(Bloomberg) -- Every year, the avant-garde watchmakers at MB&F come up with a new “Horological Machine,” a timepiece that is meant to change the way we mark—and think about—the passage of time. They’re often Star Trek-looking devices, that will have you peering into their sides to find out what hour it is, or piecing it together through a series of bulbous, walleyed indicators. One looked like the exhaust pipe of a rocket ship, and another was designed to evoke a 1970s-era turntable. Though MB&F has been doing this for only a decade, it was beginning to feel as if the brand had explored every different permutation of time-telling.
Two prior Horological Machines from MB&F. On the left, the HM2 from 2008; on the right, the HM6 SV ("Sapphire Vision") from 2016.
So when the company decides to go round—you know, like most other watches—you know it’s still going to be a leap beyond the ordinary. For 2017, with the Horological Machine No. 7, MB&F founder Maximillian Büsser was inspired by the anatomy of a jellyfish; indeed, the “Aquapod,” as his team is calling it, has an almost traditional ceramic dive bezel encircling the outer perimeter of the case.
Front and side views of the new MB&F Horological Machine 7.
But tradition ends there. Positioned in the very center of the watch, under a high domed crystal, is a flying tourbillon. Radiating out in concentric circles from there are rotating discs that show the hours and minutes. You tell time by reading a marker painted onto the glass as the discs turn below.
Lume on the numbers—as well as panels that light up the movement—make the HM&F a compelling device at night.
Underneath, an aggressive-looking titanium rotor with tentacle-like arms spins to charge the movement. The unit is lit at night by panels of glow-in-the-dark “Ambient Glow Technology” luminescent material.
Two super-sized crowns on the right and left float in the air between the movement and the bezel, and allow for winding and time-setting. Flexible lugs help ease wearability for such a large watch.
The rear of the HM7, in the rose gold version (left) and in titanium. The rotors are made from a single piece of machined titanium and are intended to evoke octopus tentacles.
The whole thing is big on the wrist—53.8mm across and 21.3mm high—and has a 72-hour power reserve. You can order it in either titanium (with a blue bezel) or the 18k red gold you see in these pictures (with the black bezel); both come with the rubber bracelet.
The price is CHF 98,000 CHF ($97, 960) for the titanium version and 118,000 CHF for the rose gold.
The two versions of the watch.
To contact the author of this story: Chris Rovzar in New York at crovzar@bloomberg.net.
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