Dear Friends,
As you may (or may not) have already heard, MB&F presented Horological Machine N°3 in late October and the reaction from both press and public alike has been overwhelming. We do not expect our radical concepts to please everybody, so it gives us a big rush of adrenalin when they do!
MB&F is about individuals and individualists demand choice, so we developed HM3 in two versions: ‘Sidewinder’, with its cones perpendicular to the arm; and ‘Starcruiser’, with its cones in-line with the arm. Each has its own very distinct visual characteristics; each offers its own unique angle on telling the time.
HM3’s twin cones indicate hours and minutes respectively, with the hour cone capped by a day/night indicator. An over-sized date wheel – the wheel is actually a larger diameter than the movement - allows for large, clearly legible numbers, with the date indicated by a neatly engraved triangle.
The movement of HM3 has been literally turned upside down to allow for an uninterrupted view of the solid gold winding rotor and the animated oscillations of the balance wheel. The technical challenges in inverting the movement were considerable; however, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, winner of the inaugural award for Best Watchmaker at the 2007 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, and his team at Agenhor not only met but surpassed the challenge.
Turning the watch over reveals the technical secret behind the inverted movement: two large, high-tech ceramic bearings that efficiently transmit power up to the cones and the date wheel.
Delivery of the first HM3 pieces will start March/April 2009, and we expect to deliver approximately 25 pieces of each reference over the following 12 months.
HM3 Starcruiser in Red Gold & Titanium
HM3 Sidewinder in White Gold & Titanium
With this, our 3rd Machine, MB&F comes of age. I would especially like to thank again those who have believed in us from the very beginning - this when one needed to be a great dreamer or a little crazy (or both!) to understand what we were aiming to achieve. And I warmly welcome all the enthusiasts who are joining the ranks of our kinetic sculpture fans.
With my very best regards,
Maximilian Büsser
