patek’s most coveted and desired model, made to order and sold only to the most discerning collectors. So it’s quite a thing when Patek updates this watch. Let alone when they release two new variants.

The first variant is a crazy baguette diamond and emerald-set 49.4mm x 16.32mm behemoth of a white-gold case, with hand-guillochéd hobnail on the dials. Set with two concentric circles of emeralds, this is meant to be the main display, showing the date of the perpetual calendar, second time zone complication and alarm on/off indication, along with many others (this is the complete list of complications: Grande et petite sonnerie, minute repeater, strikework mode display, alarm with time strike, alarm on/off indicator, second time zone, second time zone day/night indicator, instantaneous perpetual calendar, four-digit year display, moon phase, 24-hour and minutes sub-dial, crown position indicator).

The other version is the Grandmaster Chime 6300GR. Measuring in at 47.7mm x 16.07mm, the white and rose gold case of the 6300GR is certainly less conspicuous than its gem-set sibling, but it does stand out with a beautiful brown dial, creamy sub dials and rose gold appliques.

Inside the watches are the Calibre 300 GS AL 36‑750 QIS FUS IRM, which even with all the complications have a power reserve of 72 hours, while the striking components have a 30-hour power reserve by themselves.

You know a watch is expensive when the price is by request only. With the Grandmaster Chime it’s very existence is by request - you have to enquire with Patek to see if they will even build you one.

5/

It’s a day for very expensive, very complicated watches. After the updated PP Grandmaster Chime, here comes Vacheron Constantin with a new watch from their Les Cabinotiers workshop, a workshop that pushes the abilities of watchmaking - the new Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Dual Moon Grand Complication.

The watch is a 46mm in diameter and only 17.1mm thick. Only, you say? Yeah, only, because inside you will find 11 complications - a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar with retrograde date with instantaneous hand return, semi-instantaneous day and month&year instantaneous, precise Moon phases and age of the Moon for North and South hemispheres, sideral hour indication, celestial chart and a tourbillon. So yeah, only 17mm thick.

However, despite all of these complications, the dial is relatively simple and easy to read.

It truly is a watch to behold. It’s also an edition of only one and pricing is, of course, upon request

🫳On hand

Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon

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⚙️Watch Worthy

A look at an off beat, less known watch you might actually like

The standout design feature of the brand’s Olympe and Brio Emerald Green models was definitely their circular handset. Three years on, that design feature has not changed. However, the overall looks of the new Vitruve Date Steel differ drastically from the classically styled models from three years ago. Having said that, the overall presence is still very much recognizable as Beaubleu. With a new dial and a mesh stainless steel bracelet, the style of the Vitruve series changes from classical to sporty with a classic twist.

⏲️Wait a minute

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

  • In exactly two weeks, Amazon will shut down the Book depository, one of the best websites to buy books from. They were known for their fast and often free shipping, massive inventory and low prices. If you’re on the lookout for an alternative, read this inspiring story of Bookshop.org

  • Casinos love roulette because it’s the one game that’s impossible to beat. Impossible, that is, until this one guy got his hands on it.

  • The Case of the Fake Sherlock: Richard Walter was hailed as a genius criminal profiler. How did he get away with his fraud for so long?

👀Watch this

One video you have to watch today

I’m pretty well versed in various polar exploration attempts. And I had no idea that an American team in 1936 attempted to build a seventeen meter long, six meter wide, 34 ton vehicle with a survey plane on top of it to explore Antartica. It’s a crazy story.

💵Pre-loved precision

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