MB&F

Maximilian Büsser, founder and head of the MB&F brand, was previously best known as the creator of the Opus project of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces, the watch division of Harry Winston, which he headed. With the same idea of watches full of creativity and allusions, he is also developing the MB&F collection. In this sense, the Horological Machine 7 Aquapod seems to be an “Opus diver’s watch”, i.e. a creative version of the classic diver’s watch, although it is far from the technical specifications required for this type of product. In particular, the HM7 Aquapod is not meant to be a diver’s watch – the watch is not water resistant enough for that, only up to 50 meters. Not enough for diving, but enough to immerse yourself in everyday urban life where good watches are appreciated. Far from being a purely technical watch, the HM7 is a mind game – the way a creative watchmaker can produce a diver’s watch without being bound by the established rules of a genre. Launched in 2017, the HM7 Aquapod has an unusual design that could be reminiscent of a flying saucer. The pebble-shaped case (i.e. pod-shaped, which is clearly reflected in the name of the watch) has been fitted with two very high domed sapphire crystals. On the front are two ring displays for the hours and minutes. Note that the time marker is located at the bottom of the dial. This allows you to combine the intuitively correct clockwise rotation of the rings with the intuitively correct reading of the time when the past hours and minutes are on the left and the coming hours and minutes on the right. Another unusual design solution for a diver’s watch is that it has two crowns, the first on the left for winding and the second on the right for setting the time. The pod-shaped case is surrounded by a unidirectional rotating "dive bezel" mounted on four jumps, so the ‘bezel’ in this case should rather be called a dive ring. It is used in the classic way: You have to set its triangular zero marker opposite the triangular zero marker on the minute ring. In 2017, the brand introduced two initial versions of the HM7: in 18k rose gold with a black ceramic bezel (the present example; limited edition of 66 pieces) and in titanium with a blue ceramic bezel (33 pieces). The brand then launched two further versions: HM7 Aquapod Ti Green in titanium with a green sapphire bezel (2018, 50 pieces) and HM7 Aquapod Pt Red in platinum with a red sapphire bezel (2019, 25 pieces). The total production quantity of this design was therefore 174 pieces, which in our opinion promises good prospects on the secondary market: the edition is not too small for the watch to remain in private collections and not appear on the market, and not so large that the large number of pieces on the market disrupts prices.

The MB&F HM7 Aquapod Flying Tourbillon 70.RLB.B Limited Edition 66 is a great acquisition for the collector thanks to its unique and spectacular design and the excellent and elaborate finishing of the case, dial and in-house automatic caliber with the very rare central tourbillon. We consider this watch to be an appealing embodiment of a designer’s fantasy of a diver’s watch, conceived as an exceptional collector’s timepiece and equipped with a central flying tourbillon. We believe that with this experiment, MB&F has created an exceptional mechanical wristwatch that is one of the icons of modern haute horlogerie. It is easily recognizable and immediately memorable. Its eye-catching design will delight anyone who wants to show their own style and independent way of thinking.