Simply black: Alain Silberstein springs a surprise with his new case for Horological Machine N°2
It takes a lot to surprise followers of MB&F, but the latest version of Horological Machine N°2, with a case created by French artist watch designer Alain Silberstein, may well do it. Alain Silberstein is widely known for his bold use of colour and pattern – and one might have expected the adventurous Maximilian Büsser to push that tendency to the limit. But no, the two have come up with what they affectionately call the “black box”, all Bauhaus purity and restraint. It is crafted like a jewel, but Silberstein says that it reminds him of the miniature box cameras of the 1940s.
The new model’s real name is Horological Machine N°2.2.
The Silberstein case retains the twin porthole dials and powerful profile of the original Horological Machine N°2 with its flying-buttress lugs. But otherwise, it has been entirely rethought and rebuilt. The science-fiction shock of the original has given way to something lighter and more whimsical, with a personality all its own.