The Roman Maison’s 140th anniversary is in full swing with gem setting and haute horlogerie at its finest.
The origin of secret watches dates back to a time when it was considered a faux pas for women to check the time in public—or perhaps even wear watches at all. Appearing merely as a gorgeous piece of jewelry, the secret watch offered an alternative that allowed women to adhere to the social norms and more discretely view the time when needed. Secret watches can be traced back to the 19th century, but many prominent brands like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels added secret watches as mainstays of their catalogs in the 1920s. Still, it wasn’t until the 1950s that Bulgari introduced the first secret watches to its now iconic Serpenti collection, which had only launched a few years prior in 1948.
The Serpenti line of jewelry watches presented the perfect foundation to create a secret watch, concealing the timekeeper ever so subtly within the stunning snake design. While the secret watch concept is no longer needed from a practical perspective, the style endures for its perfect blend of jewelry and horology, and Bulgari continues to be one of the brands to do it best.
In the Roman Maison’s monumental 140th anniversary year, we’ve seen it pull out all the stops from launching a slew of new Octo models in April (breaking the record for the world’s thinnest watch, again) to its latest release of six jaw dropping high jewelry secret watches. This is the new Bulgari Aeterna collection.
Fuochi d’Artificio High-Jewelry Manchette Secret Watch
Among Bulgari’s new selection of pieces within its Aeterna collection, there are three subsets: the instantly recognizable Serpenti, the Fenice, and the Fuochi d’Artificio. The latter draws inspiration from starry summer nights in Italy lit with fireworks from various seasonal celebrations. Through a combination of colored gemstones and different metals—from pink and white gold to titanium and platinum—the Maison creates movement, depth, and pure beauty. The Fuochi d’Artificio High-Jewelry Manchette Secret Watch features a base of rose gold and blue titanium for the cuff, which is adorned with hand cut and polished onyx inserts as well as an astounding mix of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, garnets, tanzanites, tsavorites, tourmalines, topazes, amethysts, and peridots. The watch is complete with the Piccolissimo mechanical micro round movement—the smallest round mechanical movement on the market—and altogether took more than 1,450 hours to complete.
Fuochi d’Artificio High-Jewelry Petite Secret Watch
Also within the Fuochi d’Artificio line is the Petite Secret Watch. This variation takes on a similar but slightly more modest aesthetic with a simple rose gold semi flexible cuff as the foundation. The petite counterpart features a similar mix of colored gemstones and diamonds as the Manchette. However, the Fuochi d’Artificio High-Jewelry Petite Secret Watch swaps the deep black onyx inserts for aventurine, a translucent glass with sparkling inclusions of copper, invented in Venice in the 15th century. Powering the discrete timekeeper and subtly housed beneath the central round-cut ruby is the same Piccolissimo manufacture manual winding mechanical micro movement offering a 30-hour power reserve.
Fenice High-Jewelry Secret Watch
The second subset of the new Aeterna models bridges the gap with the Maison’s “Animali Fantastici” line celebrating iconic mythological animals. Here, Bulgari hones in on one of the most revered mythical creatures: the Phoenix. Throughout Greek and Roman history, the Phoenix served as a symbol of power for emperors, appearing on currency and other representations of wealth. This enduring symbol of renewal and immortality serves as the inspiration for the Fenice High-Jewelry Secret Watch. To emulate the essence of the animal, Bulgari spent more than 3,000 hours and utilized over 160 carats of stones, including sapphires, amethysts, rubies, garnets, tanzanites, iolites, aquamarines, and diamonds, to create a degradé effect in a color palette spanning from blue and red to pink and purple. The cherry on top of this incredible design is the exceptionally rare 9.78-carat Paraiba tourmaline that hides the watch dial.
Fenice Octo Roma Secret Watch
For the second piece within the Fenice family, Bulgari combines the technical prowess of its legendary Octo line with the concept of the secret watch. Here, you have a more classic wristwatch design with an oversized 44mm platinum case, but one that notably lacks a traditional watch dial. With the Fenice Octo Roma Secret Watch, the Maison keeps with the Phoenix motif and color scheme rendered in brilliant-cut blue, purple, and pink sapphires as well as aquamarines, rubies, and amethysts where the dial would be. Hiding beneath this magnificent gem setting is Bulgari’s BVL 268SK manufacture manual winding mechanical ultra-thin skeletonized movement with a flying tourbillon and 52-hour power reserve.
Serpenti Misteriosi Chimera High-Jewelry Secret Watch
Last but certainly not least, Bulgari has added two new Serpenti secret watches within the new Aeterna lineup. With the Serpenti Misteriosi Chimera High-Jewelry Secret Watch, the Maison puts a twist on the design, drawing inspiration from the myth of the “chimera,” which combines two powerful animals: the snake and the lion. To achieve the duality, Bulgari takes the beloved Serpenti motif seamlessly wrapping around the wrist this time culminating with two heads, one of a snake and one of a lion. Here, the brand continues to pull from its rich history, using an archival piece from the 1950s to inspire the lion component. In typical fashion, the watch itself resides in the head of the snake, thanks to the impressive Piccolissimo movement.
Serpenti Misteriosi Dragone High-Jewelry Secret Watch
The sixth and final secret watch within the new Aeterna collection also marries the power of two animals: the snake and the dragon. A fitting combination for the year of the Dragon, Bulgari draws across cultural histories to reinterpret its iconic Serpenti with a new flair. The design remains relevant within the Maison’s catalog, pointing to its own lineage as well with the hybrid snake/dragon motif echoing the watch famously worn by Elizabeth Taylor when she played Cleopatra. Just like the heritage piece from the 1960s, the snake’s body is made with a tubolari bracelet and its head is set with baguette cut diamonds. Altogether, the secret watch features 32 carats of meticulously selected stones and took over 960 hours to complete.
