Dear Friends,

Our Geneva Exhibition recently finished with fantastic results. Over 120 meetings in 5 ½ days hardly allowed us time to breathe; however we enjoyed every minute! In this newsletter I would like to share with you the first of our exciting creations for 2011: the HM2 Final Editions.  Luxury is synonymous with rarity so after three very successful years, Horological Machine N°2 is taking one last bow on centre stage with two limited editions of only 18 pieces each!

Based on the Sapphire Vision (SV) - the most extreme version of Horological Machine N°2 - we are pleased to introduce the HM2 Final Editions:

HM2 Black SV: Black titanium case back - electric green gasket – bright green 22k gold rotor - limited edition of 18 pieces

HM2 Red SV: 18k red gold case back - black gasket – red 22k gold rotor  - limited edition of 18 pieces

In these visually striking last creations, the beautiful hand finished 349-component movement is on display, literally suspended in between the sapphire top block and the case back. As nice as the photos are, to be fully appreciated these are pieces that really need to be seen and held.

Synthetic sapphire watchcases are extremely rare for good reason. While sapphire retains its strength at high temperatures, has zero porosity and (below 300°C) does not react to acids, the very properties that make it so attractive also make it extremely difficult to mill. It requires sophisticated (and expensive) diamond tools to machine, followed by careful polishing to turn the opaque freshly cut, or drilled, surface transparent. The complex, three-dimensional form required for the HM2-SV case, with its bevels, mounting holes, porthole cut-outs and embedded gasket track, pushed the limits of sapphire technology way beyond what was thought possible. No less than 55 hours of milling, drilling and polishing are required just to create each sapphire case.
 

HM2's 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 complications 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.

Over four years, including all variations, there will have been just over 200 pieces of HM2 crafted in total, at a rhythm of 4 to 5 pieces a month. I must admit that, with these last pieces, I am a little sad to stop these series, because HM2 was the first of our Machines largely inspired by my childhood passion for science fiction.

Having said that HM2 is one of the pillars of our Concept Lab and has contributed significantly to what MB&F is today so it deserves to go out with a final BANG!

The MB&F team is extremely honoured to have received the « Revolution Watch of the Year » award, and by the words Wei Koh, co-founder and editor-in-chief wrote about us !

"Max Busser was arguably single handedly responsible for ushering an all new era into horology as the creator of Harry Winston's Opus Project. Through commissioning watches like Vianney halter's Opus 3 and URWERK's Opus 5 he was instrumental in transforming the language of time from a civil language into an emotional language. In particular with these two watches he transformed the primary raison d'etre of watches from scientific instruments into art forms - while never losing their underlying horological connection.

In his own brand MB&F, he has continued in this path resulting in the very first evolution of the timepiece from a watch with artistic inclinations to a pure art form with horological roots. This is the magic of the Horological Machine 4, it is a three dimensional sculpture, it is Magna mythology come to life, it is a childhood dream of flying made real and it is at the same time a watch.

It is deserving of Revolution Magazine's 2010 Award for the year's most Revolutionary Watch because it is just that, it is Revolutionary.

Here's to Max Busser for reminding us that the horological world should and must be infinitely different in order to remain relevant to contemporary culture. He is today as he has always been a trail blazer and an innovator of the highest order."

Wei Koh Co-Founder and Group Editorial Director of Revolution Press

Thanks to our worldwide base of Friends, MB&F's Facebook presence continues to go from strength to strength with more than 8,500 "Likes" and a very active Wall. If you would like to follow the world of MB&F more closely and see what others think and feel, please check out www.facebook.com/MBandF

Talk of a revival in lighter-than-air transport has been in the air for decades and while there have been a few dirigibles that have managed to get off the ground, the skies are still relatively clear of such craft. With its unusual UFO looking shape, Australian-based Skylifter project is one of the more interesting ideas at present and two proof-of-concept models have already been successfully tested, with a third in development. For more information on Skylifter and other stories, please check out our Blog, A Parallel World

While our Geneva exhibition just finished we are definitely not resting on our laurels. Baselworld opens on the 23rd of March and you can rest assured that MB&F will be unveiling more exciting new limited edition pieces there. At Baselworld we will be once again be exhibiting with the Dream Factory at The Palace hall (opposite the Ramada Hotel). Please do not hesitate to visit us there to view the collection on display.

Until then I wish you all the very best,

Maximilian Büsser
Owner & Chief Creative Officer


February 2011 / www.mbandf.com