The Bvlgari x MB&F Serpenti, representing the most epochal metamorphosis of the Serpenti collection as it ventures into the men’s universe, was recently unveiled in Dubai. A groundbreaking collaboration, it marks the first time that a women’s icon is being transformed into a men’s piece. “Day & Night” magazine sat down with Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Executive Director of Watch Design at Bvlgari, and Maximilian Büsser, Owner and Creative Director of MB&F, to discover the story behind the genesis of the new Serpenti
This is the second collaboration between Bvlgari and MB&F and I would have imagined that it would be a Legacy Machine, but it’s on a Horological Machine design; was that the original plan?
FBS: It was not made that way on purpose, but it’s very interesting because on some sketches that I made, it was named Horological Machine No. 10 Serpenti. I imagined making this kind of watch with Max. The idea was to have a Serpenti that was completely different – not just a different size of a Serpenti or a Seduttori of the high jewellery pieces.
It also had to be consistent with all our creations over the past 15 years. If we want to make a Serpenti for gentlemen, it had to be of a certain standard and not just a different aesthetic approach. We realised that we had to work with Max if we wanted to have this kind of object. I started to make sketches and sent a message to him, and he came up with this idea on WhatsApp. We were immediately on board with it and honestly, I’m very happy about that because he has made a huge effort with this watch. Max tells me that this is the most complicated case that he ever made, and this is an amazing achievement because he makes crazy things.
MB: Though it doesn’t look the most difficult, it is actually the most complex in terms of engineering and manufacturing. When I entered the industry in the late 80s, early 90s, watches were super boring in shape compared to the beautiful watches of the 50s and 60s. This was because we started to use computer-aided design (CAD), and the software of CAD was not precise and the engineers who were trying to design ended up making watches like blobs. Anything which had to be a little bit more beautiful was done by hand, sketching like we did earlier. Computers killed the beauty of watches in the 90s and beginning of 2000s. When I started doing my Horological Machine in 3D with Eric Giroud, who’s an architect by training, the constraints often ended up being the computer. Fabrizio worked on sketches, then we would go to the computer and try and get the beauty of the sketch. I’m very proud that our team managed to translate the essential beauty of his sketch into a watch – a very difficult task given the design software we have had to work with.
Serpenti is the most-protected Intellectual Property of Bvlgari; how did you get the approval first for a collaboration with another brand and then to use the Serpenti?
FBS: It was something that was in the air for many, many years. It was impossible for me to find the right face for this product. I didn’t make sketches about the Serpenti for gentlemen before this project because it was very difficult to imagine. And then, I got the idea of this sculptural watch. The biggest lesson I have got is from the automobile industry, when I was in the room where they used to make the one-on-one scale model of cars. I was with one of the oldest designers in the Centro Stile Fiat and he was checking the one-on-one scale. But he looked at it from a different viewpoint; he just used his hands, running it all over the body of the car. This is something that you have in your fingers. Max and I were basically feeling the body of the watch and making our changes. We got the first prototype, and I was not happy. Max and the MB&F team started again from scratch, and it took us a total of three years. This kind of shape is easy to make on the computer, but very difficult to create in titanium, steel, or gold. The light also adds to the shape. It’s always about light and reflection in the automotive industry; this part is crucial – the way you see the reflection. The idea was to have it as a two-body case, one on the other, like the Pininfarina model with this big wheel. When we started discussions, Max immediately said that it looks like an exotic modular car of the 70s; for me, it was like a James Bond movie car. Since we have the same references, it’s so easy to work together.
Did the project originate as a Serpenti for men, or did it change into that at some point?
FBS: I have had this project in mind for many years. Some time ago, we decided at Bvlgari that it would be great to create a Serpenti for gentleman, but only if we found the opportunity to do something incredible; otherwise, we wouldn’t. It seemed natural to me that I would have to work with Max on this and I started to make sketches. My biggest learning about the experience is that it’s absolutely an MB&F product; it’s absolutely a Bvlgari product. We have had a lot of collabs in different fields and it’s not easy to do this at all.
MB: This is a creator’s collab; it’s not a branding exercise. It’s two creators coming together. Two teams coming together to create something we’re proud of. This concept was not driven either by the CFO or by the CMO of the brands. This has been driven by creators.
Can we expect gem-set editions in the future?
FBS: It would be a nightmare to set gems on this case.
MB: It would be impossible to do so in its current form. It’s much smaller than a Bulldog, easier to wear, even on a tiny wrist. As it is, there is no way we can gem set anything on this. We would have to inflate the case a lot.
The movement of the Serpenti is based on the movement of the Horological Machine No. 10 ‘Bulldog’, but with some changes?
MB: The infrastructure is the same, but with a tonne of changes. The power reserve is no longer in the mouth and it’s much smaller. The whole of the base plate is different, so that changes everything. There are components which are the same, such as the barrel and the balance wheel, but then everything else has been changed. It’s the most complex case, but most people won’t realise it because it’s so fluid. This is so complicated to make it because it’s so fluid and we will also have people who will think the movement is similar to that of the Bulldog.
How was the sapphire on the rear, the ridges, done? Is it one piece?
MB: Yes, it is one piece; this insane man had an idea at some point, which I unfortunately thought was a great idea, but the rest of the team were appalled. Basically, it’s done with 5-axis 3D mills; we’re talking of hundreds of hours of machining, and it has to perfectly fit with the case, which is also with 5-axis 3D mills. We could not have a difference of even 200th of a millimetre, because it would no longer be water resistant. To make something as fluid with such difficult materials was one of the many challenges.
In the back, we can see the blade with the scales of the snake and then right above it is the two blades, which is something similar to HMX?
MB: Yes indeed; the HMX has two engines and two carburettors; we reused that idea. If you look at the first drawings, you cannot see a car in it; it was purely Serpenti. The original drawings had one sapphire glass, and we told Fabrizio that yes, it was possible to do that, but the cost was going to be four times as much, and we weren’t sure of its water resistance. We were finally forced to say that we needed to have two glasses. From there, the concept developed differently and practically at the end, Fabrizio comes up with this idea when he’s sketching in front of me and he says, “I like the Porsche Targa, which has this central pillar”. It’s the first time we start talking about a car. And from there onwards, we were like, “If it’s like a Targa, let’s make the back to be much more like a car”. It just flowed from there.
Why did you finalise on the three different colour combinations?
FBS: Because just one was not enough.
MB: We loved the first case – the black – that we saw. We then imagined the case in gold and that was great. In the end, we decided to have three. We didn’t want to come out with the titanium this year, then do the red colour the next year. That’s what normal brands do. We decided that this is a one time we have come together, and we would give all three. What is interesting is that the three animals, the Serpentis, are very different. Depending on their colours they really change and so you’ve got three interpretations of just one design. As of now, there is no plan to do any other iterations of these 99 pieces. This is a drop in the ocean for Bvlgari, but for MB&F, it’s one-fourth of our production this year. We do less than 400 watches a year, 99 is going to be a quarter of that. We had to cut out a certain amount of project watches that are on the waiting list.
Will all the watches be delivered this year?
MB: No, it’s going to take between now to the April of next year.
If you had to pick one version to wear on your wrist, which one would you pick?
FBS: Picking just one is difficult for me, as I like all three, but if given only one choice, I would pick the black one.
MB: I don’t wear gold, so for me I think it’s going to be the titanium because I tend to wear white, but that’s just a personal preference.
