Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Bulgari · Serpenti
Bulgari Serpenti 36 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
Reference 13415OR.43
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Bulgari
- Collection
- Serpenti
- Model
- Bulgari Serpenti 36 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
- Reference number
- 13415OR.43
- Year / era
- 1963 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 52C — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1963 – 1970
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Bulgari Serpenti 36 mm Skeletonised Sapphire sits within Bulgari's Serpenti line, introduced in 1963. It carries the house codes established since 1884 — sapphire crystal case case, skeletonised dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Bulgari
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1884
- Founder
- Sotirio Bulgari
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Octo Finissimo, Serpenti, Bulgari Bulgari, Diva's Dream, Aluminium
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Bulgari Octo Finissimo 36 mm Salmon Platinum (1955) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 42 mm Silvered Sapphire (1984) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 42 mm Meteorite Stainless (1952) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 39 mm Silvered 18k (1953)
Brand history
Bulgari has spent more than 142 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Octo Finissimo, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Sotirio Bulgari established Bulgari in 1884, working from Italy at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Bulgari calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1884
Sotirio Bulgari founds Bulgari in Italy.
1899
Bulgari earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Bulgari to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Bulgari enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Bulgari continues to produce Octo Finissimo, Serpenti, Bulgari Bulgari and other icons in limited numbers.