Tag Archives: bulgari

Bulgari leads the battle for the thinnest mechanical watch with Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC

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With the release of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, the battle for the thinnest watch has reached the slimmest size. Taking on watchmakers like Richard Mille and Piaget in the run for the crown, the new Bulgari is a more capable and slimmer rendition of the Octo Finissimo Ultra, the company’s previous slender watch which once held the coveted title of being the skinniest wristwatch.

Watch enthusiasts, especially Bulgari lovers, would remember the Octo Finissimo Ultra from 2022, which then was the thinnest mechanical watch on the planet measuring only 1.8mm at the thickest point. The watch was finished in a 40mm sandblasted titanium case with an integrated bracelet customized to complement the record-breaking watch’s form factor.

Designer: Bulgari

Despite the slimness to offer, the record-setting Octo Finissimo Ultra had that glory shortened by Richard Millie’s Ferrari collaboration timepiece that took watchmaking to a new slimmer form factor. The RM UP-01 Ferrari manual winding ultra flat – as the collab was named – became the new record-setter with slimness measuring .05mm thinner than the Bulgari’s watch.

Richard Millie’s offering lived on as the world’s thinnest watch since. It’s finally overthrown by the new Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, which puts Bulgari back on the top of the record list. The new Bulgari, to that accord, is the world’s slimmest mechanical watch with only 1.70mm thickness. The new milestone in watchmaking comes along with independent Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) certification assuring precision and accuracy in time telling. Thanks to the certification, Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC also becomes the thinnest COSC-certified watch, adding another feature to its cap of utmost sleekness.

In addition to the minimum slimness, Bulgari’s new watch has notable features which start with its sandblasted titanium case and tungsten carbide caseback. Paired with a matching strap, the world’s thinnest watch will be strictly limited to just 20 examples with each priced at $529,000. Given the 1.70mm thickness we’re taking about, it’s a given that winding the watch wouldn’t be easy. Understandably then, Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC be provided with a case for its automatic setting and winding.

The post Bulgari leads the battle for the thinnest mechanical watch with Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC first appeared on Yanko Design.

This interactive lotus-shaped art installation moves in response to light!

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Art installations like the Lotus Oculus have all the elements that make it a piece you can stare at for hours – it is intriguing, intelligent, and inspiring. This nature-inspired structure uses a smart material that mimics how flowers act when greeted by the sun, thus the dome also is reactive to light! Lotus Oculus was commissioned by Bulgari and was placed in the Modern Art Gallery in Milan.

The story began in 2010 with a little curiosity and a lot of research on smart materials. Studio Roosegaarde’s design team was searching for a material that looked like something that came from nature and also responded to stimuli in real-time. That is how smart flowers were born and over a decade, the studio has done multiple art installations evolving in scope and shape but maintaining the common factor – they all open in response to light and Lotus Oculus is the most recent one.

Lotus Oculus pays homage to the grandeur of the Pantheon and continues the legacy by creating an organic architecture of movement and shadows. This dynamic dialogue is what Daan Roosegaarde calls Techno-Poetry,” the artist explains. When you see the art in motion, it seems to breathe in the air around it. The geometric orb is made of several small panels of smart material and each of which curls into a flower shape when stimulated!

The entire exhibit comes to life as the parts fold and unfold in response to the changing environment and light intensity which presents a show of light and movement throughout the space. The interactive installation is a mix of art and design, it was awarded the A’Design Gold Award and Media Architecture Award Denmark. Some installations are permanent like the Lotus Maffei in the Palazzo Maffei Museum in Verona, Italy and the Lotus Dome in Sainte Marie Madeleine Church in Lille, France.

This striking installation draws you in, observe, move around it and bring the petals to life as you interact with it. Roosegaarde describes this tangible connection between light and material as “a metamorphosis of nature and technology. In search of a new harmony between people and the environment, Lotus is a work of art and a pilot for more organic architecture.”

Designer: Studio Roosegaarde

The post This interactive lotus-shaped art installation moves in response to light! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Luxury fashion brands slowly embrace internet shopping

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Luxury fashion brands have been notoriously reluctant to embrace the internet. While you can find their wares on third-party stores, you typically have to visit an old-fashioned retail store if you want to buy straight from the source. However, that'...