MB&F February 2010 Newsletter
Dear Friends,
2010 is already in full swing and is shaping up to be a seminal year for MB&F. January began strongly with the launch of the amazing HM2-SV at our Geneva exhibition and we are busy preparing for our exhibition at Baselworld 2010 in March. In this newsletter we are very pleased to welcome Lussori as our 14th retail partner and Friend of MB&F; we introduce Horolobot, our new mascot; and our Blog - A Parallel World - features the incredible NASA Puffin.
Click to read the full newsletter
HM2-SV
During the Geneva Watch Fair we unveiled the incredible HM2-SV ! SV for Sapphire Vision. HM2-SV is a very limited edition of just 25 pieces, with a transparent sapphire case that allows the owner to discover the intricacies and subtleties of the hand-finished movement and the construction of the titanium case. Honestly, when you have the piece in your hand it is simply astounding. Revealed in its naked three dimensionality, the movement looks just like a futuristic city suspended in space.
Why did we take so long to develop HM2-SV, and why only 25 pieces? Well the major difficulty lay in creating the 3.6mm thick sapphire top plate. This was a true technical achievement and only one sapphire manufacturer, Stettler in Lyss (Switzerland), was brave enough to attempt the challenge … and actually managed to do it! Each sapphire base plate takes at least 55 hours to machine and polish . . . even then, three out of four pieces break during the process! The rejects are mainly due to the drilling of the holes for the screws (near the edge) which induces tension and cracks.
The bright blue water resistance gaskets were developed specifically for the HM2-SV and match the hue of the blue disks and the 22k winding rotor on the back.
New Retail Partner, Lussori
It is our great pleasure to have Lawrence Kosick and his store, Lussori, as Friends of MB&F. Our Horological Machines are currently available at their beautiful location on the main street of Carmel, California, and soon to be at their new store opening in Los Altos, Silicon Valley.
Horolobot
Might 2010 see the Rise of the Machines? At MB&F the answer is a resounding yes! Alban Thomas from GVA Studio in Geneva surprised us with this amazing Robot created with our first three Horological Machines. He immediately became our official mascot and was named HoroloBot! You can download him (yes he is a him) in high-resolution or as a wallpaper.
MB&F on Facebook and Twitter
To stay up-to-date with everything happening in the world of MB&F, we invite you to join our nearly 4,000 friends and become a Fan of MB&F on Facebook and you can also follow us on Twitter.
MB&F is pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at Baselworld 2010 March 18-25 with 'The Dream Factory' - a collaboration of MB&F, URWERK, Speake-Marin and Christophe Claret - at the Baselworld Palace (opposite the Ramada hotel). To arrange an appointment please contact Estelle Tonelli.
We hinted in the last newsletter that 2010 would be the most creatively exhilarating year to date. So please stay tuned as we will be unveiling one amazing project after the other.
Thank you so much for following us and till next time, all the very best,
With our warmest regards,
MONDAY JANUARY 18 2010
MB&F presents HM2-SV (Sapphire Vision)
Horological Machine No.2-SV features a room-with-a-view crystal-clear sapphire case with titanium back. With its totally transparent case, HM2-SV offers unprecedented visual access to the painstakingly hand-finished, 349-component engine powering the indications on its iconic twin dials.
Sapphire's hardness is second only to diamond, which makes the whole top half of the case (the most exposed half) extremely scratch-resistant. This is a timepiece that will keep its good looks for a very, very long time.
While wristwatches have long featured synthetic sapphire crystals, its use in watchcases has been much more limited, and with good reason. Sapphire retains its strength at high temperatures, has zero porosity and only reacts with acids above 300°C. However, the very properties that make it so attractive as a potential case material also make it immensely difficult to work, requiring sophisticated diamond tools to machine, and then it needs to be very carefully polished to turn the naturally opaque surface transparent.
The process would have been very difficult for even a plain plate of this size, but the complex, three-dimensional form required for HM2-SV, with its bevels, mounting holes, crystal cut-outs and gasket track, pushed the extreme limits of sapphire crystal technology way beyond what was thought possible.
Surprisingly, because it is largely unseen, the sapphire is a substantial 3.6mm thick. Thanks to anti-reflective treatment on both sides - in itself no small technological feat to uniformly apply - the case becomes virtually invisible and allows for full appreciation as the eye is drawn into appreciating a myriad of sublime nuances that are revealed in the intricate movement. Eight mounting bolts, traversing the sapphire plate like pillars and passing through the bright blue gasket sealing the two case halves adds to the architectural nature of the three-dimensional case. The eye-catching blue of the gasket is echoed in the hour disk and moon phase, and also the blued 22k gold Battle-axe automatic winding rotor is arrestingly visible through the display back.
To ensure maximum light and visibility through to the movement, the two dials - minutes and date - are also in sapphire, sapphire disks lightly brushed to a perfect translucency ensuring full legibility of the polished silvered numbers while allowing maximum light through to the engine beneath.
The engine, developed by award-winning master watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, features the world's first mechanical movement offering: Instantaneous Jump Hour, Concentric Retrograde Minutes, Retrograde Date, Bi-Hemisphere Moon Phase and Automatic Winding. One highlight (of many) of the HM2 complication is the highly energy-efficient Jump Hour/Retrograde mechanism developed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, which uses his exclusive (and patented) asymmetrical-tooth gear wheels to ensure high precision and play-free functionality.
While Horological Machine No2-SV is a highly engineered 21st century timepiece in every sense, the quality and execution of the hand finishing showcases the very best in traditional craftsmanship. It is craftsmanship that is brought to the fore as the sapphire case allows uninterrupted light to enter, bounce and scintillate off the highly polished surfaces and perfectly hand-bevelled edges, bringing vivacity to the rich combination of colours, materials, shapes and textures.
Horological Machine No.2-SV is a limited edition of 25 pieces only
THURSDAY DECEMBER 31 2009
A very Happy New Year to all of our Friends from MB&F
2009 was a turning point in many people’s lives and for many companies. It was a defining year due to the global economic uncertainty and difficulties; a year that helped us better understand what is important for each of us and on whom we could count.
Clearly it is in tough times that you recognize your real friends and for a company that incorporates the word “Friends” in its name that was very important.
I learned last month in South East Asia that MB&F was often referred to as “My Brothers and Friends”, which truly conveyed the spirit.
Indeed, we all worked much harder, we stuck together, we battled side by side, and because of that we finished the year stronger and more serene. 2010 sees MB&F prepared to launch the most exhilarating creative year of our existence.
We wish you all a 2010 filled with a festival of amazement, smiling complicities, strong brotherhood and crazy dreams coming true !
With our warmest regards, Max Büsser
TUESDAY DECEMBER 08 2009
MB&F's December 2009 Newsletter
Dear Friends,
With a generally difficult 2009 drawing quickly to a close it’s time for us to reflect on how fortunate we are to have developed such a strong network of friends and partners. You have all enabled MB&F to not only survive, but to power from strength to strength. In this, our last newsletter for the year, we feature our latest creation, the HM2.2 “Black Box”. I have just come back from a two-week tour in Asia presenting it with my friend Alain Silberstein and the looks of wonder and the smiles generated by this creation were heart-warming.
We welcome Marcus in London as the latest retail Friend of MB&F and this Newsletter also features Laurent Picciotto wearing his HM3 with panache; MB&F’s Concept Lab on Facebook (3000+ fans!); and what can be done with imagination, a few friends... and a herd of sheep!
You can read it all this and more by clicking MB&F December 2009 NewsletterTUESDAY SEPTEMBER 08 2009
The Only Watch HM2: A Piece Unique to Support a Cause
To view this Newslatter full size, please click Only Watch HM2
Dear Friends,
There are times in life when we must cease to look only for ourselves and find the time to help others. And there is perhaps no better cause than alleviating the suffering of children. With that in mind, over the last 16 months MB&F has been creating, developing and crafting an amazing piece unique to help combat muscular dystrophy.
There is a butterfly trapped in the movement of this very special Horological Machine. It has no hope of escaping and its plight is intensified by the barbed wire enmeshing the complicated movement. This emotionally charged piece, a one-of-a-kind interpretation of Horological Machine No2, is signed by its designer, the famed American artist Sage Vaughn.
It will be auctioned at Only Watch, the charity auction to benefit research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, to be held in Monaco on 24 September 2009 under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.
Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disorder affecting boys. It causes a progressive weakening of the muscles that becomes fatal as the child gets older. The Monegasque Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (AMM) is a leading force in the drive to find a cure.
I was determined to work with Sage Vaughn for this special project. His paintings of gaily dressed children and bright birds or butterflies against bleak urban backgrounds had the tension between affirmation of life and a sense of desperation that I thought important and wanted to convey. Sage, a young artist whose solo shows have won widespread critical acclaim, has fought and conquered his own demon – a seven-year heroin addiction – and the pain of that struggle is felt in the emotional power of his work. Sage not only immediately agreed to work with us on this project; his enthusiasm and dedication were a driving power to its completion.
Please visit the dedicated Only Watch section on our website, and if you are interested in helping research into finding a cure for this debilitating desease, by bidding for this amazing piece, you are invited to register at www.patrizziauction.com
The MB&F piece unique will be one of 32 timepieces by other renown brands including Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin and you can learn more at the Patrizzi & Co website. We owe Osvaldo Patrizzi a debt of thanks for dedicating his time and resources to orchestrate this unique charity auction.
Beautiful horology is very worthwhile but a child's smile is priceless.
With our very best regards,
