SP One
Overview
After 20 years of wild creativity, what if MB&F created an elegant, time-only, 38mm timepiece?
Encased in a 38mm pebble-like shell, the SP One melds a smooth, tactile feel with a bezel-free design and delicately detached lugs. As MB&F’s slimmest and smallest watch, it nonetheless remains true to the brand’s signature three-dimensional architecture and boundary-pushing spirit. Somewhere between MB&F’s radical Horological Machines and more classic Legacy Machines, the SP One inaugurates a new, undefinable “Special Projects” collection.
What's so special about this machine?
The MB&F SP One, initially dubbed "Three Circles", showcases a trinity of floating elements – the barrel, balance wheel, and dial – defying gravity on your wrist. These components appear to hover mysteriously at the centre of an amphitheatre, all visible through invisible sapphire domes, with the balance wheel performing a mid-air dance and the tilted dial highlighting MB&F’s clever conical gearing. The SP One is a mechanical marvel that turns your wrist into a stage for a captivating, gravity-defying performance.
NOTHING CLASSIC ABOUT A CLASSIC
“We asked ourselves: what if we did what no one expected – an elegant, classical watch?” remembers Max. Like all MB&F projects, it started with a sketch – but the essence of the design and specificity of the project were already there. These early sketches were all about crafting a watch that whispered sophistication instead of shouting for attention. It needed to be subtly elegant, with a classic flair that set it apart from the usual MB&F boldness while keeping the brand’s roots alive. In other words, a hard-to-reach equilibrium.
LEVITATING IN A CIRCLE
Initially code-named "Three Circles," the SP One movement is crafted around the three key elements of any mechanical watch: the barrel, the balance wheel, and the dial. Thanks to the sapphire glass on both the front and back, these elements appear to defy gravity. However, it’s the thoughtful architecture of the movement that truly enhances this captivating levitation effect, creating a striking visual experience.
A SATISFYING PEBBLE
Beyond the unconventional construction of the movement and traditional hand-finishing, the pebble case design further sets the SP One apart. Despite being thin, this watch paradoxically boasts a three-dimensional presence. Its 38mm case, sleek like a spaceship and bezel-free, features sapphire glass that seamlessly blends front and back with the case. Overall, the SP One is as smooth to the touch as it looks, inviting you to run your fingers over its curves.
Machine in action
A trinity of levitating elements in an elegant pebble-shaped case.
THE MACHINE
SP One launches in two editions: platinum with a sky-blue bevelled flange and rose gold with an anthracite bevelled flange.
- Material: platinum 950 or 18K rose gold
- Dimensions: diameter 38mm x height 12mm
- Lug-to-lug: 41.9mm
- Number of components: 19
- Water resistance: 30m / 3ATM / 100 feet
- Sapphire crystals on top and display back treated with anti-reflective coating
- SP One movement developed in-house by MB&F, featuring signature balance wheel and inclined time dial.
- Manual winding mainspring barrel
- 72 hours power reserve
- Superlative hand finishing; polished bevels; hand-made engravings, anthracite bridges (ruthenium finish).
- Black DLC inclined dial
- Balance frequency: 2.5Hz (18,000 vph)
- Number of components: 191
- Number of jewels: 31
- Hours and minutes on inclined dial at 6 o’clock
Calfskin strap with white gold or rose gold pin buckle
Lug width: 18mm
Discover the models available for this collection
Inspiration
Over the last two decades, MB&F has generated next to its Horological and Legacy Machines a number of dormant projects, sketched over the years, seemingly senseless at the time – flashes of unrealised intuitions. As MB&F approached its 20thAnniversary, the team was reminded of the brand’s spirit, which according to any management book epitomizes doing everything wrong: no business plan, no market research, just a will to create the unexpected and go against the grain.
So why not plunge into that basket of dormant projects and create a new collection of undefinable timepieces? It was a treasure trove of creativity: MB&F reached into the basket and picked out one project that best embodied the spirit of these special ventures. This project, simply code-named Special Project One (SP One), was the chosen one.
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