New Release: Bulgari and MB&F Transform Serpenti Watches into Horological Machines
Two of the most prominent and active designers in the modern watch industry, Bulgari’s Fabrizio Buonamassa and MB&F’s Maximilian Büsser, have teamed up to reinterpret the Italian-Swiss brand’s iconic piece: the Serpenti. Reinterpreted into what? Well, a lot of things, some of which are obvious. To find out more, read on for Bulgari’s MB&F Serpenti watch – officially known as Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti.
Both Büsser and Buonamassa have been deeply involved in watch design and conception for over twenty-five years. The former founded MB&F during his tenure at Harry Winston, where he created the groundbreaking Opus line of ultra-high-end watches, while the latter joined Bulgari in 2001 after a brief stint at Fiat in Turin. Büsser has broken the rules of case shape and wearability, and transformed some of the wildest concepts into successful horological machines. Buonamassa, by contrast, has taken on the challenge of writing a new chapter in Bulgari’s long and complex history, but he’s also had the guts to reinterpret many of its definitive design codes. best luxury watches
Books could be written about the limited editions of both brands—MB&F has produced so many so far that we’ve probably forgotten some. Likewise, Bulgari has dozens of record-breaking Octo Finissimo watches, as well as rare one-of-a-kind creations. It would be foolish to question the contributions of these two gentlemen to modern watch design. Now, whether one prefers gleaming, frog-inspired Horological Machines or sapphire-encrusted, Colosseum-like timepieces is a more subjective question.
The Bulgari MB&F Serpenti isn’t the first collaboration between the two companies—we saw the MB&F Bulgari LM FlyingT Allegra in 2021—but I think it’s the first that can be called a men’s watch, and if not then at least it has more universal appeal than a colorful, gem-encrusted, fragile-looking work of art like the Allegra. But if we call this piece men’s (too), is it the first Serpenti we can reasonably expect to see on a man’s wrist? Quite possibly. high quality replica watches
Interestingly, in recent years (many years), I’ve seen aBlogtoWatch team members and journalists from other publications try out the Serpenti with a Tubogas bracelet and beg the brand to release a men’s version. OK, the Bulgari MB&F Serpenti isn’t a 1:1 interpretation of the Serpenti as a men’s watch, but it does draw a lot of inspiration from this fascinating watch and jewelry icon. “Which Serpenti?” I hear you ask, because there are many. I’d bet it’s the higher-end version, the Serpenti Misteriosi, whose snake-like head was the inspiration for this collaboration.
Bulgari claims that it took hundreds of sketches and dozens of 3D printed models to finalize the current shape and repackage the small jewel case into a large watch head that can enclose the MB&F movement creation, which uses the now-trademark suspended balance wheel that we first saw on the Legacy Machine 1 more than a decade ago. It will be interesting to see how this rather special mechanical piece is overshadowed by other creations from Serpenti.
The Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti case is all about curves, “which combine to form a machining nightmare.” The duo explain: “The complex curves extend from the metal of the case to the five sapphire crystals, including the snake eyes and the faceted back – all treated with an anti-reflective coating on both sides and providing a large opening over the movement.” Büsser adds: “The biomorphic design of this watch presented a huge challenge (…). The delicate case, machined entirely on a five-axis 3D milling machine and housing five sapphire crystals, was not only extremely complex to make, but also equally challenging to install due to the curved nature of the case and the requirement for 30m water resistance.” Seen above is what looks like a custom tool used to apply pressure to the various sapphire windows as they are fastened to the case. replica watches reviews
Now, we mentioned in the intro that the Serpenti has been reinterpreted as “many things, some of which are obvious”. The press release offers a little tip for those more familiar with Buonamassa and Büsser: “Like a car, the perspectives are very different when viewed from the front, from the side, from the top, from the back… and all of these perspectives must be equally satisfying.” Perhaps the most radical new idea here is that the Bulgari MB&F Serpenti watch is intentionally designed, at least in part, to be distinctively automotive.
If you look at some of Buonamassa’s sketches—he makes brilliant automotive sketches in his spare time and shares them in time-lapse videos on his personal Instagram—they look a lot like automotive drawings (or the Millennium Falcon, on the right). Büsser also saw the automotive world as his calling, as he told Naked Watchmaker: “[As a kid I wanted to be] a car designer. From the age of 4 to 18 I was sketching cars. It was my calling. When I graduated at 18, the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena (the most prestigious automotive design school in the world) opened a European campus in Switzerland, 20 minutes from where we lived. Tuition was ridiculously expensive and my parents had no means, but they told me they would find the money. I felt I couldn’t ask them to make that sacrifice, so I did a Masters in Microtechnology Engineering instead. During that time I discovered watchmaking…”
For a lifelong car enthusiast, one glance at the image above is all it takes to see the styling cues of ’60s cars throughout the bodywork – not just the prominent use of windshields, side windows and louvered rear windows, but also the use of curves and shapes that were once considered aerodynamic in car design. The Serpenti, and I never thought I’d say that, is clearly modeled after a mid-engined car, with a short nose, a forward-leaning cabin and an engine bay that sits ahead of the rear wheels. It’s not easy to find a car and a picture that conveys the interdisciplinary approach these two hardcore car fans took when redesigning the Serpenti, but I think I succeeded in doing so with that Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Prototipo (whose color was modified to match the watch in the picture). Frankly, at this point, I think Büsser and Buonamassa should simply design a watch that is completely inspired by the car, perhaps a successor to the Horological Machine 5.
Even the movement itself features engine-like design elements, with two grooved, ink-filled parts that look an awful lot like valve covers used on fancier internal combustion engines, or the grille-like parts at the rear of the movement that feature a hexagonal pattern borrowed from previous Serpenti watches. The Bulgari MB&F Serpenti watch is powered by a self-winding in-house movement with a 14mm balance wheel, a 45-hour power reserve, and two aluminum domes for the hours and minutes, with a power reserve display on the back. replica Jacob & Co. Astronomia
This particular Serpenti is described as a 39mm wide watch. Thankfully, its full dimensions, along with wrist shots, have been provided to show it more fully: it measures 53mm (lug to lug), 39mm diagonal, and 18mm thick. While it’s certainly no Octo Finissimo, the Bulgari MB&F Serpenti looks to be a beautifully wearable watch, not just by Horological Machine standards, but perfect for the occasion. Personally, I’m looking forward to wearing it.