The serpent gets a bad rap.
Ever since one tempted Adam in the Garden of Eden, humans have tended to distrust them. The Egyptians were amenable, however, embracing the snake in the form of the uraeus as a symbol of sovereignty and authority. The caduceus — the staff wrapped in a serpent that serves as a symbol of medicine — was the trademark accessory of the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius. The ouroboros, represented by a snake devouring its own tail, is likewise a mythical symbol of eternity. Come to think of it — maybe serpents aren’t so bad after all?
Sotirios Voulgaris (1857-1932), founder of Bulgari (Image by Greek City Times)
Bulgari, the famed Roman jewelry house founded by Greek silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris in 1884, has long embraced this slithering creature. In 1948, it debuted its now-famous Serpenti watch, an iconic ladies’ accessory that melds goldsmithing, gem-setting, watchmaking, and other metiers in a creative, groundbreaking package. Taking the form of a multi-strand cuff that terminates in a watch head, the Serpenti embraced the ancient symbol of the serpent in a daring and innovative format, turning a once-fearsome animal into a symbol of feminine beauty.
A famed image of Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Cleopatra (1962) with her gem-set Serpenti - (Image by Watchonista)
While the original model was constructed using the tubogas technique — one in which an artisan wraps strips of metal around a core and then removes the core to leave a hollow, flexible band — later versions from the ‘50s and ‘60s featured more realistic depictions of a serpent, with gem-set eyes, enameled scales, and a head that opened to reveal the watch. While filming Cleopatra in the early 1960s, Elizabeth Taylor began frequenting the Bulgari flagship at 10 Via dei Condotti near the Spanish Steps, purchasing a Serpenti for herself and wearing it on set. A single photograph of the beloved thespian in her new gold bracelet-watch was enough to catapult the Serpenti into the horological stratosphere.
Through the 20th century, a wide variety of metiers d’art were used to create a dizzying array of Serpenti executions: Using goldsmithin, gem-setting, enamelling, and more, artisans worked to craft these serpentine watches by hand into eye-catching expressions of wrist-worn art. In those days, the Roman jeweler contracted with established watchmakers such as Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre to provide movements for the collection, with the result that certain midcentury Serpenti examples feature double-signed dials.
A vintage, double-signed gold Serpenti with white enamel, diamonds, and rubies, manufactured by Carlo Illario e Fratelli in Valenza Po (Image by Bonhams)
The tubogas style continued to evolve throughout the Serpenti’s long history. Evolved into a more realistic form factor during the 1960s, it returned in the 1970s, at which point it was produced for the first time in two-tone gold and stainless steel. In 1978, Bulgari expanded its production capabilities by establishing Bulgari Time, Write and Light in Geneva, where it began manufacturing lighters, gold pens, and watches — including, in the 1980s, a tubogas crowned with a watch head similar to that of the Bulgari Bulgari timepiece, which featured a bezel inscribed around its circumference with “BVLGARI BVLGARI.” Today, the tubogas still forms a central part of the larger Serpenti collection, with versions available in different metals, dials, and numbers of wraps.
By the year 2000, Bulgari had purchased Gérald Genta’s eponymous company as well as that of famed watchmaker Daniel Roth. With these acquisitions came manufacturing facilities in Le Sentier which Bulgari put to good effect in fashioning — for the first time — its own movements. In 2011, Bulgari creative director for watches, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, moved the company’s watchmaking design division from Buglari’s spiritual home in Rome to Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Consolidating the company’s dial-making, movement-making, and case-making facilities in one area moved Bulgari one step closer to integrated manufacture. Though it was the Octo Finissimo with its record-breaking in-house movements that truly catapulted the maison into the horological stratosphere, all of the company’s watch collections benefitted from this consolidation.
Black Ceramic and 18k Rose Gold Serpenti Spiga 35mm Black Dial Ladies Watch - (Image by Watches of Switzerland)
Since then, several other Serpenti sub-models have since joined the lineup: While the Seduttori features a more conventional bracelet that attaches to both sides of the watch head and wraps once around the wrist, the Spiga features a wheat stalk pattern and is available in cool black ceramic. More limited, anatomically realistic versions boast gem-set watch heads and scales — contemporary versions of the original high-jewelry Serpentis of the mid-20th century, they’re no doubt the models that someone like Elizabeth Taylor would be attracted to today. Furthermore, certain of them are powered by magnificent in-house movements, including the Piccolissimo hand-wound movement from 2023 and the BVL150, a tourbillon movement from 2022.
In 2025, Bulgari released the Lady Solotempo BVS100 automatic movement, a small caliber designed in-house specifically for the Serpenti. Whereas many of the Serpenti pieces of the past 30-plus years were powered by quartz calibers, the new BVS100 finally gives a custom-made solution to the problem of fitting an automatic caliber within the tiny confines of the Serpenti watch head. Available in both Seduttori and Tubogas forms, the movement was developed in Le Sentier and will, in future, be produced by Zenith for use within the entire LVMH watch division. Ushering in a return to the mechanically-powered glory of the 1940s, the new, automatic Serpentis are merely the latest exciting development in one of the most compelling timepiece designs of the past century.
The Serpenti at Analog:Shift
Due to its historical significance, inspired design, and wide variety of executions, we keep a number of Serpenti watches within the Analog:Shift inventory at any given moment. You can always peruse our selection here or drop us a line if you’re looking for something specific, or feel free to check out some of our favorites below. And if you happen to be in NYC and want to make an appointment to see some watches, please don’t be afraid to get in touch with us — we’d be happy to host you.
Bvlgari Serpenti Seduttori ($19,850)
Bvlgari Serpenti Seduttori - IN THE SHOP
Rather than taking the form of a tubogas-style cuff that wraps around the arm, the Serpenti Seduttori pairs a serpentine watch head with a reptilian, scale-pattern bracelet. Attached to the watch head conventionally via dual sets of lugs, it nevertheless provides an inspired silhouette — particularly because this version boasts a diamond-set bezel and rose gold construction. Powered by a quartz movement and measuring 33mm in diameter, it’s a timeless design that playfully riffs on the Serpenti theme.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Tri-Tone ($15,850)
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Tri-Tone - IN THE SHOP
If you’re looking for a classically-styled Serpenti, you could do much worse than this tri-tone Tubogas-style model from the 2000s. Featuring a rose, yellow, and white gold cuff paired to a rose gold watch, its striking precious-metal composition is sure to turn heads, while its black dial and “BVLGARI BVLGARI”-signed bezel recall models from the 1970s. Wear it with evening-wear, wear it every day — it doesn't matter. This watch’s tremendous style is sure to be the talk of the town.
Bulgari Tubogas Cuff ($9,250)
Bulgari Tubogas Cuff - IN THE SHOP
Prefer a simpler, less obtrusive version of the Serpenti? Then this Tubogas watch is just the ticket. Rather than wrapping several times around the wrist, its yellow-gold bracelet slips on and off with ease like a simple cuff. Paired to a 26mm watch head with a “BVLGARI BVLGARI”-signed bezel and a black dial with gold indices and hands, it hints of — rather than yells about — the history of the Serpenti and its creative design.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas by Movado ($43,950)
Bulgari Serpenti Tubigas by Movado - IN THE SHOP
Here’s a supremely cool thing — a white gold Tubogas model with a manually-wound movement sourced from Movado! While many Tubogas references terminate in the watch head, this one puts the head in the center of the bracelet, making for a different take on the classic Serpenti silhouette. Its rectangular shape, meanwhile, differentiates it even further from most other Tubogas pieces.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas by Jaeger-LeCoultre ($47,500)
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas by Jaeger-LeCoultre - IN THE SHOP
Another example of Bulgari’s partnership with the leading watch companies of the day, this 1970s Tubogas is is a two-tone lover’s dream: While the triple-wrap bracelet is executed in white gold, the round watch head is made from yellow gold. Its matching dial — which features painted black ‘Breguet’ numerals and a matching handset — is clearly at odds with the rest of the design…which is what makes it so funky and cool.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas by Audemars Piguet ($34,500)
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas by Audemars Piguet - IN THE SHOP
This Serpenti is among the most elegant executions of the Tubogas design that we’ve come across. An 18K yellow gold triple-wrap bracelet terminates in an oval-shaped watch head with a champagne dial signed by none other than Audemars Piguet, which provided the watch’s hand-wound movement. With its simple applied indices and matching ‘pencil’ handset, it’s a portrait of elegance.
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas ($40,500)
Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas - IN THE SHOP
This ‘70s-era Serpenti might seem like a typical Tubogas at first glance, but take a closer look at that watch — we’ve never seen another like it! Unsigned, it features a vertically brushed champagne-colored center with a contrasting polished chapter ring in gold that also forms the dial indices. Finished with a black pencil handset, it’s powered by a manually-wound movement and comes paired to a triple-wrap, 18K gold Tubogas bracelet.
