Bvlgari enriches its iconic Serpenti lineage with two distinct 2026 novelties: the gem-encrusted Serpenti Aeterna celebrating the joy of color and form, and the industrial-chic Tubogas Studs Capsule merging gold with steel. Both collections debut alongside the brand’s new blockchain-powered Digital Passport, marking a pivotal moment where Roman craftsmanship meets digital transparency.
The Serpenti has long served as the beating heart of Bvlgari’s creative universe, a symbol of transformation and vitality that has captivated audiences since its inception in the 1940s. Originally appearing alongside the Tubogas bracelet technique, which involves the precise winding of metal bands to create a flexible, snake-like structure, the collection has evolved from a mere timepiece into a cultural phenomenon. Take a look at this model from the 1950s, auctioned by Phillips in 2025! Over the decades, the Maison has continuously reinvented the serpent, balancing its seductive heritage with avant-garde design.
Given its dual-identity, Bvlgari has often blurred the lines between horology and high jewellery. By being snow-set with diamonds from head to tail, last years models were clearly closer to the latter. The 2026 launch continues this tradition, presenting two divergent yet complementary paths for the icon. One path embraces the exuberance of color and the purity of form, while the other revisits the bold material contrasts of the 1970s with a contemporary twist. This duality reflects the brand’s ability to honor its archives while projecting a futuristic vision, a balance that has defined its success for nearly eighty years.
Serpenti Aeterna and the power of form and color
The Serpenti Aeterna arrives as a manifesto of pure form, radiating with a renewed energy that prioritizes the emotional impact of color. This new iteration is not merely a watch but a sculptural object sheathed in scintillating gemstones, designed to express a vibrant joie de vivre.
Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bvlgari’s Product Creation Executive Director, describes the piece as a “true canvas” where the iconic figure transforms into a timeless symbol. The design orchestrates a harmony of 122 selected stones, including rubellite, amethyst, topaz, emerald, citrine, sapphire, tanzanite, and various tourmalines. These gems vary in cut and size, ranging from round and brilliant to pear and oval, creating a composition that is both surprising and perfectly orchestrated. The purity of white diamonds traces the serpent’s silhouette, encircling the exuberant colored stones to capture their energy.
Patient dialogue between creative vision and technical mastery was required for the execution. 185 working hours were dedicated solely to stone selection and preparation, followed by more than 60 hours of setting. The dial is entirely pavé-set with a radically stylized reptilian head, while the bracelet features open-worked hexagonal scales that allow light to bathe the stones, creating endless variations of transparency.
Two versions define the collection. The first is forged in rose gold and fully gem-set, featuring a pavé diamond dial and a bracelet adorned with the 122 colored stones. The second variation introduces the silhouette in yellow gold for the first time. This version pairs the noble metal with a white mother-of-pearl dial and a plain yellow gold bracelet set with 68 diamonds. The fluid curve of the bracelet is designed to wrap the wrist instinctively, allowing the piece to be freely combined with other bracelets from the Maison.
Charisma meets audacity in the Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule
While the Aeterna explores the realm of pure color, the Serpenti Tubogas Studs Capsule delves into industrial design. This capsule brings together three of Bvlgari’s boldest creative hallmarks: the Serpenti reptile, the supple Tubogas bracelet, and the distinctive “clou” stud. The resulting timepiece transforms the iconic reptile into an object of design and desire through the union of gold and steel.
The stud, a motif drawn from Bvlgari’s jewellery vocabulary, inscribes its distinctive pyramidal geometry onto the supple Tubogas bracelet. Whether polished or gem-set, these studs punctuate the curves of the bracelet, transforming it into a sculptural jewel. This aesthetic, known as “Gold & Steel,” was a visionary gesture by the Maison in the 1970s. It plays on the duality of material and expression where the nobility of gold meets the strength of steel. Today, the Studs Capsule reinterprets this alliance with fluid modernity, creating an interplay of textures and chromatic contrasts.
The capsule unfolds in four limited editions. One version is rendered entirely in yellow gold, while the others embrace the bicolor “Gold & Steel” aesthetic.
The collection showcases Bvlgari’s “Master of Colors” through the use of hardstone dials and mother-of-pearl. The yellow gold version features a carnelian dial, creating a radiant presence with studs set with three brilliant-cut diamonds on each facet. The avant-garde spirit is further explored in the mother-of-pearl, sodalite, and malachite variations. The mother-of-pearl dial lends an iridescent shimmer, accented with yellow gold touches, while the sodalite and malachite versions explore the interplay between rose gold and steel. The blue sodalite offers a mineral quality highlighted by alternating rose gold and steel along the body, and the malachite dial presents a deep green face veined with the same material contrast.
The 35mm case is available in yellow gold, or in stainless steel with a yellow gold bezel. The bezels are set with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds, and the crowns feature a cabochon-cut pink rubellite. In spite of it being a jewellery piece, the water resistance is rated at 30 meters. The bracelets are decorated with five gold studs, some paved with diamonds, available in sizes 135mm and 145mm.
Just like the 2026 Octo Finissimo models, the Serpenti Aeterna and the Tubogas Studs Capsule features now a Datamatrix engraved on the caseback. This scannable encrypted code serves as the gateway to the Bvlgari Digital Passport, a feature powered by Aura Blockchain technology.
Photo credits: Bvlgari, Loupiosity.
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