he Serpenti has existed since the late 1940s, notably through the Tubogas models, but it was from 2010 onwards that Bvlgari turned it into one of its defining contemporary watch collections, repositioning it at the heart of the brand’s strategy. In the 1970s, the desire to reach a broader market had led the company to develop relatively simple products equipped with quartz movements. Some models did take the form of a snake, but it was modern designs such as the famous Bvlgari Bvlgari, launched in 1977, that established the Italian jeweller’s reputation in watchmaking.

These were relatively accessible fashion accessories, part of a diversification strategy comparable to the one Cartier had adopted a few years earlier. By 2010, however, making Serpenti one of Bvlgari’s signature products served a different purpose: strengthening the brand’s legitimacy as a watchmaker.

At the beginning of the 21^st century, the global watch market was undergoing a profound transformation, with brands repositioning themselves towards an increasingly exclusive form of luxury. It was in this context that Bvlgari began rethinking its watch collections. The company moved into the development of mechanical watches for men — a strategy that would eventually lead to the Octo Finissimo in 2014 — while also exploring a new generation of jewellery watches for women.

The Bvlgari Serpenti thus came to embody the Italian jeweller’s new ambitions in watchmaking. Its acquisition by LVMH in March 2011 gave the company the means to pursue them.

Two years later, in 2013, Jean-Christophe Babin took the helm of Bvlgari. He made Serpenti the cornerstone of a new growth strategy for women’s watches. On the one hand, the snake was incorporated into the high-jewellery creations that helped build Bvlgari’s reputation. It became an iconic creature appearing in exceptionally costly jewellery watches, such as the Serpenti Misteriosi Romani launched in 2019.

Yet the snake was not confined to unique pieces or Bvlgari’s most exclusive creations. Serpenti extended well beyond high jewellery, also taking the form of more accessible luxury watches. The animal emblem thus created a powerful link — and a symbolic continuity — between the house’s most creative expressions and industrially produced goods sold as luxury objects.

The democratisation of Serpenti went even further in 2017 with the introduction of customisable watches. Bvlgari positioned these products as relatively accessible, with entry prices below CHF 5,000.

The snake therefore also became a means of generating a return on investment. High-jewellery creations are expensive to produce, but they generate desire — and help sell Serpenti watches in volume. In 2016, Guido Terreni, then head of Bvlgari’s watch division, summed it up perfectly: Serpenti, he said, “is today the number-one line in terms of turnover and the most expensive in terms of price”.

The role of the snake, however, extends far beyond that of an aesthetic symbol on Bvlgari watches. It also became an integral part of the brand’s storytelling. CEO Jean-Christophe Babin drew on the figure to construct a narrative that reinforced the symbolic value of the house’s creations in the press. Like a snake shedding its skin, the watches continually transform, giving rise to new models.

The serpent also provides a link between Bvlgari and its own history. Antiquity has long been a source of stylistic inspiration for the Italian jeweller, dating back to its origins. The snake, in turn, evokes Queen Cleopatra, traditionally associated with jewellery in the form of serpents. In 2013, the 50^th anniversary of the famous Hollywood film Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor, provided the opportunity for a partnership between Twentieth Century Fox and Bvlgari. The American actress had worn a snake-shaped wristwatch, and the anniversary offered an opportunity to stage the story once again as part of the revival of the design.

Around a decade later, in 2025, the launch of a mechanical version of Serpenti provided another opportunity to revisit this history. Jean-Christophe Babin argued that Bvlgari truly entered the history of watchmaking with the 1948 Serpenti secret watch, inspired by the aesthetics associated with Cleopatra.

This historical dimension has become far more prominent since the beginning of the 2020s. The serpent is presented as the animal that brought Bvlgari into watchmaking, thereby giving the house greater legitimacy within the industry. Historic models featuring the motif have been brought back out of the company’s collections and woven into a broader historical narrative, lending depth and authority to contemporary creations.

The serpent has also moved beyond brand discourse to take physical form in Bvlgari boutiques — and on their façades — around the world. In doing so, the motif makes its iconic status highly visible within retail spaces. It addresses passers-by and the wider public, reinforcing the idea that Serpenti is a luxury product with broad appeal: jewellery, democratised.