While many of the delicate high jewellery watches seen today are powered by quartz, before the advent of this type of movement it was the demand for ever-more petite women’s pieces that drove much of the innovation in astonishingly thin mechanical timekeeping. In recent years Bulgari has taken up the mantle in producing record-breakingly svelte calibres with its Finissimo line. Now this extreme miniaturisation continues with its new Piccolissimo movement, presented in one of the maison’s most iconic and feminine designs, the Serpenti. 

Conceived and produced entirely in-house at the Bulgari Manufacture in Le Sentier, it measures in at 12.3mm in diameter and is 2.5mm thick, weighing just 1.3 grams. Its unique proportions are due to its unusual placement, concealed within the head of the snake that elegantly slithers its way around the wearer’s arm, and revealed only by pressing the animal’s tongue.

It continues in the tradition of the Serpenti secret watches introduced in the 1950s, which over time morphed into dazzling showcases of Bulgari’s expertise in enamelling, gem-setting and decorative techniques. The new Serpenti Misteriosi is opulent and colourful, presented in four characterful variations. Dialling up the drama is a rose-gold take with contrasting black lacquered scales, while another sees piercing emerald eyes peek out from the bejewelled snake’s head set with 626 brilliant-cut diamonds. 

Despite the incredibly intricate adornments, just as much attention and skill has been applied to the comfort and fit. Designed to be placed on either wrist, the underlying movement can be easily removed and turned to face the opposite direction, while the structure of its inimitable bracelet has been composed with lightness and ease of wear in mind. 

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