The Serpenti is considered “one of Bvlgari’s most famous historical creations.” The Bvlgari & MB&F Serpenti is available in three variations: a grade 5 titanium case with blue domes, an 18K rose gold case with green domes, and a PVD-coated stainless steel case with red domes. Each edition is limited to 33 pieces.
Bvlgari & MB&F have teamed up to present the stunning new Serpenti. The Bvlgari & MB&F Serpenti marks the second cooperation between two friends: Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Director of Watchmaking Creation at Bvlgari, and Maximilian Büsser, MB&F’s Founder and Creative Director.
The Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti marks Fabrizio and Max’s second collaboration. Left: A PVD-coated stainless steel case with red domes. Middle: An 18K rose gold case with green domes. Right: A Grade 5 titanium case with blue domes.
In 2021, the two friends worked together on the “Bvlgari & MB&F LM FlyingT Allegra.” This cooperation brought the vibrant world of Bvlgari jewels to MB&F’s Legacy Machines. Following the success of their collaboration, the two friends naturally questioned, “What comes next?”
Fabrizio and Max attempted to recreate the Serpenti for the Bvlgari & MB&F Serpenti, “which first appeared in Bvlgari’s creations in 1948 – bringing it into the very mechanical universe of MB&F haute-horlogerie.”
“Transforming Serpenti, an icon of everlasting rebirth and audacious metamorphosis, into a Horological Machine necessitated a total redesign of this historical item, not only in terms of mechanical engineering and movement conception, but also in terms of case design and production. The Bvlgari & MB&F Serpenti is a one-of-a-kind creation, the result of an inspiring encounter and a shared vision in which caliber and design complement one another.”
“According to Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, the design aspects “were a delight to produce,” maybe giving the idea that this part of the process was relatively easy – but the hundreds of sketches and dozens of 3D-printed models show otherwise. In contrast to a traditional round design, which has only a few dimensions to experiment with, the Bvlgari & MB&F Serpenti case is infinitely more complex. Viewing an automobile from diverse angles, such as front, side, top, and back, requires equivalent satisfaction from all perspectives. Any change to a specific angle or curve, like a perfectly balanced equation with several variables, can damage another view while improving one.
This led to numerous variations of the Bvlgari & MB&F Serpenti design.”
Key Features:
Functions
- Hours, minutes, and the Power Reserve Indicator.
- Hours are displayed on the left dome. The aluminum dome spins every 12 hours.
- Minutes are displayed on the right dome. The aluminum dome spins every 60 minutes.
- The power reserve indicator is located on the rear of the movement, “thanks to dedicated hand and metallisation on the case back sapphire crystal.”
Case, Dial, and Bracelet
- Three editions.
- A grade 5 titanium case with a blue hour and minute domes.
Comes with a hand-stitched blue rubber strap with velcro closure and an ardillon buckle made of grade 5 titanium.
The 18K rose gold case features green hour and minute domes, also known as “piercing green eyes.”
Comes with a hand-stitched green rubber strap with velcro closure and an 18K rose gold ardillon buckle.
The black PVD-coated stainless steel case features red hour and minute domes and “comes alive with vibrant red eyes.”
Comes with a hand-stitched black rubber strap with velcro closure and an ardillon buckle made of grade 5 titanium.
All other features are the same across all three editions.
Dimensions: Length 53 mm, width 39 mm, height 13 mm.
The open-case design reveals “the intricate workings of the movement, with the case-back featuring a power-reserve indicator.”
The casing contains five sapphire crystals, each “treated with anti-reflective coating on both sides.”
The indexes and hour markers are covered in Super-LumiNova.
Water resistant up to 3 ATM (30 meters/90 feet).
The crownat 11 o’clock (left side) is for manual winding.
The crown at one o’clock (right side) is used to set the time.
“Once the aesthetics were perfected, the design had to be constructed and manufactured, which presented a number of additional obstacles. The Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti case is all about curves that come together to create a machining nightmare. The complicated curves extend beyond the case’s metal to the five sapphire crystals, including the snake’s eyes and the multi-faceted rear portion, which are all coated with anti-reflective material on both sides and have big holes for the movement.This mix of bent metals and sapphire crystals is not only extraordinarily difficult to process and finish, but also to make water-resistant up to 30 meters.”
“At MB&F, we specialize in ‘kinetic sculptures that provide time,’ thus this was clearly our calling. However, the biomorphic design of this watch presented great hurdles in terms of both the case and the movement,” says Maximilian Büsser.
“The intricate case is entirely machined with 5-axis 3d mills and holds the five sapphire crystals which were not only extremely complicated to make but equally challenging to fit due to the curved nature of the case and the desire for a water resistance of 30 meters.”
Movement
Powered by an MB&F in-house manual winding mechanism. It controls the hours (left dome), minutes (right dome), and power reserve indicator (back of the movement).
The movement’s design includes a “bespoke flying 14 mm balance wheel with four traditional regulating screws floating above the domed dials.”
Parts: 310. Jewels: 32. Frequency: 18,000 mph, or 2.5 Hz. Power reserve: 45 hours.
“Inside the complicated casing is a similarly complex movement that defies all traditional watchmaking standards, designed and developed in-house by MB&F. One of Fabrizio’s main ideas from the beginning was to bring Serpenti to (mechanical) life by animating its eyes; this has been realized as spinning hour and minute domes, with the left dome rotating in 12 hours and the right in 60 minutes. The paper-thin domes are machined from solid metal to be as light as possible, necessitating unique milling techniques. Both are embellished with hand-applied Super-LumiNova, ensuring that the snake’s eyes remain luminous even when darkness falls.”
“The technically challenging, oversized 14mm flying balance wheel with four traditional regulating screws, beating at the traditional rate of 2.5Hz (18,000bph) represents the mechanical reptile’s brain.” It is firmly held in place by a three-dimensional balance bridge carrying the names of both lovers. The Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti has separate crowns for winding and time-setting that are integrated into the rear lugs.
“When you flip the Machine over, you can see the power reserve indication and some of the other 310 components of the hand-finished movement. MB&F is one of the few remaining brands that maintains artisanal manufacturing procedures and finishes components by hand; this strategy is only practicable when producing a small number of watches every year (just under 400 in 2024). The watchmakers at MB&F can only create and assemble six to eight Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti movements per month; the 99 pieces will take over a year to complete.”
“Watchmaking professionals who have been following MB&F will notice some of the movement’s unusual features. These are the results of gradually developing competence throughout MB&F’s more than 20 calibres since 2005, particularly the manual-winding HM10 movement, despite major adjustments required to fit the sleek new Serpenti design.”
Just when I thought I’d seen everything, the Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti is revealed to the public. Reinterpreting an icon is never easy and must be done with extreme caution. In this case, the icon is the Serpenti, which has been a part of Bvlgari’s world since 1948 and should not be messed with. Fabrizio and Max have done an excellent job recreating the Serpenti in the MB&F design language.
In addition to its snake and automobile vibes, it appears to be part of a spaceship. The Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti speaks to the youngster in me who has always been (and continues to be) fascinated with autos, aircraft, and spacecraft. This may be what Fabrizio and Max (subconsciously) planned.
Without the “F” or Friends, MB&F would not be what it is today. Every individual or firm that works on an MB&F invention, whether it is an artist, watchmaker, designer, or manufacturer in the horological ecosystem (for example, case, hands, components, straps), gets credited with that creation. Fabrizio and Bvlgari are the most critical Friends of this project. LVMH owns Bvlgari, which was founded in 1884 and is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious luxury brands. Congratulations to them for cooperating with MB&F, an independent watch brand (now owned by Chanel) that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Most huge luxury watch brands (whether independently owned or part of a conglomerate) would never consider such a cooperation.
This shows Bvlgari’s modern mindset: on the one hand, maintaining accuracy with its past and traditions; on the other, combining heritage and imagination to create the fantastic Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti.
The 99 fortunate owners (I wouldn’t be shocked if each has already been spoken for) will become caretakers of a horological object whose design will endure the test of time. The Bvlgari X Serpenti is as much a mechanical masterpiece as it is a “watch.” Let us celebrate the Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti because it has made the world of design and horology better.
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