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You are here: Home / Movements / BVL 388

BVL 388

Last Update: September 2, 2020

Brand:Bulgari
Family:
Bulgari Finissimo Family
Height:3.50 mm
Jewels:52
Reserve:52 hours
Frequency:21,600 A/h
Winding:Automatic, Peripheral Automatic Winding
Diameter:
  Complications:5-Column Chronograph, Chronograph, Column Wheel Chronograph, Horizontal Clutch Chronograph, Monopusher Chronograph, Tourbillon
Hands:30 Minute Chronograph Hand at 3:00, Central 60 Second Chronograph Hand, Central Hour Hand, Central Minute Hand, Open Heart at 6:00, Small Seconds Hand at 9:00
Distinguishing Technical Characteristics
Ultra-Thin Automatic Tourbillon
Ultra-Thin Automatic Chronograph
Tourbillon
Balance Bridge
5-Column Chronograph
Barrel at 12:00
Column Wheel at 7:30
Tourbillon at 6:00
Production: 2020 – Current
1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

Cal. BVL 388 is an automatic tourbillon chronograph movement, the thinnest such movement ever created at 3.5 mm thick. Introduced in mid-2020, it is used in the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic watch. Unlike previous Finissimo movements, Cal. BVL 388 has not been released in non-skeleton form as of 2020.

The tourbillon is mounted to a full bridge on Cal. BVL 388

Although clearly related to previous Bulgari Finissimo movements, Cal. BVL 388 is novel in many ways. It is the first Finissimo tourbillon movement to dispense with the flying tourbillon, mounting it in bridges front and back thanks to the “generous” 3.5 mm overall thickness. But it is still too thin for a vertical clutch, so the all-new chronograph mechanism pairs a horizontal clutch with the column wheel. And it is a monopusher chronograph, since the pusher at 4:00 inherited from Cal. BVL 288 is used to stop the rotor and enable time setting with the crown.

Bulgari has not released the diameter of Cal. BVL 388, but it is likely to be 16 ligne (36.60 mm) like the related and visually similar Cal. BVL 288.

Cal. BVL 388 Applications

  • 2020 Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic
Images are taken from official publications and are used here for commentary and educational purposes. Copyright is held by the original owner as noted.

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