In 2016, MB&F presented their first watch partially cased in sapphire crystal, the MB&F HM6 SV, where the ‘SV’ in the name refers to ‘Sapphire Vision’. Then, a year later, MB&F presented the HM6 Alien Nation created in a series of only four unique pieces which marked the first watch from this manufacture to be cased in a full sapphire case.
In 2019, MB&F presented the Horological Machine No.9, nicknamed HM9 ‘Flow’ as a tribute to the beautiful automotive and aeronautic designs of the 1940s and 50s, materialized in a case that echoed the epoch’s flowing, aerodynamic lines. Inside the voluptuous case, the highly complex and convention-breaking HM9 movement, starring two fully independent balance wheels and a central planetary differential, performs the delicate task of averaging the two distinct heartbeats into one coherent time-pulse.
Two years later, in 2021, they presented a series of four HM9 ‘Sapphire Vision’ editions —born from the wish to fully display the complex HM9 movement through a transparent shell. Horological Machine No. 9 Sapphire Vision came in four editions, each limited to only five pieces: two editions with an 18K red gold frame, combined with a NAC-coated black or a PVD-coated blue engine; and two editions with an 18K white gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated purple or a red gold plated engine.
This time, the MB&F HM9 SV Sapphire Vision is being presented in two new editions in sapphire crystal, again limited to only five pieces each: the first one with an 18K yellow gold frame with green-CVD movement, and the second one with an 18K white gold frame with blue-CVD movement.
An outer hull of sapphire crystal and precious metal, curved and bubbled and precisely fitted together in three parts, is sealed with a proprietary combination of a patented three-dimensional gasket and a high-tech compound bonding process. Two fully independent cantilevered balances channel data into a differential that turns two heartbeats into one coherent time-pulse. Ultra-precise conical gears efficiently turn the engine’s energy and information current through a 90-degree angle to feed the time display on a sapphire crystal dial, marked with SuperLumiNova.
On the reverse, co-axial beneath each of the balances are propellers: twin turbines that spin freely as an element of pure visual interest, waiting for someone to begin a new type of exploration. After the initial HM9 Flow ‘Air’ and ‘Road’ editions conquered land and sky, HM9-SV takes us to the depths of the ocean —the last realm on Earth that still holds a wealth of untold secrets. Before you is an exploratory vessel from Atlantis, powered by a divergent technology both familiar and strange to our eyes.
Externally, the lines of HM9-SV glide over the blueprint of its Road and Air-designated predecessors. The laws of fluid dynamics remain dominant in its design, although the hydro-governed objectives allow HM9-SV to take a more lenient approach to the sharp inward angles and parabolic curves of the previous Flow versions. From a technical standpoint, the reworked dimensions were necessary to account for the differences in material properties of sapphire crystal; although extremely hard, sapphire can fracture sharply under pressure whereas a metal would merely deform. The smoother lines of HM9-SV minimize potential areas of mechanical vulnerability —but they also reinforce its ocean-dweller’s aesthetic.
The watch specs are as follows: 18K yellow gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated green engine, or 18K white gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated blue engine. Case dimensions: 57 mm x 47 mm x 23 mm composed of 52 components put together through a unique assembly process of the three sapphire crystal case parts with a patented three-dimensional gasket and high-tech bonding compound making the watches water resistant to 30 meters. The manual wound movement is composed of 301 components and provides a power reserve of 45 hours via a single barrel. The watches are delivered on a hand-stitched brown or black alligator strap with an 18K yellow or 18K white gold folding buckle matching the case. Each model is available in a limited edition of only 5 pieces each.
Sticker Price $490,000 USD. For more info on MB&F click here.
