The Jeweller of Rome Celebrates the Serpent

Bulgari has been long associated with the Serpenti line, the jewelry that coils around the wrist and even the arm in a way that is both supple and strong, yet few people realize that the first such pieces were actually horological.

Bulgari is celebrating the history of its Serpenti family with exhibits that are touring the world. Manila has the Serpenti Infinito exhibit as a pop-up throughout June 2025 at the Bulgari Greenbelt 3 boutique. On display are older pieces and current ones, as well as the drawings and artwork and crafts that both inspired them all and made them possible. The serpent has obvious links to mythology and history, an emblem of wisdom, rebirth and vitality.

The launch of the exhibit included a reception at the Bulgari Boutique and later a dinner experience at the nearby Ayala Museum. Guests walked past important displays of Philippine history and were suddenly greeted with a view of the elegantly set white table curving though the dinner space.

The first Bulgari Serpenti was designed in 1948—a bracelet watch and already an example of how Bulgari was looking to watches more seriously and more early than others. It had a square head for the dial and a body that wrapped around the wrist, all executed in gold. The flexible body/bracelet was created using the tubogas technique. This technique would later be refined and put back into use, and it is still seen today.

The serpent took different forms over the years. The designs came to resemble even more of a serpent. The “head” would become more shaped and realistic, and often set in precious stones.
Rubies, emeralds or sapphires would act as the eyes. In some models, it even became a “secret watch” with the dial hidden inside the mouth.

The body also developed. The Bulgari designers and artisans began creating scales made from sheets of gold and using gold pivot. They began using enamel on the scales for more color, and started embellishing with gemstones such as lapis lazuli, jade, onyx and turquoise. The Tubogas design came back into use as well, more flexible and more sophisticated. Then it was in 2010 that the Tubogas body and the Serpenti head came back together and formed their own named collection.

The Bulgari Serpenti actually came into the more mainstream spotlight thanks to Elizabeth Taylor, who bought one of their watches in Rome while she was filming her most celebrated starring role in “Cleopatra.” The Serpenti continues to be a popular draw for fans of the maison at all levels, appearing in watches and jewelry lines in different incarnations from everyday bangles to high-jewelry pieces. The head of the serpent appears on its bags as well, and in a more slender, more modern execution with the Serpenti Viper family.

The display will be in the Greenbelt 3 boutique, Ayala Center, Makati until the end of June 2025.