The Art of Luxury Issue 50 2022 | Page 84

WATCHES & TIMEPIECES

MB & F X BULGARI LEGACY MACHINE FLYINGT ALLEGRA

The story of the collaboration between Bulgari and MB & F is first and foremost that of an encounter – initially motivated by mutual professional respect and subsequently evolving into a strong friendship – between Bulgari ’ s Product Creation Executive Director , Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani , at Bulgari ; and on the other MB & F ’ s Founder and Creative Director , Maximilian Büsser . The outcome is FlyingT Allegra , a joint and unexpected feminine creation merging various skills , but above all two mindsets .
This story is also that of an unlikely connection , of two paradoxes combining to form a single , homogeneous and sophisticated whole . It is also the story of an encounter between two unusual and unconventional creative approaches . When MB & F and Bulgari decide to join forces , the result can only be extraordinary , in the truest sense of the word .
Both Bulgari and MB & F display strong character in their respective fields yet are also very different . The Rome-based Maison is known for its love of cabochon-cut coloured gems in jewellery watch creations expressing Mediterranean warmth and exuberance diametrically opposed to the currently prevailing classicism . Born in 2005 , MB & F took the decision to design radical timepieces exploring previously uncharted conceptual territory within a watch industry environment characterised by stubborn conventionalism .
The two brands were thus bound to converge on a shared platform : that of their jewellery-making and mechanical audacity . MB & F works on volumes and complexity , while Bulgari creates two-dimensional models with a radically graphic aesthetic . The choice to revisit MB & F ’ s Legacy Machine FlyingT was thus both natural and logical , since FlyingT Allegra incorporates both sensibilities .
84 The Art of Luxury Issue 50 2022