Second collaboration t for Bulgari and independent Swiss watch brand MB&F. They teamed up to create the first modern, genderless proposition with the jeweler's «Serpenti» motif.
Bulgari has teamed up with independent Swiss watch brand MB&F. A collaboration for a watch that redefines the jeweler's famous symbol, the «Serpenti».
Bulgari introduced the first Serpenti piece in 1948, evolving and redefining the design over the years.
«Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti» is the first modern genderless offering to feature the pattern.
Its timely launch coincides with the Year of the Snake. The animal of the year in the Chinese lunar calendar for 2025.
The clock shows a complex case modelled on the head of a snake. And it is powered by an MB&F caliber.
The curves extend to the metal of the case, the five sapphire crystals and the back. Each of these is treated with an anti-reflective coating on both sides. The design provides large openings for viewing the movement.
Maximilian Büsser, founder and creative director of MB&F, said the biomorphic design of the Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti watch posed «enormous challenges» in the construction of the case as well as the movement, which was designed and developed in-house by MB&F.
«The intricate case is entirely machined with 5-axis 3D mills and holds the five sapphire crystals. Not only were they extremely complex to manufacture, but equally difficult to mount due to the curved shape of the case. But also the desire for 30-metre water resistance,» said Büsser.
MB&F takes an innovative approach to watchmaking, and describes its creations as «kinetic sculptures that tell the time».
Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti included hundreds of sketches, dozens of 3D printed models and several iterations, according to the designers.
An original idea for the design was to animate the snake's eyes. An idea that materialized as rotating domes of hours and minutes. With the left dome doing a full rotation in 12 hours and the right dome in 60 minutes.
The domes, created to be as thin as paper and as light as possible, are made of solid aluminium. But that requires innovative milling processes. They also feature a handmade Super-LumiNova application, which allows the snake's «eyes» to glow in the dark.
The «brain» of the snake is an oversized 14 mm flying balance wheel. With four traditional buffer screws, operating at 2.5 Hz. It is held in place by a three-dimensional balance bridge that reads «Bulgari x MB&F».
For winding and setting the time, separate crowns are activated, integrated into the back lugs of the watch.
On the other side is the power reserve indicator, along with some of the other 310 components of the mechanism.
MB&F finishes its components by hand, a process that allows for limited craftsmanship.
Watchmakers can only manufacture and assemble six to eight Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti movements per month. Delivery of the total of 99 pieces takes more than a year.
The watch is available in three versions, each of which is limited to 33 pieces.
Options include a grade 5 titanium case with blue hour and minute domes, an 18-carat pink gold case with green domes, and also a black PVD-coated stainless steel case with red domes.
In 2021, the companies released the first watch they designed together, the «MB&F x Bulgari LM FlyingT Allegra». Combining Bulgari's coloured gemstones and MB&F's traditional MB&F movements.
The collaboration was the result of a chance meeting a few years earlier between Büsser and Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari's watchmaking director.
Both car enthusiasts, the two of them. They were also inspired by car design when developing Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti.
The watch features elements reminiscent of sports car windows, wheels. But also in the movement, engine-like components, including a grille with the hexagonal scale pattern seen on previous Serpenti creations.
Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bulgari Group, states: «Watchmaking is all about innovation and attractiveness, stemming from the magical fusion of exceptional expertise in micro-engineering with unexpected but striking timeless designs.».
Babin also said that brands must continue to innovate, especially in down cycles and with leadership that is obsessed with progress, beauty and strategic thinking that leads to unexpected initiatives.
«Our collaboration is unique in the world of watches because it bridges the two souls of our brands and gives birth to a timeless treasure - a true collector's item. The first truly genderless Serpenti resonates with both modern gentlemen and ladies alike. It shows that ultra-modern watchmaking can be created by the unexpected fusion of talents like Max and Fabrizio,» said Babin.
Stigliani said the Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti was a delight to design, even if it was technically difficult to produce. The goal was to have a completely different vision, he said.
«The snake is a wonderful object that appeals to many collectors. I think we have managed to give the Bulgari snake a new horizon. It's not just a feminine object that connects with the brand's DNA, but, for the first time, a technical object that speaks to the Bulgari aesthetic and showcases MB&F's expertise. Like all good collaborations, it's a win-win project,» said Stigliani.
Source: nationaljeweler.com
