CASE NUMBER: P00034

In ancient Greece and Rome, snakes were associated with healing – so much so that Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine, was often depicted wielding a serpent-entwined staff. The serpent was seen in the jewellery worn by pharaohs and Queen Cleopatra was also supposed to have favoured the snake as a design motif in her jewellery. Bulgari has often turned to the serpent for design inspiration and in the design world, the reptile is synonymous with the Roman brand’s Serpenti line.

This spectacular Bulgari high-jewellery cuff watch pays homage to the ornamental manchettes (cuffs) worn by aristocratic women in Ancient Rome. The Roman jeweller’s talismanic serpent has its hexagonal scales set with brilliant-cut round and marquis-cut diamonds and it appears to slither around a cuff fitted with a special system of tiny hidden springs.

The cuff itself is set with 34 malachite insert bordered again by brilliant-cut diamonds. The green of the malachite forms the perfect background for the glittering serpent as it coils itself around the cuff. There are a total of 1,207 diamonds present on the cuff alone.

The head of the serpent features a floral petal set with a pear-shaped rubellite, its eyes are further set with round rubellite stones. This being a secret watch, the paved diamond dial (92 diamonds) is concealed underneath the serpent head and the user has to lift the head as it if were a protective lid to get a glimpse of the time display.

First introduced in 2019, the Serpenti Misteriosi cuff watch was developed as a series of unique one-off timepieces – a model set with diamonds and sapphires was the winner of the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) award for the best Jewellery Watch in the same year.

Offered for the first time at auction, the watch is in excellent like-new condition and is offered with its full set of accessories.