It’s no secret that the price of watches is rising. Gone are the days when a Rolex Submariner cost just a few thousand; with every passing wave of new releases comes a little kick in the pants of the RRP, and there’s no sign of it slowing. Whilst this seems like a blow to the average enthusiast, it’s just one perspective on the industry—take a different view, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

The in-house movement seems to be the be-all and end-all of modern watchmaking. If you’re a watchmaker and you don’t got an in-house movement, you’re going to struggle. Some of the biggest brands in the world, who up until recently have made do with tickers of the bought-in variety, have had to invest huge sums into the design and development of their own movements to cater for the demands of the watch-buying public. And that’s because the in-house movement is understood to have been a staple of the watchmaking of old—the truth, however, is a little different.

Baselworld 2019 was an interesting event for a number of reasons, and not all them good. The big headline was the retraction of the Swatch Group, which left a lot of empty space in the display halls, followed by the disappointment in Rolex’s meagre turnout, with no big, exciting announcements made. Funny thing is that in amongst all the hubbub, Rolex quietly added a watch to its website that is unlike anything anyone ever expected—and that’s the watch we’ve got here today.

They say that something valuable is worth its weight in gold, and in watchmaking there’s a lot to be said about having some heft. So, given that—and despite having a fully integrated bracelet and costing a gasp-inducing £12,100—the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic, at just 73 grams—less than the weight of a bag of Doritos—might just be, pound-for-pound, the very worst value watch in the world.