REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

LVMH WATCH WEEK DUBAI
INTRODUCING THE BVLGARI SERPENTI
SEDUTTORI TOURBILLON
WORDS STEPHANIE IP
It grew more and more extravagant in the decades
that followed. From the Dolce Vita era of the 1960s, to the
logomania in the 1980s, and its transition into high-jewelry
pieces in the 2000s, the Serpenti has evolved with the times,
never content with standing still.
In 2016, Bvlgari launched the Serpenti Incantati, a wild
departure from the more familiar snake coil. Instead, the
serpent wrapped its body around the bezel on the round
watch, with its head resting over its tail. The tourbillon
version of the Serpenti Incantati was the first time in three
decades that a mechanical movement was brought back into
the collection. A hugely significant move in my books, it was
an indication that women have moved past desiring only
gemstones, to wanting complexity in their watches as well.
2017 was the birth of the Serpenti Twist, another clear
sign that the Serpenti was evolving to cater to a younger
audience. Paired with double-wrap textured leather straps,
it was one of the most casual versions of the Serpenti ever
unveiled. And since last year, the Serpenti Seduttori has
taken the spotlight. With the Serpenti Seduttori, Bvlgari has
On paper, the Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon
already sounds pretty awesome. When the
Seduttori collection launched last year, it was
only made available with a quartz movement. Now, it’s
returned with not just a mechanical movement, but
a manual-winding tourbillon movement that Bvlgari
claims is the smallest ladies’ tourbillon on the market.
But to truly understand why the Bvlgari
Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon is such an amazing
achievement, let’s briefly talk about what makes
the Serpenti such an iconic collection.
The Serpenti was born in 1948, right after World War II,
when the brand unveiled the Tubogas watch; the polished coil
of gold with a functional watch was seen as a more practical
and acceptable form of ornamentation in the post-war years.
Since then, the Serpenti collection has gone through
many evolutions and shed its skin many times over. But, like
its inspiration, the serpent-shaped watch with its worldfamous
coiled bracelet has always sprung back from its
reinventions, fresher, bolder and more appealing than ever.
From its more abstract beginnings, the Serpenti began
to take on a more naturalistic shape, the serpent-shaped
head that we have now come to embrace was first included
in the 1950s versions, with a hinged cover under which
watch movements supplied by Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron
Constantin or Piaget could be found.
struck the perfect balance between simplicity and elegance
— it isn’t as casual as the Serpenti Twist, and yet, not as
extravagant as the gold-wrapped coils. It falls somewhere in
between, its smooth and supple links a pretty and tameddown
version of the scales that adorned the high-jewelry
Serpenti of the past.
The Serpenti Seduttori of 2019 all housed quartz
movements. In 2020, they’re back with a manual-winding
tourbillon movement in three versions. There is one in white
gold with paved diamonds and another in rose gold with
paved diamonds, both fitted with a leather strap. The third
version is the most blinged out, in white gold with paved
diamonds and a matching scaled bracelet totaling over 7.5
carats of diamonds.
Inside the Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon is the caliber
BVL150, the smallest tourbillon on the market, made
possible by combining Bvlgari’s expertise in jewelry-making
and its savoir-faire in watchmaking. The movement is
viewable from the transparent sapphire caseback; it features
a sapphire bridge, and is rhodium-plated and handdecorated
with Côtes de Genève, perlage and beveling.
And so, the most important part of the Serpenti Seduttori
Tourbillon isn’t just its commendable milestone of creating
a truly amazing complication for women. It is its ability to
successfully shed its skin time after time, capturing the
hearts of women through the decades with each rebirth.
52 THE MODERNIST