Bulgari Tubogas Watches

For many, BVLGARI’s Tubogas watches call to mind the high-octane glamour of the 1970s and ’80s. However, the sinuous Tubogas coil was used as early as the 1940s, on the legendary house’s first Serpenti timepieces. (When Greek silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris arrived in Rome in 1881 and set up his own shop there in 1884, he called it Bulgari before changing the name to BVLGARI, which uses the classical Latin alphabet and is an homage to ancient Roman culture.)  

Its engineering was directly inspired by the type of flexible metal pipe used to transport gas — called tubo del gas in Italian — patented in the 1880s and used from the 1920s on. Over the years, it has become an iconic BLVGARI style, incorporated into myriad watch and jewelry designs.

On the wrist, it creates an opulent impression that suits bare arms in high summer and in colder months works with the emerging trend for styling watches over the sleeve.

Malaika Crawford, style editor at online watch magazine Hodinkee, is an unofficial ambassador for the return of BVLGARI Tubogas watches. “I’m a jewelry-loving, watch-wearing, ’70s-nostalgia freak, and a Tubogas checks all of these boxes,” she says. “As a young woman working in the watch industry, I see the value in a timepiece that also serves as a standalone piece of design, and wearing a yellow-gold triple-wrap Serpenti makes me feel glamorous and confident.”

“We have noticed an increased interest in the BVLGARI Tubogas style in the last three to five years, and the value of the vintage versions has been rising constantly,” confirms Wagner Eleuteri, whose family’s global boutiques specialize in fine jewelry, watches and objets d’art. “I feel BVLGARI Tubogas watches are considered timeless pieces because of their everyday wearability and versatility, alongside bold design. They seem suited to any occasion, for wearers of any age.”

Crawford agrees, advising that they’re “best worn with a T-shirt and jeans.”

Find vintage BVLGARI Tubogas watches on 1stDibs.

Greek silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris arrived in Rome in 1881 and set up his own shop there in 1884, calling it Bulgari, an Italianization of his last name (in the brand's logo, it's styled BVLGARI, using the classical Latin alphabet in a nod to ancient Roman culture). In 1905, he opened the company’s flagship boutique on Rome’s Via dei Condotti. Since then, Bulgari has looked to Rome as a source of reference for its fanciful and decidedly romantic designs for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other accessories.

Although the iconic jewelry house found success with its silverwork and Art Deco designs, popular through the 1920s, Bulgari’s signature style — bold, often using yellow gold embellished with big colorful gemstones — began to emerge when Sotirios’s sons inherited the business, in 1932.

The brand truly hit its stride in the dolce vita era of the 1950s and ’60s, when the founder’s grandsons Paolo, Gianni and Nicola Bulgari decisively departed from demure traditional styles to develop the house’s exuberant multi-gem looks, attracting celebrity collectors like Elizabeth Taylor.

In the 1940s, Bulgari debuted perhaps its most famous design, the Serpenti bracelet watch. The piece’s snakelike coils were made possible by the tubogas jewelry technique, which links a flexible series of thin horizontal bands. Both the sleek, modern tubogas construction and the sinuous snake motif continue to be synonymous with the Bulgari brand. 

On 1stDibs, the collection of vintage Bulgari jewelry includes rings, pendant necklaces, watches and other accessories.

Antique, new and vintage wristwatches have captured the hearts and minds of all manner of watch collectors as well as the watchmakers themselves — it's time you found your own.

Certain vintage watches for men and iconic watch designs for women are sought after not only because of their graceful proportions or innovative materials but also because of the illustrious histories of the houses that created them, histories that they stylishly embody.

Bulgari’s legendary Serpenti watch was on everyone’s list after the collection’s bold bracelet, which technically debuted after the timepiece, graced the wrist of actress Elizabeth Taylor. If anything, elaborately crafted timepieces — the unmistakably boxy silhouette of Cartier Tank watches, the elegant and minimal Calatrava designed by legendary Swiss house Patek Philippe — are even more effective than the shape we associate with traditional wristwatches.

Form watches — the all-encompassing moniker bestowed upon non-round watches — are making headlines and completing contemporary fashionable ensembles the world over. At the same time, both casual fans and careful collectors are drawn to the unbeatable charm of vintage styles, such as the icons designed by Omega that even James Bond can’t resist.

In the early days of watchmaking, watches were fragile enough that they necessitated protection from the elements. Now, wristwatches made of gold and steel can withstand the harshest climates — even 100 meters underwater, in the case of Rolex’s Submariner. Designer Gérald Genta, whose range of clients included Rolex, created for Audemars Piguet the first luxury sports timepiece to be made from stainless steel. First introduced in 1972, the Royal Oak was a perfect choice for blending the form and function that are now synonymous with sports watches.

Are you shopping for a wristwatch? It’s good to keep your needs as well as your specific personal style in mind: A smaller, subtle timepiece is a good fit for small wrists. When will you be wearing your new accessory? There’s a versatile model out there for everyday wear, while a rugged, feature-heavy watch is a safe bet if you’re prone to embarking on all-weather activities in the great outdoors.

Find antique, new and vintage wristwatches on 1stDibs.