A long childhood passion for assembling model aircraft had Maximilian Büsser's walls, cupboards and ceiling covered in small aircraft of every description. Planes were the last things he saw at night and the first things he saw each morning. As Büsser the boy became a man, something of the child and his planes remained, quietly waiting until… HM4 Thunderbolt!
Each of the Thunderbolt’s movement’s 311 components was developed specifically for it; no off-the-shelf mechanisms or parts were used at all due to the extreme nature of its architecture.
The contrasts of matte with highly polished surfaces, titanium with sapphire, straight lines with seductive curves, and rigid forms with articulated arms endow Horological Machine No4 with a life and vibrancy that sets it apart from anything that has ever gone before.
Features
A detachable 18k gold panda and reins on top of Horological Machine No4 with the signature of the artist, Huang Hankang, on the sapphire glass display panel.
Case
Grade 5 titanium and sapphire with a detachable 18k white gold panda holding gold reins
Dimensions (without panda): 54mm wide x 52mm long x 24mm high
Number of components: 65
Articulation of the lugs: 3°
Functions
Hours, minutes, and power reserve indicator
Hours and minutes on the right dial; power reserve indicator on the left dial
Separate crowns for time setting and winding
Engine
Three-dimensional horological engine developed 100 percent by MB&F
Manual winding with two mainspring barrels in parallel
Power reserve: 72 hours
Balance frequency: 21,600bph/3Hz
Number of components: 311
Number of jewels: 50
Sapphire crystals
Five sapphire crystals: 2 for the dials, 2 for the display panels (top and bottom), and 1 for the central case section
Strap and buckle
A black hand-stitched calfskin strap with a titanium/white gold custom-designed deployment buckle attached to articulated lugs
Painting
The HM4 Only Watch is accompanied by the original watercolour that artist Huang Hankang painted to express his message with MB&F's Horological Machine No. 4.