By James Phang
Great Caesar’s ghost! My all-time favourite watch brand has outdone itself again!
At SIHH 2016, MB&F will be introducing the Horological Machine No. 6 SV, a marvellous Haute Horology timepiece “reserved” for the upper echelons of society at a price tag of close to $400,000, certainly the most expensive release to date by MB&F…
In case you are wondering, “SV” stands for sapphire vision, a concept which should not be foreign to MB&F Fans considering that the MB&F SV “Final Edition” watch was introduced in 2011. However, the novelty factor of using sapphire should never be discounted as it is incredibly difficult and time-consuming to machine sapphire into unique shapes. A couple of other brands such as Rebellion and Richard Mille have experimented with making full-sapphire crystal cases in the past, and commanded similarly insane prices (if not higher) for those timepieces.
Going back to its roots, HM6 SV’s predecessor – HM6 Space Pirate – was first introduced into the market in 2014, and its design was inspired by a French-language Japanese animation that MB&F founder Max Busser enjoyed in his younger days. Its “out-of-this-world” design was truly innovative but turned out to be “too much” to be appreciated by its target market. Nonetheless, as with strong visionaries such as Maximilian Büsser who know that it is only a matter of time before people become converted HM6 fans, he decided to launch a subtly different variant – the HM6 SV. The HM6 SV, on the other hand, is inspired by Art Deco, as well as the era’s use of wind tunnels to design everything from aircrafts to automobiles. The case has incorporated elements of precious metal and sapphire, and the layered grooves on the sides of the case also contributed to MB&F affectionately nicknaming it as the Art Deco Streamliner.
The MB&F HM6 SV case measures 51mm wide by 50mm long, and 22.7mm thick. It sports 11 distinct sapphire pieces which were carefully bound together by glue, and this includes the main sapphire plates for both the top of bottom of the case, as well as 9 other domes to go into specific areas. It is surrounded by a blue-coloured gasket ring as part of the contrasting design. It is mentioned that the case is water resistant up to 30 metres but I wouldn’t want to try my luck.
The MB&F HM6 SV uses the same movement as the original HM6 Space Pirate, a mechanism produced in conjunction with David Candaux which has a power reserve of 3 days and a manually operated titanium “shield” dome that can be opened/closed over the centrally-mounted flying tourbillon. The smaller domes house spherical “turbines” which move with the automatic rotor as well as the minutes and hours indicators which sit opposite from where the spinning turbines are located.
The MB&F HM6 SV comes in either an 18k red gold case or a 950 platinum case, both of which will be limited to just 10 pieces. Estimated price for the MB&F HM6 SV in 18k red gold stands at USD$368,000, while the MB&F HM6 SV in platinum will be priced at a coolUSD$398,000.
For more info, please visit mbandf.com
JAMES PHANG – CONTRIBUTING WRITER
James Phang is a young watch enthusiast from Singapore and is a self-professed fanatic of independent brands for their unique avant-garde designs. Some of his favourite brands include MB&F, Urwerk, Romain Jerome, Sarpaneva, Peter Speake-Marin and Azimuth. His love for art extends out to all things handmade, and he has made it his personal mission to find the best handmade straps and buckles worldwide for his humble collection. Read his articles here
