Bulgari's High Jewellery Secret Watches

Luxferity, 31.01.2022

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI HIGH JEWELLERY SECRET WATCHES

Bulgari debuts breathtaking jewellery masterpieces featuring a new in-house micro-movement.

A new mechanical calibre, an absolute icon: the new Serpenti Misteriosi masterpieces by Bulgari embody new feats of miniaturisation associated with the jewellery and decorative excellence of the Rome-based Maison. On the occasion of the LVMH Watch Week, Bulgari is introducing four new Serpenti secret-watches revisiting the iconic design from the 1950s and paying tribute to the 80^th anniversary of the first Bulgari secret watch featuring a rectangular dial concealed by a hinged cover set with brilliant-cut diamonds and decorated with baguette diamonds.

The new creations are all equipped with the new Piccolissimo mechanical movement, one of the smallest in the world, entirely conceived and produced within the Bulgari Manufacture in Le Sentier. The BVL100 calibre revives the very small mechanical ‘motors’ that equipped all women’s watches until the early 1970s.

New feats of miniaturisation

Measuring 12.30 mm in diameter and 2.50 mm thick, the BVL100 calibre indicating the hours and minutes is housed in the head of the reptile within a dedicated container. The Manufacture leveraged its rich experience in the domain of Finissimo watches to create a very compact movement weighing only 1.30 grams. The extreme miniaturisation of its 102 components is vividly illustrated in the barrel featuring a total diameter of just 5.00 mm for a thickness of 1.47 mm and a spring that is 170 mm long before being wound. Moreover, to ensure the greatest inertia according to the very small size of the movement, the Manufacture opted for a white gold balance wheel.

Pressing the snake’s tongue on the Serpenti Misteriosi opens the head to reveal the watch. A bidirectional crown located on the caseback enables manual winding and time-setting. This dual function operates by means of a system of reversers.

The launch of the Octo Finissimo in 2014 was a defining moment in the history of Bulgari watches. Topping one record after the other for seven consecutive years, the brand has become the master of ultra-thin movements and redefined the aesthetic of the luxury sport watch in a distinctive and contemporary design language.

After exploring the limits of ultra-thin mechanical watchmaking, Bulgari now lays a new milestone in the field of ultra-small with Piccolissimo, the Italian for “very small”. With it, the brand opens new territories of expression for its ladies’ watches and celebrates the brand’s first iconic Serpenti secret timepieces which return in radiant splendour, embellished with gold, diamonds, lacquer and hard stones. Bulgari, perpetuating the legacy bequeathed by the first Serpenti watches – including the one created for Elizabeth Taylor when she played Cleopatra in Rome’s Cinecittà studios in 1962 – has reinvented the emblematic reptile for decades. Rooted in numerous ancient cultures, the snake embodies multiple symbolic values including womanhood, rebirth, luck, seduction, and temptation – all condensed within the new Serpenti Misteriosi.

The Serpenti odyssey

The first Serpenti secret watches were introduced in the late 1950s. Several iterations, in two- or three-colour gold or combined with steel, followed confirming Bulgari’s expertise with daring colour combinations, intricate craftsmanship and unconventional materials. Square, circular, rectangular and octagonal shapes were adopted for the dial, sometimes evoking the snake head. The pieces illustrate the rich vein of creativity that Bulgari has mined with Serpenti: the scales could be reproduced with diamonds, polychrome enamel or gemstones. In other models, the scales were transformed into playful “boules” that were soldered one by one to form an intricate gold mesh. The head of the animal was completely different on each model, and adorned with pave, baguette-, navette-, brilliant- or marquise-cut diamonds to give each style its own distinctive expression.

True to the spirit of the Maison, the new Serpenti Misteriosi timepieces are opulent and colourful, with a strong emphasis on the mastery of decorative arts and jewellery virtuosity.

Masterpieces of goldsmithing, their many constituent parts are individually shaped before being decorated, gem-set and assembled. Particular attention has been paid to the overall design of the precious metal structure forming the bracelet and the head to ensure that it is comfortable and light to wear.

In the extremely elegant lacquered versions, the semi-transparent lacquer is hand-applied and dried, multiple times, crystallising as it dries. The metal of the scales features a hand-made striped pattern, which gleamingly enhances the brilliance of the special décor.

The perfect union of Haute Horlogerie and High Jewellery is magnificently celebrated through a bewitching interpretation in yellow and white gold: the snake wraps itself around the wrist with a double-tour yellow gold bracelet entirely adorned with brilliant-cut diamonds on the white gold head and tail. The animal’s head is graced with a flower set with round-cut diamonds, becoming the incredible focal point of the hypnotic timepiece.

Staring at the world with rubellite, emerald and diamond eyes, Serpenti Misteriosi timepieces give a new highly contemporary meaning to the precious nature of time.

In the pure tradition of the Serpenti first introduced during the 1950s, each new creation captures the quintessence of The Roman Jeweller of Time in their impeccable craftsmanship and Swiss watchmaking expertise. Echoing the inspiring models, each timepiece is designed to be worn on either wrist: the container hidden within the snake’s head - housing the diamond-encrusted dial and the underlying movement - can be easily removed and turned in the other direction so as to be easily visible on the left or right arm.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI HIGH JEWELLERY – 103559

Movement
Mechanical manual winding micro-movement, BVL 100 Piccolissimo calibre, 12.30 mm in diameter, 2.50 mm thick, 1.30 gr in weight, 21 jewels, 102 components, 21,600 VpH, 30-hour power reserve; crown on the caseback, bi-directional for time-setting and winding.

Case, dial and bracelet
40 mm black-lacquered rose gold case, 2 pear-cut diamonds for the eyes (~0.3 ct), diamond-paved dial; black-lacquered rose gold double-tour bracelet.

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI HIGH JEWELLERY – 103560

Case, dial and bracelet
40 mm white gold case, green-lacquered and set with brilliant-cut diamonds, 2 pear-cut emeralds for the eyes (~0.4 ct), diamond-paved dial; greenlacquered white gold double-tour bracelet set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Total 369 diamonds (~8.35 cts).

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI HIGH JEWELLERY – 103558

Case, dial and bracelet
40 mm rose gold case set with brilliant-cut diamonds and turquoise inserts, 2 pear-cut rubellites for the eyes (~0.4 ct), diamond-paved dial; double-tour rose gold bracelet set with diamonds and turquoise inserts. Total 724 diamonds (~18.05 cts).

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI HIGH JEWELLERY – 103561

Case, dial and bracelet
40 mm white gold case and head set with 626 round brilliant-cut diamonds (~15.83 cts), 2 pear-cut emeralds for the eyes (~0.4 ct), diamond-paved dial; yellow gold double-tour bracelet set with round brilliant-cut diamonds, white gold tail set with round brilliant-cut diamonds. Total 795 diamonds (~16.59 cts).

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI ROMANI

As an enduring icon, Serpenti inspires endless reinvention. The Serpenti Misteriosi Romani High Jewellery secret watch represents another ultraluxurious chapter for the motif.

Inspired by classical Rome and in a nod to the gold bracelets worn by upperclass society, the creation is one of the most expensive high-end timepieces ever made by Bulgari.

Honoured by the Jury of the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) with the Jewellery Watch Prize in 2019, this truly spectacular one-ofa-kind creation comprises a massive number of precious stones. The snake’s head is crowned with a 10-carat Sri Lankan sapphire and a total of more than 60 carats of diamonds, while 35 carats of sapphires form the serpent’s body and scales. The magnificent piece echoes Bulgari’s Roman roots, emblematic of ancient gladiators and antique jewels. As sensuous as its inspiration, the cuff bracelet features a snake sinuously coiled around it. To reinforce the theme, the cuff is embellished with baguette-cut diamond scales, so that the wrist inhabits the design and becomes part of the snake itself.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SERPENTI MISTERIOSI ROMANI – 102987

Serpenti Misteriosi Romani High Jewellery secret watch in 18kt white gold set with 1 cushion-cut sapphire (~10.83 cts), 674 buff-top cut sapphires (~32.49 cts), baguette and pavé-set diamonds (~63.33 cts) on the case, bracelet and dial. Pear-shaped sapphire eyes (~0.70 ct). Pavé-set diamond dial. Quartz movement, Bulgari-personalised and adorned with the Bulgari logo.

Unique piece.

SERPENTI SEDUTTORI & SERPENTI TUBOGAS

Bulgari’s inimitable aesthetic is beautifully brought to life in the Serpenti Seduttori collection. Born to be gold, the Seduttori timepieces evoke the precious moments of a woman’s daily life. Three new models complete the line, making for a confident collection that sets a new standard of contemporary glamour. New Tubogas styles are enriching the LVMH Watch Week selection, linked by their excellence and the uncommon values that underpin each creation.

Serpenti Seduttori

Born in 2019, the Seduttori line has retained the snake’s head. While Serpenti first became known for its Tubogas bracelet, Bulgari has chosen to broaden the reptile’s impact by adding a new bracelet.

Its construction is based on an architecture composed of hexagonal motifs, a stylistic element used by Bulgari since the creation of the first Serpenti watches. Characterised by absolute fluidity, it flows over the wrist to fit like a barely perceptible second skin.

It forms one with the case, which represents the head of the snake, as part of a very well-balanced momentum. Whether made of steel, rose gold and steel or full rose gold, this new configuration expresses the perfectly proportioned and flawless elegance that befits accomplished creations.

Bulgari is presenting its three most iconic variations graced with a new dramatic black lacquer dial, framed by a steel, steel and rose gold or full rose gold case. Steel or rose gold hour-markers; diamonds set around the edge of the bezel forming two arcs of a circle to recall the jewellery ancestry of the creations; as well as the characteristic cabochon-cut rubellite: multiple features contribute to enhancing the sparkle and luminosity of these models. These precious elements leave no doubt as to the signature of these watches dreamed up by the Roman brand, proudly flaunting their unmistakable nature as contemporary, everyday-wear timepieces.

Tubogas: the return of yellow gold

Nonetheless, Serpenti as a symbol of eternal renewal does not forget that it has become an absolute signature of the Rome-based Maison when its head is prolonged by the famous Tubogas bracelet. This formal, emblematic attribute is unique to Bulgari, which has drawn from the roots of industrial design. The single-tour Serpenti Tubogas wristwatch is now available in a bimetallic combination of yellow gold and steel, or exclusively in yellow gold set with diamonds on either side of the reptile’s head, embellished with a white opaline guilloché dial. Undeniably unique in the way it adorns the female wrist, while undeniably Bulgari.

Christened Tubogas because of its similarity to a lowly woven-metal gas pipe, the technique has been used in jewellery making since the late 1940s. An eloquent example of industrial-inspired design, it was popularised in the Art Deco period when the challenge of miniaturising large engineered objects, and using them for novel purposes, took off. In the 1940s, Bulgari inserted a watch dial into a Tubogas bracelet to create a highly stylised serpent watch. The design was revived in the 1970s when Bulgari introduced it into watches, bracelets, necklaces and rings. The effect of a stark, engineered coil combined with coins and richly coloured precious gems created a fascinating contrast that marked Bulgari’s style of jewels, intended to be worn and enjoyed every day.

Complicated to produce, the Tubogas is formed by long bands of gold or steel that are wrapped around a steel core. As they are coiled, the rounded contours of the bands interlock to conceal completely the inner structure. The specialist goldsmiths use no soldering. The flexibility of the coiled bands alone is what gives the Tubogas its characteristic bounce.

Crafted with a jeweller’s sensibility, the result is a watch that is proudly Italian, unapologetically glamorous and forever stylish.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SERPENTI SEDUTTORI – 103449

33 mm steel case with a steel bracelet featuring a hexagonal stylised pattern and folding clasp, bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.38 ct), crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite; black-lacquered dial; Bulgari-personalised high-precision quartz movement. Water-resistant to 30 m.

SERPENTI SEDUTTORI – 103450

33 mm steel case and rose gold bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.38 ct), crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite, rose gold and steel bracelet with hexagonal stylised pattern and folding clasp; black-lacquered dial; Bulgari-personalised high-precision quartz movement. Water-resistant to 30 m.

SERPENTI SEDUTTORI – 103453

33 mm rose gold case with a rose gold bracelet featuring a hexagonal stylised pattern and folding clasp, bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.38 ct), crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite; black-lacquered dial; Bulgari-personalised high-precision quartz movement. Water-resistant to 30 m.

SERPENTI TUBOGAS – 103648

35 mm curved steel case and yellow gold bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.29 ct), paired with a yellow gold and steel bracelet, crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite; sunburst white opaline guilloché dial; Bulgari-personalised high-precision quartz movement. Water-resistant to 30 m.

SERPENTI TUBOGAS – 101924