The Serpent: One of the Central Motifs of Bulgari’s Identity
The Bulgari Serpenti
For thousands of years, even back in ancient times, the snake has been a motif for wisdom, rebirth, and vitality. The ancient Egyptian Pharaohs would wear serpent bracelets, have cobra headdresses, and this powerful symbol was passed along to Ancient Greece with the God of medicine – Asclepius. It has continued as a popular symbol in many cultures in history.
Bulgari has its origins in Greece. The name ‘Bvlgari’, comes from the name of its founder, Sotirios Boulgaris. While travelling around for many years, Sotirios finally landed in Italy in 1884. This is where he founded Bulgari as a jewellery house.
The Serpenti designs date back to the 1940s, with the original design made by Sotirios Boulgaris himself. During this period, Bulgari started to use a technique called ‘Tubogas’ to create their Serpenti designs. It was similar to the Ancient Roman’s jewellery design, as it would wrap around the wrist or neck of the wearer.
This Tubogas style of watchmaking and jewellery design was gaining popularity. Everything from this collection, due to the manufacturing difficulties of creating the Tubogas style, was handmade. This means that no two pieces from the original collections were the same.
Roman snake armlet from 1st Century BCE / Credit: The Classical Compendium
The original watch movements were supplied by the leading manufacturers of the day, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin being two examples. Throughout the 1950s, the Bulgari Serpenti collection continued to grow, with many new designs being introduced. The Serpenti collection really started to garner mainstream attention when Elizabeth Taylor wore one on the set of Cleopatra in Rome in the early 1960s.
Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Cleopatra in 1962, wearing a Bulgari Serpenti
The Bulgari Serpenti collection thrived throughout the 1960s in various forms, some on wristwatches, others as pieces of jewellery. By the 1970s, the infamous ‘BVLGARI’ Serpenti was slowly becoming a staple for the company, a statement from Bulgari stated, “Whether in a realistic or geometrically abstract manner, the snake winds along BVLGARI’S history as an embodiment of its hallmarks: love for colour, juxtaposing materials, unmistakable wearability and state-of-the art goldsmith techniques.”
The 1970s also marked the end of co-signed Serpenti pieces from Bulgari. Instead of looking elsewhere for its cases and movements, Bulgari started to create them in house. By 1978, Bulgari opened a factory to produce its own movements.
Vintage Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas gold Watch, circa 1960s / Credit: 1stDibs
In 2009, Bulgari marked its 125th anniversary by reintroducing the Serpenti in a new form. This was followed by many new interpretations. In 2016, after an absence of three decades, it brought back a mechanical movement for the Serpenti watch collection, with the release of the Serpenti Incantati.
These infamous Serpenti pieces are extremely recognizable today. With its roots deep in Roman history, like the Bulgari brand itself, the serpent motif continues to be part of Bulgari’s allure. Over the years, there have been countless reinventions of this design, but always with the same fundamental style. That, however, is the beauty of the snake – it can shed its skin and continuously transform itself.
By: Eric Mulder
Bulgari Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon / Credit: Monochrome Watches
Read more:
“Bulgari Heritage Icons.” Bulgari, https://www.bulgari.com/en-ca/bulgari-heritage-icons.html.
Lane, Sandra. “The long and winding history of the Bulgari Serpenti.” Time and Tide Watches, October 10th, 2019, https://timeandtidewatches.com/bulgari-serpenti-history/.
Buijsrogge, Bert. “Jewellery Brands with Serious Watchmaking: Bvlgari & Piaget.” Chrono24 Magazine, October 10th, 2016, https://www.chrono24.ca/magazine/jewellery-brands-serious-watchmaking-bvlgari-piaget-p_12235/#gref.
Baker, Amber. “The history behind Bvlgari's iconic Serpenti collections.” Remix Magazine, June 9th, 2021, https://www.remixmagazine.com/fashion/the-history-behind-bvlgaris-iconic-serpenti-collection/.
A vintage Lanco wristwatch for ladies, for sale on Toronto Vintage Watches.