Horological Machine N°7

Overview

After pushing the boundaries of horological exploration by blasting into outer space, launching into the sky, and powering down the road and around the track, MB&F plunges into the water with Horological Machine No.7, aka HM7 Aquapod.

The organic jellyfish-inspired design of HM7 Aquapod is counter-balanced by the very mechanical horology within: spherically three-dimensional, all its mechanisms – from the winding rotor at the bottom, to the flying tourbillon on top – rotate concentrically around the centre. Like many jellyfish, HM7 glows in the dark: on the hour and minute numerals, around the inside of the movement and along the tentacle-like winding rotor.

Horological Machine N°7

What's so special about this machine?

A flying tourbillon, a winding rotor with titanium tentacles and a floating bezel bring life to the mysterious creature that is HM7 Aquapod.

Horological Machine N°7

Machine in action

Just your average three-dimensional timepiece powered by tentacles.

Horological Machine N°7

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Horological Machine N°7

THE MACHINE

Spherically three-dimensional, all its mechanisms – from the tentacle-like winding rotor at the bottom, to the 60-second flying tourbillon on top – rotate concentrically around the central axis, with indications radiating out from the centre like ripples in a pond…

Material: Grade 5 titanium or 18k 5N+ red gold or Platinum 950
Spherical construction
Dimensions: 53.8 x 21.3 mm
Water resistance: 50 m / 165 feet / 5 atm

Three-dimensional vertical architecture, automatic winding, conceived and developed in-house by MB&F
Central 60-second flying tourbillon
303 components (391 for the Platinum Red edition) / 35 jewels / 72h power reserve

Top and bottom sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Sapphire balance bridge for the Platinum Red edition

Hours and minutes displayed by two aluminium / titanium spherical segment discs rotating on oversized central ceramic bearings (for the Platinum Red edition, three-dimensional “floating” hour and minute numerals)
Unidirectional rotating bezel for elapsed time
Numerals, markers and segments along the rotor in Super-LumiNova
3 panels of AGT (Ambient Glow Technology) lume around the flying tourbillon
Two crowns: winding on left and time-setting on right

Horological Machine N°7

Machine Manual

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Horological Machine N°7

Inspiration

The idea for an aquatic watch originated from Maximilian Büsser’s memories of family beach holidays, which included an encounter with a jellyfish. While the encounter may have been minor, the seed it planted in Büsser's brain for a three-dimensional timepiece powered by tentacles was anything but.

HM7 began its gestation as a horological jellyfish, and the architecture of its Engine is appropriately biomorphic. Where a jellyfish generates power from food caught in its tentacles, HM7 generates power from its tentacle-like automatic winding rotor.

Where jellyfish have a radially symmetric ring of neurons for a brain, Aquapod has radially symmetric rings displaying hours and minutes. Where jellyfish have a hood or bell on top, HM7 has an imposing flying tourbillon regulating the power generated by the rotor.

And, like many jellyfish, HM7 glows in the dark. It glows on the numerals, markers and along the segments on the winding rotor but also around the inside of the movement.