Introducing: Bulgari’s Iconic Serpenti Tubogas Debuts A New Twist On The Signature Bracelet Design, New Versions of the Aeterna

What We Know

While the Octo Finissimo has become a core focus and platform for innovation in Bulgari’s modern catalog since its initial debut in 2014, I still wholeheartedly believe the Serpenti is (and will forever be) the Maison’s most iconic model. It is practically unheard of for a women’s design to hold this much power, and yes, perhaps it’s credited to Bulgari’s beginnings as a jeweler. Nonetheless, the watch is not just a pretty face. Like the Octo Finissimo, the Serpenti has been a canvas for innovation and expert craftsmanship since its origins in 1948. Today, that legacy continues with an all-new evolution of the Serpenti Tubogas, featuring a twist on the model’s signature, complex bracelet design. We also get new additions to the Serpenti Aeterna collection.

With the latest take on the Serpenti Tubogas, we see a focus on mixed metals, with three two-tone options: two in stainless steel and yellow gold, and one in stainless steel and rose gold. Rounding out the lineup, we also get an entirely yellow gold iteration. The headline here is a new addition to the trademark bracelet in the form of “clou” studs, an Italian word borrowed from French meaning “highlight,” “main event,” or “key point.” 

Here, the Maison returns to its jewelry-making roots, adding stud accents to the bracelet’s architecture, making it a stronger focal point than ever before. This is yet another example of how Bulgari is paving the way with its designs, highlighting the bracelet’s aesthetics (an element often overlooked beyond utility) over the dial (which typically takes center stage).

With the trademark bracelet as the star of the show, we get greater depth, dimension, and texture thanks to diamond studs in the full yellow gold and stainless steel versions, and simple yellow gold studs in the stainless steel and yellow gold versions. The seamlessly curved bracelets give way to the dial, expressed in a different colorway for each metal option: rose-tinted carnelian for the full yellow gold, deep blue sodalite for the stainless steel and rose gold, and mother-of-pearl or malachite for the stainless steel and yellow gold variations. Each dial is framed by a gold bezel in the corresponding shade, either rose or yellow, set with diamonds.

Bulgari also presents two new takes on its Serpenti Aeterna design, which swaps the Tubogas bracelet for a simple bangle style with a single wrap forming the head and tail, a nod to the original. Here, we get the one and only fully blinged-out model in the brand’s Watches and Wonders release lineup. 

Let’s crunch the numbers: 493 round brilliant-cut diamonds plus 122 round, pear, square, and oval-cut-colored stones, including rubellite, amethyst, topaz, emerald, citrine, pink sapphire, tanzanite, paraiba, tsavorite, spessartite, pink tourmaline, aquamarine, blue sapphire, and peridot. The sum of it all clocks in at 18 karats, but the numbers keep adding up. Bringing this model to life required 225 hours of development, 185 hours of stone selection and preparation, and more than 60 hours of setting.

While this twist on an everyday high jewelry piece is clearly intended to be the frontrunner among the Serpenti Aeterna pieces, my personal favorite of the entire lot is the simple Aeterna in yellow gold. This model is a daily wear through and through and surprisingly marks the first Serpenti Aeterna rendered in this particular metal. 

The understated elegance continues over every detail of the model with a classic mother-of-pearl dial and just the right sprinkling of diamonds set at both ends of the bangle bracelet along the head and tail of the serpent. Of the full lineup, this is the one and only example I got to preview and experience in the metal ahead of Watches and Wonders, and while unassuming, it is just timeless, beautiful, effortless, and extremely comfortable on the wrist—no notes.

The Aeterna in yellow gold is priced at $56,000, the full gem set model is price upon request. Both are available now. 

What We Think

As you might recall at LVMH Watch Week earlier this year, we saw Bulgari go all in on its women’s pieces with notable silence on its men’s lines. We know well that many brands save their heavy hitters for Watches and Wonders, and yes, Bulgari has given us several exceptional new takes on its Octo Finissimo line this week. However, I thought its men’s collections would be the full focus, and I’ll be honest, I was not expecting the Maison to present another selection of ladies’ pieces.

Obviously, as a woman, I am a bit biased in my excitement for some new and more wearable ladies’ models compared to the mix of extravagant high jewelry pieces and decadently gem-set watches we got in January. However, more objectively, as a journalist in this industry for over a decade, I am continually encouraged by brands like Bulgari, which prioritize and emphasize their offerings for women in equal measure to their offerings for men.

Many brands are defined by their icons. Thanks to both veteran collectors who become invested in a design’s trajectory and new generations of collectors entering the market, these icons not only mark a signature for the brand but also an aspirational milestone for a collector at any stage in the game. Of course, the Serpenti is one such icon—unmatched, instantly recognizable, and completely synonymous with Bulgari for more than six decades before the Octo Finissimo even came to be. This is a watch that is not just an important pillar of Bulgari’s history but the history of watchmaking at large.

More specifically, ladies’ icons like the Serpenti are fewer and far between in this industry but prove that a women’s watch can hold equal significance to the countless iconic designs we see for men. This is a collection that is not going anywhere and will only continue to grow year over year and decade after decade—this is a collection that is a metaphor for female collectors. We are not going anywhere, and more and more serious female collectors are and will continue to enter this space year over year and decade after decade.

The Basics

Brand: Bulgari
Models: Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule, Serpenti Aeterna
Reference Number: 104301 / 104347 / 104302 / 104340 / 104346 / 104360 / 104361 / 104312 / 104341 / 104352

Diameter: 35mm / 24mm
Thickness: Not specified
Case Material: Steel & yellow gold / full yellow gold / steel & rose gold (Serpenti Tubogas Studs); rose gold / yellow gold (Serpenti Aeterna)
Dial Color: Mother-of-pearl / carnelian / sodalite / malachite (Studs); pavé diamonds / white mother-of-pearl (Aeterna)
Indexes: Gold-plated hands and indexes / diamond pavé (Aeterna)
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Tubogas-style bracelet in steel, gold, or two-tone with stud detailing (Studs); gold bracelet set with diamonds and gemstones (Aeterna)

The Movement

Caliber: Quartz
Functions: Hours, minutes

Pricing & Availability

Price: Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule, steel case and yellow gold bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds, $15,900 / Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule gold case and yellow gold bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamond, $54,000 / Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule steel case and rose gold bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds $23,200 / Serpenti Tubogas steel case and yellow gold bezel set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds ($16,300) / Serpenti Aeterna (price on request) ./ Serpenti Aeterna yellow gold curved case ($56,000)
Availability:
Limited Edition:

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