Since 1948, the Bulgari Serpenti has remained amongst the most innovative, thoughtful, and downright cool ladies’ watch designs in the world. Having evolved from a handmade, hand-wound timepiece into a full-fledged collection spanning multiple models, it survived the Quartz Crisis with aplomb and now boasts—in certain configurations—in-house automatic movements. Now, over 75 years since the collection’s launch, men are finally getting their own version of the famed horological snake.
Feast your eyes on the new Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti. And yes, you read that right: The new model is a collaboration—the second following the splendid LM FlyingT Allegra—between the famed Italian jeweler and the mad scientists at MB&F. “The idea was to have the most incredible piece of mechanical art,” said Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Director of Watchmaking Creations at Bulgari, who approached MB&F about the idea in 2022. “When I made the [initial] sketches, I sent a picture to Max—I said, ‘I have an idea.’ And he replied immediately, saying, ‘I can’t wait— please show me what you have in mind.’ I sent these two sketches and after a few hours [he said], ‘Fabrizio, we had an internal meeting. We love the watch. Please go ahead.’”
Three years later, the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti is making its debut in 18K rose gold, Grade 5 titanium, and black PVD-coated titanium. Taking inspiration both from the classic Serpenti collection as well as MB&F’s innovative, futuristic designs, the watch is an amalgam of disparate influences that, appreciably, doesn’t hammer you over the head with its most serpentine qualities. In fact, glance quickly at the new collection without studying its different angles, and you might not even see a snake at all—rather, you might see an automobile, as one journalist pointed out during LVMH Watch Week back in January. “It looks like a car because Maximilian [Büsser, founder of MB&F] loves cars,” said Buonamassa Stigliani with a smile.
