For the first time, Lvcea is presented with the iconic Tubogas bracelet, reminding us of Bulgari’s heritage as a jeweller. Caressing the wrist with exquisite comfort, five new Lvcea Tubogas models bring an everyday modernity to the Lvcea universe. The slinky links of the Tubogas bracelet add a symmetry when contrasted with the round face of the Lvcea.
Available in 28 or 33mm models, the stainless steel version has a black lacquer dial. A shimmering white mother-of-pearl dial complements the model with an alternating steel and rose gold Tubogas bracelet, also presented in 28 and 33mm sizes. Finally, a precious 33mm rose gold interpretation, decolrated with diamonds around the bezel and the bracelet, completes the family.
The 28mm versions are powered by a quartz movement, while the 33mm versions boast a mechanical automatic-winding caliber with a date window at 3 o’clock. All five new Lvcea Tubogas watches have diamond hour markers and a pink cabochon-cut gemstone set into the crown.
Christened Tubogas because of its similarity to a lowly woven-metal gas pipe, the technique has been used in jewellery making since the late 40’s. An example of industrial-inspired design, it was popularized in the Art Deco period when the challenge of miniaturizing large engineered objects, and using them for novel purposes, took off. In the 1940s, Bulgari inserted a watch dial into a Tubogas bracelet to create a highly stylized serpent watch. The design was revived in the 1970s when Bulgari introduced it into watches, bracelets, necklaces and rings. The effect of a stark, engineered coil combined with coins and richly colored precious gems created a contrast that marked Bulgari’s style of jewels, intended to be worn every day.
Complicated to produce, the Tubogas is formed by long bands of gold or steel that are wrapped around a steel core. As they are coiled, the rounded contours of the bands interlock to conceal completely the inner structure. The specialist goldsmiths use no soldering. The flexibility of the coiled bands alone is what gives the Tubogas its characteristic bounce. Bulgari has extended the range to include three colors of gold fused into one single bracelet within the new Serpenti collection.
