MB&F Horological Machines: A Collector's Journey

There are now several UFOs flying around in the watchmaking landscape. The last years (before the crisis) of craziness have had their excess but certainly they have also seen the birth of some watches that can, have and will change our desires.

I didn't know much of Max Büsser before the launch of his own brand. I had looked closely at the Opus series from Harry Winston, and had been pleased by several, but not appealed to the point of thinking about wearing one (should I write dreaming). I was interested but not seduced, they were not for me.

I must confess that the HM1 didn't change much of my opinion. It was nice, less formal than the HW' Opus pieces, but there was still something lacking for my own taste, even if the watch was striking.

Horological Machine #1

The launch of the HM2 changed my view. I can hardly say which one I prefer among the several versions issued, but three of them really caught me and made me desire to wear one.

Horological Machine #2 Sapphire Vision

I can't say why I love them. Is it the kind of retro look of the HM2-CTi (a potential favourite I must admit) embodied in a very modern volume and clean look?  

Is it the transparent modernity of the HM2-SV? This watch is blue and I love blue watches. Sometimes you don't need to look too far. Furthermore the transparent case doesn't decrease the readability of the watch. The piece remains seemingly practical.

In fact that's one aspect that I appreciate a lot. These watches, any of them, are seemingly very much practical once you like them on your wrist. They are UFOs but they remain first and foremost watches.

Girard Perregaux's base and Goldorak's double harken

The Girard-Perregaux base calibre of the HM2 is another plus for me. Maybe I'm biased but I really like this base, as I own several watches equipped with it and they are satisfying in all mechanical aspects on top of being nice to look at and quite thin.

I am a superhero with this one

The 2.2 and its black box created with Alain Silberstein was another treat that caught me. It's totally different with all other MB&F watches. It looses their kind of space craft instrumentation aspect to become a design object. It is not my favourite among my three favourite HM2s, but if I could own two, the 2.2 would be among the two, obviously.

Horological Machine #2.2 with Alain Silberstein

Why does these watches bring us back to our youth? IMO that's because when they make us dream, they do not make us dream of perfection, prestige, accomplishment, superior craftsmanship, technical prowess, or any other good reason we have to buy the best of the mechanical watches. The MB&F watches make us dream our own youth's dreams. In fact they don't even make us dream, they make us play! They are pure toys for boys who seriously want to forget their seriousness!!

Give me a HM2-SV and my imagination will give me Spock's ears. Don't worry if I speak in my watch!

The blue SV

The HM3 is even more directly linked to the space cruiser.  It should be made available as a pocket watch, so that the serious CEOs could play with it in their office when their assistants leave them alone, spending time taking off and landing and visiting the outer space looking for new planets!

Horological Machine #3 uncased

I have no personal pics of the HM4 yet. I still have to see it for real. It is already my favourite (dream). I can just say that I want to thank Max Büsser and his friends for their shared craziness. They are right because toys should not be taken too seriously!

Cheers

Dje