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Technics x Fritz Hansen Give Bauhaus Design a Deep-Burgundy Analogue Soundtrack

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Technics and Fritz Hansen have teamed up for the collaborative Sound Club installation at the 2026 3 Days of Design, bringing together the Danish design brand’s Bauhaus-era KAISER idell™ Luxus 6631-T table lamp and Technics’ modern SL-40CBT direct-drive turntable through two limited editions that explore how lighting, music and minimalist design can collectively influence the atmosphere of a room.

Both pieces arrive in a coordinated matte deep-burgundy finish, creating a visual connection between objects shaped by different countries, periods and creative disciplines. The KAISER idell lamp was originally designed in 1936 by Christian Dell, who previously led the metal workshop at the Bauhaus school in Weimar, while the SL-40CBT continues the direct-drive turntable tradition Technics first established in 1970. While collaborations like this can sometimes feel like little more than two logos placed on existing products, Technics x Fritz Hansen feels more deliberate, using colour and a shared focus on precision and craftsmanship to make the lamp and turntable appear as though they were always intended to occupy the same space.

The concept is built around the idea that light establishes a room’s mood while music adds an emotional layer, with minimalist design connecting the two. Place the lamp beside the turntable, lower the lighting and choose the right record, and the average living room suddenly feels far more considered—even if the pile of unopened mail nearby tells a slightly different story.

Technics x Fritz Hansen collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen

When Bauhaus Lighting Meets Japanese Audio

The KAISER idell lamp is the older of the two products by quite some distance, having been designed in 1936 by German designer Christian Dell, who previously led the metal workshop at the Bauhaus school in Weimar. Its curved connecting arm, carefully proportioned shade and function-first construction helped turn it into one of the more recognizable examples of Bauhaus lighting, and the basic design has remained largely unchanged ever since.

That history makes the timing of the collaboration particularly fitting, as the lamp celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2026. Fritz Hansen has not attempted to modernize the shape or cover it with unnecessary new details, instead using the matte deep-burgundy finish to give the familiar design a warmer and slightly moodier appearance.

As Dario Reicherl, CEO Asia at Fritz Hansen, explains the thinking behind the partnership, “Sound and light both change how a space feels without touching its structure. That’s what we wanted to explore, two objects with distinct origins that, together, form a setting that is considered and deeply human.”

Technics x Fritz Hansen collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen
Technics x Fritz Hansen collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen

The Technics SL-40CBT comes from a much newer generation, but it is built around the direct-drive approach the Japanese audio company first introduced in 1970. The technology is designed to provide stable platter rotation and accurate playback, and it later became closely associated with professional studios, DJ booths and home audio systems, helping turn Technics into one of the most recognizable names in vinyl.

There are no dramatic redesigns connecting the two products, with the shared colour and their placement within a room doing most of the work. The lamp creates a concentrated area of light while the turntable introduces music into the same space, and the matching burgundy finish makes them appear coordinated without disguising the fact that they were created decades apart for entirely different purposes.

The concept makes sense when you consider how people experience their homes, because furniture may establish the physical layout of a room, but lighting often determines whether it feels calm, dramatic or inviting. Sound can change the same space without adding anything visible, filling it with energy, nostalgia or the sudden need to explain to everyone why the vinyl version sounds better.

As Ryo Ogasawara of Technics explains, “Music is an art of time. Time flows without form, quietly imprinting itself on our emotions through sound. In this collaboration, light shapes space, and the sound that emerges allows time to be felt, seeking to give rise to an experience that is deeply human.”

Technics x Fritz Hansen collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen

inside the Fritz Hansen Sound Club

Technics x Fritz Hansen showed the two limited editions during Copenhagen’s 3daysofdesign 2026 as part of the Fritz Hansen Sound Club. They placed the lamp and turntable inside a working listening bar instead of on the usual empty display stands. Both pieces sat on original Bauhaus-style Fritz Hansen tables chosen from the company’s archive, helping visitors see how the matching burgundy designs might look together in a real room.

The larger setup spread across a listening lounge, courtyard, and store. It featured selected records, podcasts, live DJ sessions, and sounds recorded during the making of Fritz Hansen furniture. Visitors could also listen to a special vinyl release made for the event, making the exhibition more engaging than just another nicely arranged room that people photograph before quickly moving on.

That setting showed the collaboration better than the products alone because neither limited edition offers a completely new idea. The appeal comes from combining two familiar objects, with one lighting up the record while the other plays it. This creates a listening spot that might finally convince you to put your phone away for a whole album.

Technics x Fritz Hansen collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen

Release Date, Availability & Price

Both Technics x Fritz Hansen limited editions will launch in October 2026, but they will be hard to find. Fritz Hansen will make only 200 KAISER idell™ Luxus 6631-T lamps for certain markets in Asia and Europe, while the Technics SL-40CBT collaboration edition will be limited to 300 units and sold through Technics’ sales channels, including in the United States.

The two pieces will be sold separately, so anyone wanting to create the full matching listening corner will need to get each one on its own. Still, the partnership works because the 1936 Bauhaus lamp and modern Japanese turntable both focus on precision, quality, and practical design, with the matching deep-burgundy colour giving Bauhaus design the analogue soundtrack the title promises.

Technics has listed the turntable at USD$1,199, while standard versions of the KAISER idell™ Luxus 6631-T lamp are priced from USD$1,249. The limited-edition deep-burgundy lamp will not officially be offered in the US; however, other versions of the KAISER idell™ Luxus 6631-T are available through the Fritz Hansen Site.

Technics x Fritz Hansen Collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen
Technics x Fritz Hansen collaboration
Technics x Fritz Hansen Collaboration | Image: Fritz Hansen
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Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
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Bvlgari Unveils the World’s Thinnest Tourbillon With the 1.85mm Octo Finissimo Ultra

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  • Unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2025, the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon will be produced in only 20 examples worldwide, each priced at USD $678,000.
  • The Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon led to eight patents during its development, highlighting the extreme engineering behind its ultra-thin design.
  • At just 1.85 mm thick, it is the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch.
  • The hand-wound BVF 900 calibre beats at 4 Hz and provides a 42-hour power reserve, driving Bvlgari’s record-breaking ultra-thin tourbillon.

The race to build the world’s thinnest mechanical watch has become one of the most fascinating battles in modern watchmaking, and once again, Bvlgari has found a way to move the goalposts. Unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2025, the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon measures an astonishing 1.85mm thick, taking the title of the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch from Piaget’s 2mm Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon. Limited to just 20 pieces and priced at USD $678,000, it is another reminder of just how far Bvlgari is willing to push the Octo Finissimo collection.

This level of engineering did not happen overnight. Bvlgari has spent more than a decade chasing fractions of a millimetre, setting a string of ultra-thin watchmaking records along the way. The journey has included the world’s thinnest minute repeater in 2016, the Octo Finissimo Automatic in 2017 and the record-setting perpetual calendar in 2021. Each watch has played its part in developing the ideas and techniques that eventually led to the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon.

As Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bvlgari, explained, “Each record has been a stepping stone. It’s not just about crossing barriers — it’s about completely redefining mechanical watchmaking.” That thinking is clear here. Adding a tourbillon to a watch measuring less than two millimetres thick sounds almost unreasonable, yet Bvlgari managed to do exactly that.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon | Image: Bvlgari

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillion

  • Brand: Bvlgari
  • Model: Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillion
  • Reference: 104313
  • Diameter: 40 mm
  • Material: Titanium
  • Dial Colour: Mechanical Skeleton
  • Calibre: BVL 900
  • Power Reserve:  42 Hours
  • Water Resistance:  3 Bar ( 30 metres / 100 feet)
  • Price:  USD $678,000 (Limited Edition – 20 Pieces)

Measuring 40mm in diameter, the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon keeps the familiar geometric shape of the collection while stripping the watch down to its essentials. Rhodium-plated hour and minute hands sit against a sandblasted brass surface finished with a dark anthracite DLC coating, while the exposed architecture puts much of the movement on display. The integrated titanium bracelet has a microbead-frosted finish and measures only 1.5mm thick, helping the entire watch maintain its remarkably slim profile.

Achieving a thickness of just 1.85mm required Bvlgari to rethink almost every part of the watch. Eight patents were filed during its development, covering innovations including the differential display system, the mounting of the sapphire crystal and even elements of the bracelet construction.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon | Image: Bvlgari
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon | Image: Bvlgari

One of the most important decisions was to combine the case middle directly with the movement’s mainplate. Rather than placing a conventional movement inside a separate case, the structure of the watch itself becomes part of the calibre. This approach saves precious space while providing the watch with the rigidity needed to protect its thin mechanical construction.

At the centre of the watch is a tungsten carbide mainplate, chosen for its strength and resistance to deformation. Two flat stainless steel crowns are integrated into the architecture, with one positioned at 8 o’clock for winding and another at 3 o’clock for time setting. Their unusual placement feels almost like a pair of mechanical controls built directly into the movement’s side.

The closer you look, the more details begin to stand out: the bezel frames, the rhodium-plated tourbillon components that contrast the dark surfaces around them, and the geometric engravings across the ratchet add another layer of detail without detracting from the exposed mechanical layout.

As Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bvlgari’s Product Creation Executive Director, explained, “The goal wasn’t just thinness — it was about achieving precise execution while honouring the distinctive aesthetic codes of the Octo Finissimo line.” That may be the most important point about this watch. Bvlgari could have created a technical experiment purely to chase another record, but the finished result is still immediately recognizable as an Octo Finissimo.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313

The collection’s octagonal design continues to draw inspiration from Roman architecture, including the coffered ceilings of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. That architectural influence has long been part of the Octo Finissimo identity, and even with the extreme engineering involved here, Bvlgari has managed to preserve it.

Powering the watch is the hand-wound BVF 900 calibre, which operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and offers a 42-hour power reserve. Compared with the BVL 180 movement used in the previous Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, the power reserve is slightly shorter, and it lacks COSC certification. The trade-off, however, is a full tourbillon mechanism in a watch that is only 0.15mm thicker.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon | Image: Bvlgari

Sure, it might not match the previous Ultra COSC when it comes to power reserve, but let’s be fair — if you have the world’s thinnest tourbillon sitting on your wrist, you’re probably not spending much time complaining about a few missing hours. At that point, you’ve already won.

Thinking about adding one to the collection? You’ll need considerably more than deep pockets. Only 20 examples of the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon will be produced, and given the watch’s significance, getting hold of one may prove just as difficult as building it.

The good news is that Bvlgari also introduced the Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days at Watches and Wonders 2025. It may not carry the same world-record headline, but the titanium skeletonized watch offers another impressive look at what Bvlgari continues to do with the Octo Finissimo collection.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Ref. 104313
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon | Image: Bvlgari
Watches & WondersBvlgari
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