Watchmaker Bulgari has teamed up with world-renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando to produce a limited edition of its Octo Finissimo timepiece.

Ando has gained worldwide acclaim for his buildings, which combine concrete and glass with the primordial element of light.

The Octo Finissimo-Tadao Ando Limited Edition watch expresses the passage of time in its most beautiful form. It is deeply imbued with the resolute Japanese spirit. It asks, "What is time, and how can it be expressed in its most sophisticated form?"

Bulgari's collaboration with Tadao Ando has resulted in the ultimate fusion of design and time. The Octo Finissimo-Tadao Ando Limited Edition watch has an indigo lacquer dial that incorporates two patterns. The first is a spiral pattern and the second a yellow gold crescent pattern.

Ando's first reworking of the Octo Finissimo turns a spiral vortex engraved on the dial into a black hole. It expresses the infinity of time. For his second rendition, he expresses the theme of time as a crescent moon.

The moon has served as a clock and calendar for humankind and the natural world and as a symbol of the ephemeral nature of time since the dawn of civilization.

The moon changes from a crescent moon to a full moon. The crescent moon appears to shine as the Earth casts a partial shadow on the sun-lit moon. In the night sky, the crescent moon is the hope of the night. In Ando's hands, it becomes a symbol of evolution towards a more prosperous future.

A spiral representing the theme of time is minimally expressed on the indigo lacquer dial. From the base of the second hand the motif swirls and spreads across the dial, and there is a golden crescent moon at the 5 o'clock position.

Tadao Ando commented on his creation, "When the light from the sun casts the shadow of the earth on the surface of the moon, the overlap of two circles gives birth to a crescent moon... The overlap of the moon circle and the clock face circle created a new kind of clock. I hope this watch will remain deep in the hearts of all who wear it."

The Octo Finissimo-Tadao Ando Limited Edition watch has 36 jewels. It is self-winding and has a platinum micro-rotor. Ando's signature is laser-printed on the see-through casing on the back of the sandblasted black ceramic case. The bracelet is also sandblasted black ceramic and comes with a folding buckle.

Born in Osaka, Tadao Ando studied architecture by himself and established the Tadao Ando Architectural Institute in 1969. Among his most representative works are the Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Worth, Texas, the Church of Light in Osaka, and the 21_21 Design Sight building in Tokyo. They have been acclaimed for their architectural purity and have become part of the history of modern architecture.

Since winning the Japan Architecture Society Award in 1979 for his Row House in Sumiyoshi, Tokyo, Tadao Ando has won practically every architectural prize going. He has been a visiting professor at Yale, Colombia and Harvard University and emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo since 2003.

Only 160 Octo Finissimo-Tadao Ando Limited Edition watches have been made. The watch is on sale priced ¥2,178,000 yen (tax included).

If you have any inquiries, call Bulgari Japan on 03-6362-0100.