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. Founded in 1884, Bvlgari is renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship, innovative designs, and rich heritage, combining Italian elegance with Swiss precision—materialized in iconic collections such as Serpenti, Octo Finissimo and Bvlgari Bvlgari.
MB&F 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.
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, colorful world of Bvlgari jewelry into MB&F’s Legacy Machines. After the success of that collaboration, the two friends naturally wondered, what they’d next.
For their second collaboration, Bvlgari and MB&F—Fabrizio and Max—chose to reinterpret one of Bvlgari’s most famous historical creations, the iconic Serpenti watch, which first appeared in Bvlgari’s creations in 1948. There are three different versions to choose from—two in titanium and one in 18K rose gold—, each limited to only 33 pieces.
The first comes in a grade 5 titanium case with blue hour and minute domes and is secured by a hand-stitched blue rubber strap with velcro system and ardillon buckle in grade 5 titanium; the second is housed in an 18K rose gold case and features piercing green eyes and secured by a hand-stitched green rubber strap with velcro system and ardillon buckle in 18K rose gold, and a third version is crafted from black PVD-coated stainless steel and comes alive with vibrant red eyes and a hand-stitched black rubber strap with velcro system and ardillon buckle in grade 5 titanium.
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. Once perfected aesthetically, the design then needed to be engineered and manufactured—and this generated several further challenges. The MB&F X Bvlgari Serpenti case is all about curves, combined to create a machining nightmare. The complex curves extend beyond the metal of the case to the five sapphire crystals, including the snake’s eyes and the multi-faceted rear section—all treated with anti-reflective coating on both sides and providing large openings on the movement. This combination of curved metals and sapphire crystals is not only extremely difficult to machine and finish, but also incredibly challenging to make water-resistant to 30 meters.
Inside the complex case measuring 53 mm x 39 mm x 18 mm, 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 materialized as a 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 aluminum to make them as light as possible, requiring innovative milling processes. Both are adorned with hand-applied SuperLumiNova so that when darkness falls, the luminous gaze of the snake’s eyes persists.
The mechanical reptile’s brain is symbolized by the technically challenging, oversized 14 mm flying balance wheel with four traditional regulating screws, beating at the traditional rate of 18,000 vph. 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.
Flipping the Machine over reveals the power reserve indicator, along with some of the other 310 components of the hand-finished movement. The watchmakers at MB&F can only craft and assemble six to eight MB&F X Bvlgari Serpenti movements per month; the 99 pieces will require over a year to deliver.
In addition to its obvious Serpenti origins, this unique new series reveals another source of inspiration for its two creators. Both Fabrizio and Max are car design enthusiasts and grew up with the same automotive references. Initially, there was no plan to incorporate automobile design codes into the Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti, but there is no denying the influence that has seeped into this new creation: a case that resembles sleek automotive bodywork, a complex “stepped” sapphire crystal shaped like the flaps on the rear window of a sports car, crowns that could easily be mistaken for car wheels. The apparent portion of the movement also includes car engine-like components, including a grille with the famous hexagonal scale motif seen on previous Serpenti creations.
Sticker Price USD 148,000 for the titanium models and USD 170,000 for the 18K rose gold. For more info on MB&F click here. For more info on Bvlgari click here.
