pingtsai
[PuristSPro Moderator]
2063
Review-Bulgari: Bulgari Serpenti Watch - "On-the-Wrist" Review
I’ll never forget the first time that I saw a Bulgari Serpenti watch on the wrist of a woman in public. It was nearly a year and a half ago at South Coast Plaza in Orange County where international fashionistas meet stylish housewives from all over southern California. She was a Middle Eastern standout beauty with long dark hair, large eyes and strong features. If it wasn’t for her casual dress and the little ones that tagged along at her side, she would have seemed unrelatable to me. Her unassuming confidence and sophistication appeared to transcend what one would expect to find at a local mall.
Bulgari Serpenti Watch
An "On-The-Wrist" Review
By Ping Tsai
© October 2011
I noticed right away the rose gold Serpenti watch that coiled around her left wrist. It stood out to me foremost because I recognized it, having just taken on the Bulgari moderator post on PuristSPro and familiarized myself with all their latest pieces released at Baselworld 2010. I felt certain however that I would have noticed it otherwise because of its strikingly unique appearance, especially in pink gold. It wrapped around her wrist effortlessly displaying a sense of elegance every bit as much as exoticism. The woman immediately peaked my interest wearing such a distinctive looking watch in the middle of a suburban upscale mall. It was a bold and extremely current reflection of style and sophistication and I was impressed.
From the onset, the Serpenti watch has intrigued me. The encounter at the mall only served to push this sentiment along further. All of a sudden it seemed more real to me. I have to say that a lot of Bulgari’s pieces have a certain fantastical aura about them. The jewels with their large colorful gemstones and finely detailed metalwork always seem larger than life; only to be seen on the big screen, in a glossy magazine ad with lions and exotic birds, or through the display case glass. Now here’s a woman, a mother, albeit a stylish one for that matter, who was wearing the latest female watch in the flesh from one of the top luxury brands in the world. It was a step closer to experiencing the fantasy aspect of Bulgari. After much waiting and anticipation, I was able to move even closer. Alas, thanks to Bulgari, I finally experienced for a short time, what it is like to wear a Serpenti watch.
Form
The new Serpenti Collection of watches was first presented at Baselworld last year and is reflective of Bulgari’s long standing use of the snake as a design theme. In the form of a stylized snake made up of flexible gold segments the Serpenti watch coils around in a single sinuous curve, beginning with the watch face head and ending with the tapered tail. In ancient Roman times, people often wore talismans for good luck or to ward off ill-fortune. One of the most common ancient Roman symbols used in these talismans was the image of the coiled snake. It represented immortality and was particularly common in bracelets.
The Serpenti watch is available in stainless steel, yellow gold with white face, pink gold with black face, single or double coil and with or without diamond bezel. The version that I had the pleasure of reviewing consists of a single coil in polished stainless steel with a white face. With a retail price of $4350, it is the most affordable of the Serpenti choices and the one that I consider to be the most versatile as well.
For the rest of Ping's review on the Serpenti Watch, click here
