The world of watch history is vast. The rise of a brand often leaves behind some fascinating details in how it evolved. I recently discovered this with Bulgari. I visited a local store and saw a Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas from the 1960s — but this one was stamped Audemars Piguet. I’m familiar with Bulgari and the Serpenti, but I hadn’t seen one co-signed by AP before.
Naturally, I started digging. Turns out, during that era, Bulgari partnered with several major Swiss maisons. You’ll find vintage Serpenti watches not only with Audemars Piguet, but also with Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre movements. The watch cases and dials vary slightly depending on the maker, but one design element that stayed consistent is the iconic coiled Tubogas bracelet — timeless and instantly recognizable.
When Bulgari first got into watches in the mid-20th century, they were still primarily a jeweler. They didn’t yet have the expertise or infrastructure to manufacture mechanical movements, so they collaborated with watchmakers that did. In some cases, especially when watches were retailed through the Swiss maisons’ own channels, the dials or movements were signed with names like AP, VC, or JLC instead of Bulgari. That explains why some vintage Serpentis don’t carry Bulgari branding up front, even though the bracelet design is unmistakably theirs.
Today, I still think of Bulgari primarily as a jeweler, but they’ve come a long way since the 1940s. The Octo Finissimo is a good example — incredibly thin, with impressive complications like minute repeaters and tourbillons packed into ultra-slim cases. Some models even push 8-day power reserves. Technically, it’s a major flex. Personally, I like the dial and movement, but the case diameter and shape just don’t work for me. I have smaller wrists, and it wears more like a cuff than a traditional watch.
Bulgari even held the record for the world’s thinnest mechanical watch for a while — and they’ve clearly made thinness part of their brand DNA when it comes to horology. But I’m not sure that extreme thinness is what most watch enthusiasts are chasing. I’d love to see them explore other directions — especially if they started putting out more versatile designs in the 37–39mm range. If that happens, I’d seriously consider adding one to the collection. Until then, I’ll keep admiring from a distance.
