Baselworld 2016: THE PERPETUAL REBIRTH OF SERPENTI
Baselworld 2016: THE PERPETUAL REBIRTH OF SERPENTI
The legendary creature coils its way to ever broader creativity as the entire range enters whole new fields of expression, renewing the theme through high jewellery and haute horlogerie, ceramic and five-coil Tubogas interpretations
Bulgari is a true snake-charmer. Witness the new collections reinterpreting this unmistakable signature of the Rome-based Maison. A symbol of perpetual renewal, the animal figure slides its way into countless fresh fields of expression this year, reborn in the form of captivating contemporary interpretations. In a nutshell, Serpenti plays with every imaginable option in the creative palette, once again adapting to each of them with disconcerting ease.
Serpenti Incantati gives a new lease on life to this animal symbol. After coiling around the wrist, the snake is now reinvented by wrapping itself for the very first time around the case of a round watch: the reptile literally twines itself around the watch dial, admirably framing an entirely skeleton-worked Manufacture tourbillon calibre. This airily graceful movement is a work of art: the mainplate and bridges are crafted in pink or white gold, the flanks are straight-grained, the rims and sinks are all chamfered and systematically polished. The steel parts are complemented by the kind of surface finishes cherished by Haute Horlogerie: circular graining and snailing set the finishing touches to this precious craftsmanship contributing to a spectacular result.
Available in two versions, the new Serpenti Incantati Skeleton Tourbillon entirely renews the theme through a modern design. The splendid Serpenti Incantati – or enchanting snake – is magnificently tamed in a whole new way, through a bewitching interpretation celebrating the union of Haute Horlogerie and High Jewellery. Each part of the snake’s head and body has been entirely rethought and redesigned through extremely contemporary, soft and stylised lines. Although Bulgari domesticates its serpent, the latter continues to appear as if in perpetual motion.
Boundless expressive territory. The new expressive territory opened up by Serpenti Incantati is literally boundless. Just it does in a version equipped with a horological complication, the entrancing serpent appears with equal ease in the form of a dainty jewellery watch, smoothly gracing four variations in which it steadfastly embraces the precious case. Serpenti Incantati comes in a rubellite-set version with a pink gold case and satin strap or a matching jewellery bracelet; or in a diamond-set white gold variation with a satin strap or matching jewellery bracelet – all in a 30mm size.
This precious and refined watch testifies to the high degree of technical mastery cultivated by the master artisans in Bulgari’s High Jewellery ateliers. The finesse and the quality of the gemsetting, as well as the ways in which the stones are assembled and adjusted, are truly remarkable. One also notes the amazingly flexible feel of the gemset bracelets that are extremely pleasant to wear, since Bulgari focuses on achieving a distinctive sensuality for its jewellery that makes each piece supremely comfortable as well as radiant. The snake’s tail flows over the wrist and coils around it with supple grace, testifying to the flexibility and sense of movement characterising Bulgari jewellery creations.
Serpenti spiga: boldly rock’n’roll!. The snake in perpetual motion lends itself to all manner of bold moves. Before being a watchmaking success, the Serpenti watch by Bulgari is first and foremost a style statement. An attitude. This watch is a true classic. The animal symbol revisited by Bulgari is smoothly and surely reinvented in a black or white high-tech ceramic version. Serpenti Spiga: the fresh and youthful charm of this snake, featuring a touch of precious metal evoking the jeweller’s DNA, is bound to turn heads wherever it appears. The diamond-set pink gold bezel, along with the bracelet lug and the serpent’s tail, also in pink gold, create a subtle contrast with the highly contemporary overall ceramic look.
Serpenti Spiga embodies a technical challenge, since making a flexible and articulated Tubogas type bracelet in ceramic represents a new form of prowess from the Rome-based Maison, known for its excellence in working with materials and presenting ever renewed innovations. But Spiga is also a bold move in style terms, once again overturning the style codes of precious watchmaking to infuse them with a modern, fresh and sensual touch. This new watch immediately exudes a sense of voluptuous glamour. It makes no secret of its seductive appeal, starting with the soft feel of ceramic on the skin. Voluptuous charm is a theme dear to the heart of Bulgari designers and a natural part of the Italian temperament.
The snake is the lucky-charm animal among Bulgari creations. It now appears in an incredible seductive, modern and powerful guise. It pops up where one least expects it, while remaining entirely in harmony with the spirit of Rome. Aesthetically daring while renouncing none of its inherent elegance, Serpenti Spiga flaunt its rock’n’roll extravagance and diverts aesthetic codes, the better to modernise and transcend them.
Serpenti jewellery: colourful and sparkling interpretations
Given the timeless nature of the snake theme, Bulgari naturally also offers a new interpretation of the collection jewellery line, more classically fitted on a traditional watch bracelet, featuring a characteristic design in which the head of the reptile rests on its tail. The Serpenti Jewellery line gives pride of place to colour combinations created by diamonds, coloured mother-of-pearl, coral, onyx and turquoise, all set on an underlying pink gold structure.
In a formal register suited to this interpretation, the Maison presents three colourful jewellery models providing sparkling interpretations: one features a bracelet adorned with mother-of-pearl and coral, a second combining mother-of-pearl and turquoise, and a third featuring onyx and coral. A dainty row of diamonds runs over the elements composing the bracelet, extending to the head of the snake in diamond-set pink gold. The onyx and coral version has a lacquered black dial with brilliant-cut diamond hour-markers, while the other executions both display a pink mother-of-pearl dial also graced with brilliant-cut diamond hour-markers.
These exquisite contemporary, perpetually renewed tributes to the snake testify to this motif’s enduring capacity for regeneration through perpetually inspired creativity.
Serpenti five-coil Tubogas: both adornment and second skin
In parallel and equally in association with the serpent theme, Bulgari offers a fresh twist on another of its symbols: the Tubogas, introduced in three new interpretations, starting with an incredible version on which five rows of steel and pink gold literally set a magnificent stage for the forearm of the woman wearing it! From wrist to inner elbow, the five splendid coils of the Serpenti showcase the full measure of its infinite suppleness and its exceptional adaptability. A bracelet, an adornment that becomes a second skin.
Striking a more demure note, Serpenti Tubogas also appears in a two more discreet versions with a single-coil bracelet and an amethyst-like purple dial. One features the gleam of polished steel, which enhances the architectural and technical nature of the articulated bracelet; while the other plays on shimmering chrome- and gold-toned reflections, vividly demonstrating Bulgari’s unique mastery of the art of fashioning materials, and particularly metals. Named after the modernist, industrial-style aesthetic of the exhaust pipes on luxury sports cars during the Art Deco period, the first flexible Bulgari jewellery models appeared on the scene in 1932. The jeweller soon also introduced a unique watch collection with a highly distinctive style featuring the key asset of a double wrap-around bracelet.
Enthusiasm for this watch has remained undimmed. It remains a unique yet never standardised timepiece, since Bulgari regularly renews the range that represents one of its major creative signatures. New versions fitted with Tubogas bracelets feature an appealing blend of fresh charm and bold design, introducing new faces of an emblematic watch that has become an integral of the Bulgari identity – instantly recognisable yet ever unique. A perfect jewellery watch for any time of day or night.
Infinite variations. In 2016, thanks to the vast range of possible variations afforded by different gemsettings, associations of colours and materials, as well as bracelet lengths, a huge number of versions is available. This almost individually personalised offer meets the varied desires of contemporary and active women. With such a delightful palette of combinations, each watch becomes virtually one of a kind and there are countless options to meet the expectations of the women who choose a watch from the Serpenti line. A choice guided by the wish to wear a precious, unmistakably recognisable watch powerfully symbolising the Bulgari style, while remaining discreet, urban, modern and sometimes romantic.
The enduringly fascinating snake has glided its way through eras and civilisations. Rooted in the culture of Ancient Rome, it has been tamed by Bulgari in an eminently contemporary way over the past few decades since the Rome-based jeweller introduced it into its collections and earned it a place in the watchmaking world. Serpenti is enchanting. It belongs firmly to the traditional bestiary of Ancient Rome and has long since been adopted by the Roman jeweller in countless multi-faceted and ever successful guises, as is once again brilliantly demonstrated by the new creations launched in 2016.