For a maison synonymous with unabashedly glamorous jewellery and Hollywood icons, including Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, Bulgari’s watches often have a surprisingly understated aesthetic.

Take the sleek Octo Finissimo watch for men. With a distinctive eight-sided case, it launched in 2014 as the world’s thinnest tourbillon movement at just 1.95mm thick – a record that is yet to be broken. The elegant, angular design is now a Bulgari signature, and the house has been busy over the past seven years creating one record-setting model after another.

The Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT, for example, arrived in cool matte-grey titanium in 2019 as the world’s thinnest self-winding watch. In January of this year, Bulgari released a stainless steel iteration, with a striking, blue sunray dial.

A selection of Octo Finissimo watches is currently on display at the all-new Watches of Switzerland boutique at Broadgate, near Liverpool Street Station, as part of a new Bulgari pop-up. Further ultra-slim styles include the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton, which was released in 2020 and, you’ve guessed it, set yet another record. This time as the flattest tourbillon chronograph wristwatch every created.

For women, there is the snakelike Serpenti jewellery watch, which coils seductively up the wrist. Now a Bulgari calling card, the Serpenti Tubogas rose to prominence during the 1940s and takes its name quite literally from a flexible gas pipe, which was the inspiration behind its spiraling shape. The watch nestles neatly in the snake’s head.

Since then, Bulgari’s den of serpents has taken on many forms, from smooth, polished-metal pieces to gem-encrusted designs. Launched this year, the latest Serpenti Spiga is the brand’s most sparkling interpretation yet, with a glittering diamond pavé bracelet.

The Bulgari pop-up continues throughout July and August, bringing a touch of Italian sprezzatura to Broadgate this summer.