Along with Bvlgari’s iconic Serpenti, the Tubogas has become one of the style hallmarks that immediately identifies a watch or jewellery design as a creation of the Italian House. An innovation in jewellery making with its flexible form, the coiled metal bracelet has been an inseparable part of Bvlgari’s designs for decades.
Here’s a fact that might surprise you: The Tubogas was actually inspired and named after the articulated gas pipes that were used to transport pressurised gas in the 1920s. It’s fascinating how ideas from an unexpected source like industrial equipment can be turned into beautiful jewellery— and this was one of the many that contributed to Bvlgari’s impressive breadth of creativity.
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The jeweller wasn’t the only one to experiment with the Tubogas technique—in the 1940s, several houses did the same—but it certainly was the most successful at it. The brand’s ties to Tubogas were firmly sealed when it crafted a supple bracelet with the technique for its very first Serpenti jewellery watch in 1948, officially creating an iconic design that would become part of its identity.
By the 1970s, the Tubogas had become a true signature of the brand as it found its way into a range of Bvlgari creations from the Monete, Serpenti, Parentesi and Bvlgari Bvlgari collections. Its versatility is fully expressed in the diversity of the designs it has been applied to—from the elaborate and eclectic to the modern and minimalistic.
In a Tubogas piece, one can also observe Bvlgari’s exceptional skill and craftsmanship at jewellery making. Essentially, the technique involves wrapping gold strips around a core to create flexible, rounded bands without any soldering. The difficulty lies in achieving an even level of tension across the spiralled bands, a task and craft that can only be accomplished by highly skilled artisans who have mastered it through years of practice.
Now, it is time for the iconic technique to take centrestage as the Italian jeweller unveils its debut collection of Tubogas jewellery. The line comprises 16 designs, primarily crafted in yellow gold. It’s a deliberate choice on Bvlgari’s part to pay tribute to this precious material, which has characterised the brand’s creations since the 1950s, and set it apart from others in the industry.
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As expected, these new releases also showcase the versatility of the Tubogas technique, featuring its tactile construction in a selection of contemporary, pared-down designs, and combining it with diamonds and coloured jewels in other models for an opulent and exuberant take.
The most wearable of these are undoubtedly the simple and contemporary band bracelets that make stylish, stackable additions to one’s everyday jewellery wardrobe. These are available in four variations: Two are completely bare, with one model in yellow gold and the other in tri-colour gold; the third is embellished with diamond pavé pyramid- shaped studs; and the final variation bears the geometric Parentesi motif, another iconic Bvlgari signature. Pair them with a matching necklace, available in a plain design, or with the same ornamentation as seen on the bracelets.
Bvlgari, of course, is also known for its distinctive way of working with colours, which is displayed in a series of three Tubogas necklaces. Each of these feature a different coloured gemstone as the focus—a tanzanite, a rubellite, and a green tourmaline, respectively—framed by mother- of-pearl, chrysoprase and turquoise inserts, as well as pavé diamonds. They are pieced together in a geometric arrangement to create a vibrantly coloured centrepiece, which stands out against the sleek, spiral-band necklace.
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The Tubogas collection isn’t complete without the presence of the Serpenti, which marks its connection with the new line of jewellery in the form of a snake-style ring, bracelets and necklaces. They are accented with eyes of emeralds, and diamonds that go across the serpent’s head and tail, and also across its flexible body in more elaborate versions.
Last but not least, a new Bvlgari Tubogas watch has been introduced alongside the jewellery. It fuses two stylistic signatures of the House: The tubular bracelet at the centre of these new launches, and the double logo engraving around the case of the timepiece, a feature inspired by the round inscriptions on ancient Roman coins. The bracelet here is crafted in yellow, white and rose gold, a tri-colour combination that gives the watch its distinctive look and sheen.
Standing as a testament to the brand’s timeless elegance and innovative creativity, Bvlgari’s Tubogas has captivated jewellery lovers and collectors for decades. And as the new collection shows, its transformative, versatile looks, which meld emblematic lines with the most precious of materials, mean it will be a celebrated emblem of Bvlgari’s legacy for more decades to come.