Bvlgari is a child of Italian elegance and Swiss precision. This beloved brand is renowned for its exceptional craftmanship, innovative designs and rich heritage. MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends) has redefined traditional watchmaking since 2005 by creating three- dimensional kinetic sculptures for the wrist: Horological Machines that are brought to life through collaboration with the brand’s “Friends” and are inspired by themes as diverse as science fiction, supercars and the animal kingdom. MB&F and Bvlgari are worlds apart, and yet they share an unexpected connection that gives birth to one-of-a-kind creations that challenge horological conventions.
This is not their first collaboration. In 2021, sparked by a chance encounter a few years earlier between Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, director of watchmaking creation at Bvlgari, and Maximilian Büsser, founder and creative director of MB&F, the two brands released a first collaboration: the MB&F x Bvlgari LM FlyingT Allegra. This collaboration brought the exuberant, colourful world of Bvlgari jewellery into MB&F’s Legacy Machines. After the success of that collaboration, the two friends naturally wondered, what next?
For this second collaboration, Fabrizio and Max chose to reinterpret one of Bvlgari’s most famous historical creations – Serpenti, which first appeared in Bvlgari’s creations in 1948 – bringing it into the very mechanical universe of MB&F haute-horlogerie. Combining the vision and expertise of these two creative forces, the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti slithered into being...
Reimagining Serpenti – an emblem of eternal rebirth and bold metamorphosis – into a Horological Machine required a complete redevelopment of this historical piece, not only in terms of mechanical engineering and movement conception, but also in terms of case design and manufacturing. The Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti represents a unique creation, born from an inspired encounter and a shared vision, where calibre and design seamlessly enhance one another.
According to Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, the design aspects “were a pleasure to create”, perhaps giving the impression that this part of the process was relatively easy – but the hundreds of sketches and dozens of 3D- printed models attest otherwise. Contrary to a classic round case, which offers only a few dimensions to experiment with, the case of the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti could not be more complicated. Like an automobile, the view is radically different depending on whether you admire it from the front, the side, the top, the back... and all those views must be equally satisfying. Like a carefully-balanced equation with multiple variables, any adjustment to a particular angle or curve, although improving a certain view, can potentially destroy another. This resulted in countless iterations of the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti design.
Inside the complex case, an equally complex movement that breaks all traditional watchmaking conventions, conceived and developed in-house by MB&F. From the beginning, one of Fabrizio’s central ideas was to bring Serpenti to (mechanical) life by animating its eyes; this has been materialised as revolving hour and minute domes, the left dome making a full rotation in 12 hours and the right one in 60 minutes. The paper-thin domes are machined from solid aluminium to make them as light as possible, requiring innovative milling processes. Both are adorned with hand-applied Super-LumiNova, so that when darkness falls, the luminous gaze of the snake’s eyes persists.
The mechanical reptile’s brain is symbolised by the technically challenging, oversized 14mm flying balance wheel with four traditional regulating screws, beating at the traditional rate of 2.5Hz (18,000bph). It is firmly held in place thanks to a three-dimensional balance bridge bearing the two partners’ names. Separate crowns are actuated for winding and time-setting, incorporated in the rear lugs of the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti.
There are three different versions to choose from, each limited to only 33 pieces. The first comes in a grade 5 titanium case with blue hour and minute domes. The second is housed in an 18K rose gold case and features piercing green eyes, and a third version is crafted from black PVD-coated stainless steel and comes alive with vibrant red eyes.
