Bulgari’s Cult-Favorite Serpenti Gets a New Look

Less literal than previous versions, the new watch focuses on the snake's inherent magnetism.

Snakes are powerful symbols for cultures across the world, representing fertility, regeneration, and even duplicity. The snake is almost an immortal figure: it sheds its old skin, and is “reborn” again. Ouroboros is an ancient Egyptian and Greek symbol—a snake eating its own tail signifying the infinite nature of the universe. In the Bible, serpents have an association with the devil. These long-standing but contrasting mythologies about the snake have created a mysterious duality that continues to fascinate society today.

Bulgari’s famous “serpentiform” watches were first conceived in the 1940s. The original interpretation saw inspiration in a popular jewelry technique, the Tubogas coil. The flexible coiled chain naturally evokes the sinuous form of a snake, and the serpent soon became a fixture of the Bulgari name.

Other Serpenti watches

The eponymous jewelry company released a new collection, a re-realization of the Serpenti watch, a decade ago to celebrate its 125th anniversary. The collection was called Serpenti Scaglie, featuring a luxuriously diamond-encrusted watch resembling a snake in the most literal sense. The Serpenti Tubogas collection was released the next year, celebrating the two of Bulgari’s most iconic motifs: the snake and the Tubogas coil. In the spirit of the seemingly regenerative powers of the snake, Bulgari has been constantly reimagining and improving upon the Serpenti design.

Now, a new iteration of the iconic watch is joining the ever-growing Serpenti family. The Serpenti Seduttori watch reimagines Bvlgari’s snake motif, forgoing the coiled bracelet in favor of spotlighting another classically reptilian element: the scales. The Serpenti’s distinctly shaped watch face remains from day one, and so does the delicate pink rubellite “eye” that still sits atop the dial, but the iconic Tubogas bracelet is no more. The Seduttori’s bracelet clasps in a traditional style, but the chainlinks interlock in the softly hexagonal shapes of a serpent’s scales.

The Serpenti Seduttori draws from the mysterious mythology of the serpent. Like its name suggests, the Seduttori scales back on the literal iconography of the snake to instead focus on its inherent magnetism. Thanks to the new bracelet design, the watch’s movement on the wrist is completely reminiscent of its animal muse. Like its name suggests, the Serpenti Seduttori is sleek and simple, empowering a woman’s seductiveness without drawing attention away.