Patrick_y, a long-time contributor to WatchProSite, delves into the newly released MB&F HM8 Mark 2, exploring its automotive inspirations and the brand's unique philosophy. His initial post provides an insightful look into how Max BĂĽsser's childhood dream of car design manifests in this horological machine. This article synthesizes community reactions and expert opinions, offering a comprehensive perspective on MB&F's latest creation and its place within the brand's celebrated lineage.
The New HM8 is Out!
There's no secret. Here at WatchProSite, many of us are passionate about car design and about timepieces! Thus, when the two combine, it's a great sense of excitement for all.
Here's a post from 2016 that show how the two can have some similarities! Max Busser was always fascinated with car design and as a child he even wanted to be a car designer! Well, I'm sure he would have made a great car designer, but I'm so happy he went with watches instead!
MB&F, a long-time favorite here on WPS, and where many members own an MB&F timepiece - has done it again. The Horological Machine No.8 Mark 2. WPS is not one of the first to break the news on this piece, but we hope that this article gives you a bit of a different perspective about the firm and the Creative Director whom created it.
Here's a quick video of the new piece:
The design resembles a car's instrument cluster and the case of the watch is shaped in the hood of an instrument cluster. The instrumentation is provided courtesy of a custom made MB&F exclusive manufacture movement module that is grafted onto a Girard-Perregaux base movement. MB&F has only a small team of special watchmakers and thus they are unable to make a significant volume of movements and thus production is heavily constrained. However, the focus at MB&F is very much quality over quantity, and these pieces are generally very well finished and well made. A tremendous amount of time is spent on the sapphire glass of every MB&F piece, these pieces of sapphire are cut from a large boule of sapphire glass. Each one is cut individually by a complex multi-axis CNC machine, fed with a liquid to provide constant cooling - each piece takes hours as this process cannot be rushed - rushing would stress the sapphire glass itself making it more prone to cracking on the wearer's wrist. Traditional watches simply have circular pieces of glass sliced from a cylinder of sapphire boule - a simple and efficient process.
MB&F's leader, Monsieur Max Busser, has told WatchProSite many times that he is happy with the size of the company, the revenue, and the headcount and he's not looking for significant increases anytime soon. Not being burdened by public shareholders, MB&F isn't constantly leaning for growth, expansion, nor marketshare - whereas Richemont, LVMH, Swatch, and their shareholders are constantly monitoring this as they assess their dominance of the industry.
MB&F which stands for Max Busser & Friends, is almost structured in a watchmaking co-op-erative structure. Monsieur Busser has an innate talent for design - often inspired by science fiction, childhood fantasy, mid-century modernism, car design (he dreamed of designing cars when he was a young child), and the 1970s - and sits as the brand's Creative Director. Busser, is one of those rare individuals who is genuinely a creative genius and also a genuinely kind hearted soul, decided he wanted to help watchmaking in his own way (not an easy thing as he lived through the Quartz Crisis in Switzerland in the 70s). Over 20 years ago, Busser started creative collaborations during his tenure at Harry Winston Rare Timepieces as its CEO where he started a collaborative series called "OPUS" a series of collaborations between Harry Winston and various watchmakers to express their work as artists and for Harry Winston to be the artist's agency and gallery. For those whom are new to Busser and his works, watch this man, time and time again, he has been seen as a futurist of the watchmaking industry. His pieces are ahead of their time. His business decisions are ahead of their time too - today we're seeing Collaborations of the weirdest combinations Adidas X Rimowa and yet over 20 years ago, Busser was pioneering Collaborations. Busser isn't into trendy things - he shot down NFTs and blockchain stating he didn't see the value add and he couldn't genuinely ask his customers to pay for an NFT without feeling "slimy" because he didn't feel his customers would be getting something of equivalent value. Realizing that watchmaking is also a collaborative effort from the very beginning, and vowing to do business with people he would deem as friends, Busser decided to pay homage to those friends by putting them on the letterhead, hence the name of the company is Max Busser and Friends (as opposed to be "et fils" or "und Soehnes" which indicates "and sons"). Truly a man ahead of his time and a rock star in the industry!
Busser's works have been recipients of the GPHG awards many times. In 2022 he won best of show. This picture above is from 2021 where he won two awards that night!
Photo by GPHG of November 2021
Here's a promotional video about the man (credit goes to The Hour Glass whom produced this video and was one of the early retailers of MB&F) - I apologize for including so much promotional and marketing videos in this post, but this post really shows Max Busser is ahead of his time in so many ways... So many of the world's great ideas are so misunderstood in their beginnings - and are suppressed by the larger powers at be. Even the controversial Elon Musk was misunderstood - but today, he's seen as a visionary for pioneering Electric Vehicles - and yet when one hears him talk, he's not even proud about electric vehicles - he's proud of the bigger picture - sustainable transportation and autonomy within transportation of which EVs are just a tiny step towards his big picture. When Steve Jobs introduced the iPod and the iPhone, they weren't fully understood - and yet now we use a smart phone every day. Here's that video:
Priced at a whopping 73,000 Swiss francs! These pieces are very dear and very expensive. But they are definitely works of art that are made in small quantities and at exorbitant costs. There are two colors available; green cased and white cased. Which one is your favorite?
HM8 Mark 2 is available: - in titanium and green CarbonMacrolon® body panel limited to 33 pieces; - in titanium and white CarbonMacrolon® body panel.
Engine
Three-dimensional horological engine, composed of a jumping hour and trailing minutes module developed in-house by MB&F, powered by a Girard-Perregaux base movement. Mechanical movement, automatic winding 22K gold automatic winding rotor
Power reserve: 42 hours Balance frequency: 28,800bph/4Hz. Number of components: 247 components Number of jewels: 30 jewels
Functions/indications
Bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes, displayed by dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with inte- grated magnifying lens.
Case
Grade 5 titanium with green or white CarbonMacrolon® Dimensions: 47 x 41.5 x 19 mm Number of components: 42 Water resistance: 30m / 90’ / 3atm
Sapphire crystals
Sapphire crystals on top, front and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.
Strap & Buckle
Calfskin strap - white for the British green model and green for the white model with a titanium tang buckle.
Key Points from the Discussion
The HM8 Mark 2, despite its naming, presents a significantly different aesthetic from its predecessor, the HM5, leading to varied preferences among collectors regarding its modern versus nostalgic appeal.
The HM8 Mark 2 utilizes a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) treatment for its components, a sophisticated technique that contributes to its unique visual effects and durability.
Some collectors view the HM8 Mark 2 as a notable improvement over the HM5, suggesting the earlier model's design and technical aspects have not aged as gracefully.
The use of CarbonMacrolon for the case raises questions about its long-term visual aging and durability over several decades, a common curiosity for collectors of innovative materials.
The HM5, HMX, HM8, and HM8 Mark 2 are generally considered the most wearable among MB&F's Horological Machines, offering a balance between avant-garde design and daily practicality.
The price point of 70,000 Swiss francs for the HM8 Mark 2 positions it as a significant investment, underscoring the importance of a strong personal connection to the piece before purchase.
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The Discussion
AU
AuHavrePro
Jun 20, 2023
I like both versions, although I do have a slight preference for the white metal on green strap - it's more versatile.... It's definitely among his more practical designs in my opinion........ Thanks for the information .
AR
ArmisT
Jun 20, 2023
The rotor in the green case is obvious, but I can’t tell from the pics or the write up if they’re different materials. I wouldn’t expect them to be.🤔
PA
patrick_y
Jun 20, 2023
I don't know how they do this exactly. Do they paint the rotor? I'm under the impression that the gold material doesn't take anodization well. So it isn't anodized. Hmm. I wonder.
AR
ArmisT
Jun 20, 2023
It’s a nice effect nonetheless.👌🏽
JA
Jay (Eire)
Jun 21, 2023
It’s a definite improvement over what would seem to be the least successful MB&F ever, the earlier auto themed HM5. (I’m not sure if that a fair statement, but my rationale is that the HM5 neither appears technically as interesting as other HM and the design in my opinion hasn’t aged well). Will this one age better? I feel it will. It will also benefit from timing, MB&F as with many Indies are still carrying a halo and that will bless all references.
PA
patrick_y
Jun 21, 2023
The two look so different to me that if it wasn't for the naming nomenclature, I wouldn't even think the two were related. I might be in the minority here, but I might actually like the old HM5 more than the new one. The old one has a nice nostalgic feel to it. And I find comfort in the familiarity of it. The new one is definitely more daring. Modern. I definitely like it. But I still like the old one too. Not sure if I like the new one more than the old one - I might like the old one more. The
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