Though jewelry watches probably weren’t what the actor Nicolas Cage had in mind when he quipped that “every great story seems to start with a snake,” the Italian fine jewelry house of Bulgari seems to agree. The jeweler first made the snake a source of inspiration for its bracelets in the 1940s, and they introduced the Tubogas-style (the house’s signature flexible gas-pipe motif) watch in the 1960s. Nearly every year since then, the Serpenti has inspired at least one of Bulgari’s watch and jewelry collections, becoming one of Bulgari’s most emblematic symbols in the last 50 years. In 2014, in fact, a Bulgari Serpenti watch created in 1965 set a world record at a Christie’s auction, selling for $1,107,038—more than half a million dollars over its high estimate of $417,750.
Today the Serpenti continues to be a coveted symbol of Bulgari, so much so that it’s given rise to multiple capsule collections with its namesake. The new Serpenti Spiga model mirrors the serpent’s slithery motion as it wraps around the wrist. Featuring a 35-millimeter curved case embezzled with brilliant-cut diamonds and a crown set with a cabochon-cut rubellite, the Spiga is available in 18-karat white gold or pink gold that contrasts with either a black or white lacquered ceramic bracelet.
That's a wrap: 18-karat pink gold and black ceramic with rubellite, 18-karat white gold and black ceramic with rubellite, 18-karat pink gold and white ceramic with rubellite
More than just a watch for show, the Serpenti Spiga is water-resistant up to 30 meters and is equipped with a quartz movement. Greenbelt 4, 728.5061.
