360° VISIONS
The 9th opus of the collection unveils itself in all its glory! The Friends accomplish one of their remarkable feats, one of their closely-guarded secrets, by making clairvoyant use of sapphire crystal.
Showcase a true mechanical achievement. This is exactly what the ever-so friendly team from MB&F has decided to do with their Horological Machine n°9. The first version of this exceptional timepiece, discovered during its launch in 2018, featured a silhouette inspired by aerodynamics and the curves of vehicles and trains from the 1940s and 50s. And, although large openings revealed some of the movement’s workings such as the balance wheels, not all the secrets of this extraordinary watch were unveiled! This time round, its variation, the Horological Machine n°9 Sapphire Vision, invites us to delight in admiring virtually all its architecture. This newcomer places the accent on transparency with its surprising case comprised of 52 pieces including five large sapphire crystals. And, to assemble them together, they are all sealed to precious metal frames. The presence of a rubber gasket offers 3 ATM water resistance. The result is an outstanding feat in itself as the translucent material is delicate to craft in complicated shapes like we have here. 350 of machining precision and polishing are required just to prepare the crystals for a single case.
Thanks to this meticulous work, the slender hand-wound movement can be admired from every angle. The watch’s esthetical power is also perceivable in the finishing touches of the motor components.
The HM9 Sapphire Vision is proposed as four limited editions of just five pieces each. Two boast a rose gold frame, combined with a NAC-coated black or PVD-coated blue caliber. The two others embrace a white gold structure and a PVD-coated violet or rose gold-plated engine.
Price: CHF390,000 VAT-exclu. mb&f.com
By Dan Diaconu