A few months ago I finally had the pleasure of meeting MB & F owner Maximilian Büsser and Head of Communications Charris Yadigaroglou at Baselworld. To my surprise the pièce de résistance was not a timepiece but a contemporary clock named Melchior. Don’t get me wrong; this fine mechanical marvel is absolutely exquisite but not what you’d normally expect from a watch brand. I suppose ultimately that is the point, as MB & F isn’t a normal watch brand in any shape or form. Essentially the company is an experimental and collaborative design platform. This means they have the flexibility to create a range of products like timepieces, clocks and musical devices.
A few months ago I published my in depth review of their phenomenal Horological Machine No°6. In the interim period MB & F have been awarded the Red Dot prize. Apparently Maximilian Büsser was gracious in his acceptance and said that it came as an enormous shock. Personally I feel this amazing watch is a worthy recipient and certainly one of my favourites from Baselworld. Previously the only other Red Dot prize-winning watch that I have reviewed is the fantastic SPARC Sigma MGS. It is also pertinent to mention that this incredible (in house Swiss mechanical) timepiece retails at less that 5% of the cost price of the formidable Horological Machine No°6.
Recently MB & F celebrated their 10th anniversary by releasing a new watch called the HMX. Dimensionally it is smaller than many of their smaller models and measures 46.8 x 44.3 x 20.7 mm. Nevertheless the timepiece would still be considered large by modern standards. For that reason I feel the watch will only appeal to a small demographic of buyers. Realistically I can imagine that this timepiece would feel relatively light and comfortable to wear. Primarily this is down to the innovative case design and choice of titanium/steel in production.
Visually the HMX is very close in appearance to the SUBCRAFT Titanium by RJ Romain Jerome. In fact the only major difference are that the time is displayed in a linear digital format on the SUBCRAFT and via rotating discs on the HMX. Both watches have beautifully contoured futuristic cases and top mounted sapphire windows. Essentially I don’t see these similarities as a problem as both timepieces display an enormous amount of design merit.
At the heart of the watch is an in house movement powered by a Selita gear train. This caliber comprises 29-jewels and oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). Each of the 223 mechanical components (including the 22K gold automatic winding rotor) has been handcrafted and is visible through the sapphire crystal case back. Functionally the HMX features jumping hours and trailing minutes. The timepiece also has a power reserve of 42-hours and is water resistant to a depth of 30 metres.
The HMX is limited to 20 pieces (4 types: Lotus black, British racing green, Bugatti blue or Ferrari red) and has a partially perforated calfskin strap with matching titanium tang buckle. Priced for the discerning at: $30,000.
