SpotlightBulgari At LVMH Watch Week 2023: A Romance Of Diamonds And Coloured Gemstones

The LVMH Watch Week, for a few years now, has been the first event to kick-start the watch industry calendar and shine the spotlight on high-octane creations from the four major LVMH watchmaking houses of Bulgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith. Held in Singapore from January 10 to 14, the highlight this year is Bulgari’s continuing theme of ‘Time is a jewel’, with new editions within their collections of bedazzling diamond watches—Serpenti, Allegra, and Diva’s Dream. Their full-pavé dials oozing diamonds and several coloured gems evoke dolce vita, the Italian way of life brimming with luxury and indulgence.

LVMH Watch Week Special: Serpenti Tubogas And Seduttori

Founder Sotirio Georgis Bulgari designed the first Serpenti watch in the 1940s as a nod to Byzantine and Islamic traditions symbolising rebirth. The model shot to fame when English actress Elizabeth Taylor wore it on the sets of her 1963 film, Cleopatra. Since then, the iconic Serpenti watch has slithered down the ages, each rendition ‘shedding’ old aesthetics, even applying the reptile leitmotif to neckpieces, rings, and bracelets.

For the first time in the Serpenti model, a trail studded with diamonds snakes right down to the folding clasp

The tubogas technique makes the base thicker to ensure the diamonds remain embedded onto the Serpenti bracelet

Each moulded ring are polished, gem-set and assembled on a flexible titanium blade

Serpenti Seduttori is the sober, pared-down edition, available in two models, steel and steel with rose gold, black lacquered dials, and a steel bracelet with a folding clasp

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In Serpenti Tubogas Infinity—tubogas being the engineering technique used to construct the bracelet—comes in two rose gold versions: double-twirl and single-twirl. For the first time in the Serpenti model, a trail is studded with diamond snakes right down to the folding clasp. The tubogas technique made the base thicker to ensure the diamonds remain embedded onto the bracelet. Each moulded ring is polished, gem-set and assembled on a flexible titanium blade.

The entire dial, bezel on the 35mm curved case, and pattern on the bracelet are covered in 486 diamonds and 445 diamonds, on each of the above, respectively. A single cabochon-cut pink rubellite sits on the rose-gold crown like the watchful eye of the serpent. Serpenti Seduttori is the sober, pared-down edition of the iconic Serpenti, available in steel and steel with rose gold models, black lacquered dials, along with a steel bracelet with a folding clasp. All these Serpentis run on high-precision Swiss quartz watches.

Allegra—Organised Chaos

This line is a heady cocktail of 32 citrines, tourmalines, peridots, and rhodolites in diverse shapes and cuts such as cabochon, oval, and emerald. Launched last year, the quartz-movement watch unveils two new variations: in rose gold with 32 pink sapphires, and yellow gold with 32 yellow sapphires.

The Bulgari Allegra watch is a colourful, heady cocktail of 32 citrines, tourmalines, peridots, and rhodolites in diverse shapes and cuts such as cabochon, oval, and emerald

Launched last year, the quartz-movement watch unveils two new variations: rose gold case with 32 pink sapphires, and yellow gold with 32 yellow sapphires

A bezel paved with 32 round diamonds encircles the 36mm case, and an additional 12 round diamonds mark the hours on the mother-of-pearl dial

Both watches have matching pink and white alligator straps that end in matching gold ardillon buckles studded with eight round-cut diamonds

All the gems come in prong-style cages, which allows ample passage of light, thereby keeping the stones perpetually aglow and radiant

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A bezel paved with 32 round diamonds encircles the 36mm case, and an additional 12 round diamonds mark the hours on the mother-of-pearl dial. All the gems come in prong-style cages, which allows ample passage of light, keeping the stones perpetually aglow and radiant. Both watches have matching pink and white alligator straps that end in matching gold ardillon buckles studded with eight round-cut diamonds.

Diva’s Dream—With Gemstones ‘Interleaved’

This dreamy collection draws inspiration from brooches and necklaces of the 80s and 90s, as well as the glamorous Italian islands of Costa Smeralda, Capri, and Positanothe. These pieces present the art of alternate colour blocking and the soft, smooth contours of pebbles.

This dreamy collection draws inspiration from brooches and necklaces of the 80s and 90s, as well as the glamorous Italian islands of Costa Smeralda, Capri, and Positanothe

The motif and bezel both encrusted in 1.51 carat-worth of diamonds

These pieces present the art of alternate colour blocking and the soft, smooth contours of pebbles

A pair of red hands enhances the mother-of-pearl inlay dial, devoid of hour markers—all set within a 33mm case

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In a complete reinvention, the new model launched the LVMH Watch Week has the signature fan-shaped ginkgo leaves, sprouting from the bezel; the motif and bezel both encrusted in 1.51 carat-worth of diamonds. This quartz movement watch in rose gold is available in three coloured-gem combinations: amethyst (1.21 carat) and pink tourmaline (1.33 carat); topaz (1.56 carat) and tanzanite (1.45 carat); and ruby (3.5 carat); these gems are alternately placed between the ginkgo leaves. A pair of red/blue hands enhances the mother-of-pearl inlay dial, devoid of hour markers—all set within a 33mm case.

Diva’s Dream Mosaica—Evolved Gradient And Cut

This collection takes off from the Divina Mosaica line, unveiled by Bulgari two years ago. Like the previous line, the two new models also have full-pavé dials with the ginkgo leaf motif located in the mosaics gracing the ancient Roman Baths of Caracalla.

These models launched at the LVMH Watch Week have a stronger colour gradient. A subtle change is that the cut given to the sapphires and diamonds forming the fan-shaped leaves. The gemstones are round, brilliant-cut in place of the previous baguette-cut. One version is set in a rose gold case with sapphires in pale pink to magenta (totalling 3.5 carat); and the other in a white gold case with sky blue to deep azure sapphires (totalling 3 carat). White diamonds are alternated with these coloured stones. The gingko-leaf pattern extends to the white-gold bracelet of the blue model, and onto the singular lugs of the pink model. Both versions, sized at 37mm, run on the automatic calibre BVL 191, offering a power reserve of 42 hours.