Dear Friends,

BaselWorld closed its doors just 8 weeks ago but we’ve been so busy it seems like an eternity! The Fair was exhilarating – our small team survived over 140 meetings in a very optimistic business climate with lots of good vibes at The Dream Factory, where we presented alongside our friends from Urwerk, Christophe Claret and Peter Speake-Marin.

Since Basel there’s been a lot cooking: we just launched a new Frog a couple weeks ago, we’ve opened several new retail partners, we’ll be announcing our unique piece for the Only Watch auction in a few days… Read on!

Until recently, the world's rarest frog was thought to be Isthmohyla rivularis, from the rainforests of Costa Rica. Since May 10th, that tiny tree frog's place in the record books has been taken by a new amphibian: the HM3 Frog Zr, a limited edition of just 18 pieces.

Frog Zr ? Zr is the chemical symbol for zirconium, a metal resembling titanium – but tougher!
To give an idea of just how tough zirconium is, the blades in modern jet engines can only support the incredibly high temperatures and stresses they generate thanks to a protective ceramic layer of zirconium and yttrium oxide.

 

We introduced the HM3 Frog in 2010 to bring some fun into high-end watchmaking. The Frog Zr is no exception: underneath its tough black PVD zirconium skin, the flamboyant purple 22K gold rotor reflects hints of green and yellow…

 
 

This rare Frog is a limited edition of 18 pieces available exclusively from our retail partners in Los Angeles, Greenwich, Mexico City, Paris, London, Interlaken, Kiev, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Taichung and Macao… and Costa Rica of course.

You can download the full press release and images here

We’re happy to report signing up several new retail partners during Basel. One of those new friends is Jürg Kirchhofer in Interlaken.

Jürg is a true lover of horology. He soaked in the watchmaking world during all of his childhood by spending his free time in his father’s store, taking watches apart and putting them back together again. Today, Kirchhofer is one of the leading watch and jewellery businesses in Switzerland.

We are extremely honoured and pleased to have MB&F represented by Kirchhofer – who becomes our 17th retail partner in the world.

In just a few days we’ll be unveiling our unique piece for Only Watch, the charity auction to benefit research into duchenne muscular dystrophy. The auction is held every two years and brings together the cream of Switzerland’s haute horlogerie watchmakers – this year’s edition will take place in Monaco on the 22nd of September 2011, under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.

At Only Watch 2009, MB&F had already presented a powerful piece, in collaboration with the American artist Sage Vaughn. We return in 2011 with another emotionally charged piece, this time in collaboration with a remarkable Chinese artist: Huang Hankang. More on May 31st!

In our last newsletter, just two months ago, we were proud to announce that our Facebook community was approaching 9,000 Friends... Last week we hit the 10,000 mark. It still amazes us to see how reactive our community of Friends is – we love it! – please keep your great feedback flowing…

In case you’re not part of the community yet, our Facebook page is the place to discuss, learn and share experiences regarding MB&F. You can join in by visiting www.facebook.com/MBandF and clicking 'Like'

Among the major car collections in the world, there is one that stands out more than any other as synonymous with excellence: that of iconic American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. A selection of the world's most prestigious sports cars is on view for the first time in Europe at the Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

Seventeen outstanding cars, chosen by curator Rodolphe Rapetti, and put on display by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, outline the main phases of European automobile history. With this collection, Ralph Lauren shows that the automobile is a major art form created by the industry’s biggest names: Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche and of course, Ferrari. For more information, please click to visit our Blog, A Parallel World

On July 25th we celebrate our sixth birthday. Wow!… that’s still very young of course, but when we look back at all that’s been achieved, and what’s in store ahead, it seems a bit like a coming of age… Thanks so much to all of you for being part of the adventure!

With our very best regards,

Maximilian Büsser
Owner & Chief Creative Officer


May 2011 / www.mbandf.com