Overview

Alain Silberstein springs a surprise with his case for Horological Machine No.2

It takes a lot to surprise followers of MB&F, but the HM2.2, with a case created by French 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 MB&F to push that tendency to the limit. But no, the two came up with what they affectionately called 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.

In terms of design, the Silberstein case retains the twin porthole dials and powerful profile of the original Horological Machine No.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.