An Early Contender for Coolest Watch of the Year Just Dropped
WatchesMB&F and Bulgari teamed up to reimagine the iconic Serpenti for men.By Oren HartovFebruary 10, 2025Save this storySaveSave this storySaveSince 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.’”One of Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani's sketches of the Bulgari x MB&F Serpenti 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.But look more carefully and the serpentine influence is readily apparent: The case, which does indeed have undeniable automotive influence, sits atop the wrist facing one’s body. Here, multiple crystals—the idea was originally to have a single larger crystal, but this proved too difficult to machine—cover dual “eyes” facing outward from the case sides. A revolving disc on the left eye displays the hours, while one within the right-hand eye displays the minutes. Machined from paper-thin aluminum and coated in Super-LumiNova, these glow in the dark, lighting up the serpent’s eyes and bringing the Serpenti to life.Meanwhile, beneath the central crystal atop the case is the balance wheel and parts of the gear train, while another crystal— what might be considered the car’s rear window—faces away from the wearer and displays the rest of the movement. Dual rear “wheels” that sit atop the wrist flanking this display are actually two crowns: One of these winds the movement, while the other sets the time. Rather than wrapping around the wrist like a traditional Serpenti Tubogas model, the watch is paired with a modern two-piece strap with a hook-and-loop closure. Still snake-like, to be sure, but with more of an MB&F twist.This Serpenti is a marriage made in heaven and the platonic idea of a group project where both parties pull their weight. Buonamassa Stigliani and his team at Bulgari came up with the idea while MB&F developed and produced the watch. The movement is a reworked version of the one powering the MB&F HM10 Bulldog, a watch with an actual “jaw” that opens and closes depending on how much power the watch has left.Honoring a famous model’s decades of history—Elizabeth Taylor wore a Serpenti, for crying out loud!—while turning it into a mechanical sculpture for men is no mean feat. Buonamassa Stigliani, one of the most elite watch designers working today, found a kindred spirit in Max Büsser, someone always thinking about a watch in the most untraditional forms. Of course, the output of these two horological thought-leaders doesn’t come cheap: You’ll have to cough up six figures to secure an allocation, and you’ll have to move fast—the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti is limited to just 33 pieces in each configuration. A small contingent of collectors have long believed that men should embrace the Serpenti Tubogas—now it seems like that dream is finally coming true.
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.
But look more carefully and the serpentine influence is readily apparent: The case, which does indeed have undeniable automotive influence, sits atop the wrist facing one’s body. Here, multiple crystals—the idea was originally to have a single larger crystal, but this proved too difficult to machine—cover dual “eyes” facing outward from the case sides. A revolving disc on the left eye displays the hours, while one within the right-hand eye displays the minutes. Machined from paper-thin aluminum and coated in Super-LumiNova, these glow in the dark, lighting up the serpent’s eyes and bringing the Serpenti to life.
Meanwhile, beneath the central crystal atop the case is the balance wheel and parts of the gear train, while another crystal— what might be considered the car’s rear window—faces away from the wearer and displays the rest of the movement. Dual rear “wheels” that sit atop the wrist flanking this display are actually two crowns: One of these winds the movement, while the other sets the time. Rather than wrapping around the wrist like a traditional Serpenti Tubogas model, the watch is paired with a modern two-piece strap with a hook-and-loop closure. Still snake-like, to be sure, but with more of an MB&F twist.
This Serpenti is a marriage made in heaven and the platonic idea of a group project where both parties pull their weight. Buonamassa Stigliani and his team at Bulgari came up with the idea while MB&F developed and produced the watch. The movement is a reworked version of the one powering the MB&F HM10 Bulldog, a watch with an actual “jaw” that opens and closes depending on how much power the watch has left.
Honoring a famous model’s decades of history—Elizabeth Taylor wore a Serpenti, for crying out loud!—while turning it into a mechanical sculpture for men is no mean feat. Buonamassa Stigliani, one of the most elite watch designers working today, found a kindred spirit in Max Büsser, someone always thinking about a watch in the most untraditional forms. Of course, the output of these two horological thought-leaders doesn’t come cheap: You’ll have to cough up six figures to secure an allocation, and you’ll have to move fast—the Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti is limited to just 33 pieces in each configuration. A small contingent of collectors have long believed that men should embrace the Serpenti Tubogas—now it seems like that dream is finally coming true.
