Over the course of my week in Basel I spent a lot of time zig zagging between all the halls. Initially I had tried to organise my diary in the most productive and effective manner. However with the greatest will in the world I was at the mercy of the brands unrelenting schedules. One of the most proactive companies is contemporary watchmaker MB & F. How they operate is that communications manager Charris Yadigaroglou fields questions from the press, whilst Maximilian Büsser concentrates on retail business. Effectively they work like a fine oiled machine and both parties seem to have an enormous amount of energy.
Even though I have talked to Maximilian Büsser on Skype until a couple of weeks ago I had never personally met him. Even then our first meeting was short lived because of Max’s demanding timescale. Fortunately Charris was more than accommodating and gave me access to all the company’s new offerings. Amazingly MB & F didn’t actually unveil any new timepieces at Baselworld this year. Instead they launched a highly intricate clock called Melchior created with L’Epée 1839. There is no doubt at all that this robotic clock is absolutely sublime and would make an extravagant inclusion to anyone’s home. However I wish they could have designed more timepieces for the show like the wonderful Horological Machine No°6.
Last November MB & F unveiled (in my opinion) their most ambitious timepiece to date called the Horological Machine No°6. Certainly it is a striking watch that seduced the attention of serious collectors. With a case size measuring 49.5 mm x 52.3 mm x 20.4 mm it will definitely not appeal to the faint hearted. However I was really surprised how comfortable the timepiece actually felt on the wrist. I think Charris mentioned that the official weight was around 70 grams (including the strap) although I would have guessed even lighter. Ultimately this is due to the stylish design of the case and choice of Grade 5 titanium in production. Realistically this watch would be reserved for extra special occasions rather than everyday usage.
When I originally wrote an article about the Horological Machine No°6 I had only seen 3D renderings of the watch. Certainly they don’t capture all the subtleties and actual beauty of the design. Swiss company Les Artisans Boitiers (who are situated in the picturesque location of La Chaux-de-Fonds) manufactured the curvaceous case. It truly is a work of art and for a MB & F a monumental achievement. I think all their timepieces are really cool (some much more than others) but this is at a completely different level. In the forthcoming months/years it will be interesting to see exciting new versions of this wonderful watch.
For more information about MB & F visit the company’s website: http://www.mbandf.com
