Rome, Italy
Bulgari
Partially verifiedItalian luxury house specializing in jewellery, watches and accessories
History
The company was founded in 1884 in Rome by the silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris, an immigrant from Ottoman Epirus.
After his death in 1932, his sons Giorgio and Costantino assumed control and oversaw the brand's mid-century expansion. Since 2011, the firm has operated as a subsidiary of the French conglomerate LVMH.
The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.
Current watchmaking & later fate
- Since 2011, the company has operated as a luxury subsidiary of the LVMH group.
As stated in the references listed under Sources, retrieved 2026-11-03. Ownership and collections change; check the maker's own announcements for the latest position.
Key models
- Serpenti
- Bulgari introduced these iconic bracelet-watches in the late 1940s, featuring stylized serpent scales.
Major innovations
- The company utilized a distinctive 'en tremblant' technique for floral brooches featuring trembling diamond corollas during the 1950s.
- In the 1950s, the brand introduced cabochon cuts for gemstones, which became a signature aesthetic departure from Parisian designs.
Known markings
- The brand is stylized as BVLGARI, substituting the letter U with V to reference the classical Latin alphabet.
Serial numbers
No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.
Collecting significance
The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.
In the object catalogue
9 catalogued objects are recorded under Bulgari. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.
- Bulgari Diagono Professional Chrono Amplificator RegattaRegatta chronograph wristwatch · Circa 2005
- Bulgari Diagono Professional GMT 40 SGMT wristwatch · circa 2010
- Bulgari Diagono Professional Reference SD 42 SDiver's wristwatch · circa 2010
- Bulgari Diagono Scuba ChronographChronograph wristwatch · late-1990s/early-2000s
- Bulgari Diagono Scuba SD 38 SDiver's wristwatch · circa 2000-2010
- Bulgari Serpenti quartz wristwatchQuartz wristwatch
- Bulgari Smeraldo Ref. 104076Chronograph wristwatch · 09/2024
- Bulgari Tubogas wristwatch, Ref. G.1164-4Tubogas bracelet watch · circa 1970s
- Bvlgari Octo Roma Tourbillon SapphireTourbillon wristwatch · 2017
Diagram
Sources & references
- Bulgari, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Gianni Bulgari, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Bulgari, Wikipedia (German), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Anton Bulgari, Wikipedia (German), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Bulgari, Wikipedia (French), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Daniel Roth (horloger), Wikipedia (French), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.