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The Watches

2023 Favorites, Part IV 

At the end of the year it’s time to note our favorite 2023 debut watches. We continue our look at a few of our favorite timekeepers of the year. 

Franck Muller: Colorado Grand 

Each limited to thirty-four examples (to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the race), these new watches of the Franck Muller Colorado Grand limited edition expertly utilize the classic 45mm Vanguard tonneau-shaped case and dial as a canvas, creating dials inspired by automotive art and the technical details of vintage cars.

Notable is the silver perlage that graces each dial of the four-watch set. Set with bold hand-painted numerals, these dials recall vintage car dashboards. Four models are available, each with a colorful rendering of the numerals, crown-protector and minute track just inside the bezel. Three debuts are in steel-cases, one in titanium and the fourth cased in rose gold. Prices: $13,000 to $24,500.

 

 

William Henry: Legacy 

The U.S.-based knifemaker’s first foray into wristwatches features dials created from meteorite, fossilized mammoth tooth and other exotic materials. A particularly nice example is this limited-edition Legacy Dinosaur model with a dial crafted from dinosaur bone; an extraordinary fossil material that ranges from 100 to 200 million years old. Initially it has a similar appearance to rock, but after the painstaking process of crafting a precision dial, the beautiful hues and patterns are revealed.

Surrounding the ancient dial is a forged Damascus case built with 300 layers of stainless-steel alloys and etched to reveal the individual patterns. Each watch in the debut collection is powered by a Sellita SW 400 automatic movement and housed in grade 5 titanium that is water resistant to 100 meters. Prices start at $3,750. 

 

Louis Vuitton: Tambour

This year, Louis Vuitton updates Tambour with new finishes and a decidedly slimmer, sculpted case. The new collection is more luxurious overall and notably highlights an all-new in-house movement and a sleek integrated steel bracelet.

Two new steel watches launch the collection’s upgrade. One is a chic monochrome model with a silver grey dial and the second one sports a deep blue dial. Both are built to highlight the new unisex 40mm by 8.3mm case, its new caliber LFT023 and the new bracelet. A rose gold model and a two-tone gold and steel edition are also now available. Price: $18,500 or $52,500 (rose gold) or $26,500 (two-tone). 

 

MB&F: Horological Machine Nº11 Architect.

This house for your wrist features four titanium ‘rooms’ radiating from a sapphire-domed central flying tourbillon. The surprising new watch recalls the designs of mid-twentieth century biomorphic-style houses, with four symmetrical parabolic ‘rooms’ emanating from a central atrium. 

Each room houses a display, with one showing the time, the next showing the watch’s power reserve, a third indicating temperature and the fourth housing the winding crown. The wearer can choose which display is in direct eyesight when wearing the watch by rotating the entire housing, which will click into place as desired. Price: $200,000.

 

 

Nomos: Rose Gold Neomatik

In a year of terrific debuts by this Glashütte-based watchmaker, this rose gold designs stood out for its unusually luxurious dressing. The Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik is a limited edition 35mm model in honor of the 175th anniversary of watchmaking in Glashütte. Limited to 175 pieces worldwide, the new watch adds a sub-seconds dial and minute markers in rose gold to the original’s galvanically white silver-plated dial. And while the first Tangente series reveled in its manual-wind minimalism, the new model is powered  by the Nomos DUW 3001, a thin automatic movement adjusted to chronometer standards. Price: $11,100.

 

 

Parmigiani Fleurier: Tonda PF Sport Chronograph 

Parmigiani Fleurier replaced its Tonda GT collection with the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph and Tonda PF Sport Automatic, both more refined than its predecessor. We like the chronograph best here, as it combines the most attractive elements of the new Tonda PF collection (the knurled bezel, clean dials and revamped bracelets) with its 42mm by 12.9mm ‘panda’-styling. 

Inside, the watchmaker fits its stunning Caliber PF070, a superb high-frequency (5Hz – 36,000 vph) manufacture movement with an integrated column wheel chronograph and a vertical clutch. The COSC-certified Chronometer offers a power reserve of sixty-five hours.

Prices: $50,200 (chronograph in rose gold), $29,000 (chronograph in steel).

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Only Watch 2023: MB&F and H. Moser 

We continue to highlight a few of our favorite watches from among the more than sixty watchmakers that have created timepieces for the Only Watch charity auction, which commences Sunday, November 5, in Geneva. Christie’s will auction these incredible one-of-a-kind watches to raise funds that benefit research in the battle against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

While you may have seen a few of the watches set for auction earlier this year when Only Watch announced them, we thought you’d enjoy seeing many of these impressive designs again just ahead of the event.

The watches are currently touring the globe. After concluding their U.S. visit at Christie’s in New York on September 17, the tour will visit Monaco next, followed by stops in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and back in Geneva. See the Only Watch website for tour dates and details.

The H. Moser X MB&F Streamliner Pandamonium.

Here we highlight the H. Moser X MB&F Streamliner Pandamonium, the Only Watch entry for both MB&F and H. Moser. 

This unusual creation, named to emphasize the ‘panda,’ combines elements we’ve seen in earlier designs from both of these pioneering independent watchmakers. On top of the dial you’ll see a miniature white gold panda, which is already a signature of the Only Watch creations by MB&F.

Here the Panda is the DJ for the minute repeater visible on the fumé dial.

As MB&F founder Max Büsser explains, “Our original panda was created as an allegory for Only Watch 2011, and returned in 2021, before now making its third appearance in 2023. This time, it is an invitation to immerse yourself in the world of music and lose all touch with reality for just a few beats”.

The watch’s dial showcases the large suspended balance wheel characteristic of other MB&F watches, while the stunning aquamarine dial echoes the minimalism found throughout the H. Moser collection. 

The dial’s ‘turntables’ are fitted on the axis of the hammers and are driven by the rotation of the mechanism as it operates. The 5.35mm tall miniature took hours to create and build. The unusual balance wheel required its maker to first bend the gongs in two places to allow them to pass over the balance wheel bridge. Occupying three dimensions, the shaped gongs feature a flat coil and an upper coil, positioned one on top of the other.

Furthermore, H. Moser built the minute repeater’s sliding bolt on a Teflon runner to ensure it slides perfectly smoothly. It’s built into the main plate to save space. The case middle has been completely hollowed out in order to accommodate the movement while allowing enough space to create a soundbox. 

Estimate: CHF 300,000 to CHF 400,000

 

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The Watches

MB&F Expands HM9-SV  

MB&F adds two new versions of its aerodynamic Horological Machine No.9 Sapphire Vision (HM9-SV), now offering models with a blue CVD movement in a white gold frame and a green CVD movement with a yellow gold frame. The clear case fully exposes the watch’s dual cantilevered balances, planetary differential and free-spinning twin turbines.

One of two new HM9-SV models.

Both new models expand the HM9-SV series, which debuted in 2021 with four clear sapphire editions of the original HM9.

With its sapphire livery, the watch joined a family of MB&F models with significant clear sapphire customization, including the HM8,  the HM3 FrogX and the ten-sapphire-crystal HM6.

The pioneering independent watchmaker debuted its first HM9 Flow in 2019 as a tribute to 1940s and 1950s automotive and aeronautic designs.

Re-engineered

MB&F culls from its wide-ranging experience of creating with sapphire when re-engineering the HM9 with its clear case. On these SV models, MB&F seals the outer hull with a proprietary three-dimensional gasket and specialized high-tech compound bonding process. The result is new type of water resistant seal (to 30 meters) that is practically invisible.

MB&F explains that its designers were also required to rework a few the original HM9 dimensions with smoother lines and fewer edges to account for the property differences of sapphire crystal.

While quite hard, sapphire can fracture under pressure, which means the smoother lines on this HM9-SV limited this possibility. At the same time the rounded edges only enhance the organic aesthetic of the full watch.

Also new to the HM9-SV is an enhanced shock-resistance system made of laser-forged springs placed between the movement and the case.

As a reminder, the ‘flow’ of time begins on the HM9-SV with two fully independent cantilevered balances that dominate the top of the HM9-SV channel data into the central, spiky differential.

This effectively melds the information sent by the dual balances to a single time-pulse. High-tech conical gears then transmit that energy to through a 90° angle, which in turn makes its way to the HM9-SV’s perpendicular sapphire crystal dial.

MB&F is offering both new editions to the HM9 Sapphire Vision family (PVD-coated blue movement with a white gold frame and a PVD-coated green movement with a yellow gold frame) as a limited edition of five pieces. Price: $490,000. 

Specifications: MB&F Horological Machine No.9 – Sapphire Vision

Movement: Manual-winding in-house with two fully independent balance wheels with planetary differential, frequency of 18,000 bph, single barrel with 45-hour power reserve. Hours and minutes on vertical dial display, dual spherical turbines under the movement,  shock-absorbing helicoidal springs linking the movement to the case.

Case: ‘SV’ editions in 57mm x 47mm x 23mm sapphire crystal with frame in 18-karat white, yellow or rose gold (5N+). Hour/minute dial in sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment and Super-LumiNova on the numbers and indexes. Water resistant to 30 meters. Unique assembly process of the three sapphire crystal case parts with a patented three-dimensional gasket and high-tech bonding compound. Total of five sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating: three crystals for the main components of the case, one crystal covering the dial, and one crystal for the dial itself.

Strap: Hand-stitched brown or black alligator strap with red, yellow or white gold folding buckle matching the case.

Price: $490,000. 

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The Watches

MB&F Revisits Driving Watches with Sleek HM8 Mark 2 

MB&F is back at the race track with the new HM8 Mark 2, a more compact version of its auto-inspired HM8 that combines the supercar styling of the watchmaker’s HM5 with the driving watch display and open ‘hood’ of the MB&F HM8 from 2016. 

The new MB&F HM8 Mark 2.

The new watch also features a similar horizontal time display optically magnified and projected 90 degrees to the wearer via a series of sapphire prisms.

But instead of the titanium and gold casing used in the earlier models, the new HM8 Mark 2 is built from titanium topped with CarbonMacrolon, a composite material composed of a polymer matrix injected with carbon nanotubes.

The English racing green version of the new MB&F HM8 Mark 2 is a limited edition of 33.

The material, developed for MB&F, is eight times lighter than steel and can be colored, polished, bead-blasted, lacquered or satin-finished. 

MB&F takes full advantage of those properties to create a lighter, smaller and more brightly colored driving watch, inviting a more unisex appeal to the debut.

For this debut, MB&F opts for a white or British racing green finish, matte on the top and high polish on the sides. The white version is paired with a green CVD rotor and light-green minute markers.

The British racing green version (a limited edition of 33) comes with a red gold rotor and balance wheel and turquoise minute markers. 

MB&F explains that the double-curved sapphire it uses on three sides of the HM8 Mark 2 is thirty to forty times more expensive than standard domed sapphire, and a result the watchmaker could find only one supplier for the component.

The trademark battle 22-karat gold axe rotor is also a chore to construct as it is only two-tenths of a milimeter thick and can’t be made by machine. Instead, it must be stamped, with the engraving already incorporated into the stamp.

The new watch’s crown is also unusual. Echoing the “double de-clutch” system found on race-cars, it operates by pushing it in and turning it three-quarters of a turn to release it. This ensures the watch’s 30 meters of water resistance while also maintaining a less intrusive profile.

The MB&F HM8 Mark 2 launches in two editions:  Titanium and green CarbonMacrolon body (limited to 33 pieces) and titanium and white CarbonMacrolon body panel.

Price: $78,000. 

 

Specifications: MB&F HM8 Mark 2 

Movement: Three-dimensional horological ‘engine’ composed of a jumping hour and trailing minutes module developed in-house by MB&F, powered by a Girard-Perregaux base movement. Mechanical movement, automatic winding with 22-karat gold automatic winding rotor. Power reserve is 42 hours, balance frequency is 28,800 bph.

Functions/indications: Bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes, displayed by dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.

Case: Grade 5 titanium with green or white CarbonMacrolon, dimensions: 47mm x 41.5mm x 19mm. Water resistance to 30 meters. Sapphire crystals on top, front and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Dual reflective sapphire crystal prisms with integrated magnifying lens.

Strap & Buckle: Calfskin: White for the British green model and green for the white model with a titanium tang buckle.

Price: $78,000

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The Watches

MB&F Launches Salmon-Hued LM Perpetual 

MB&F revisits its Legacy Machine Perpetual this week with a new model featuring a salmon-colored dial plate. The combination of a steel case and salmon hue is a first for MB&F, which will release the new model in limited production, not as a limited edition.

The MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual with its new salmon-colored plate.

MB&F’s latest Legacy Machine Perpetual, which won the Best Calendar Watch prize at the GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) in 2016, offers the same groundbreaking, manual-wind LM Perpetual movement conceived by MB&F Friend Stephen McDonnell for the 2015 original.

That groundbreaking design means the Legacy Machine Perpetual will operate with no skipped dates or jammed gears. Owners often inadvertently create problems within their perpetual calendars by attempting to reset them while the gears are mid-function, resulting in some damage to the highly complex date mechanism.

McDonnell’s design is proactive in a sense because when the user attempts to adjust the calendar, the movement’s pushers automatically deactivate so they don’t cause any damage to other components.

At the heart of the difference is how the Legacy Machine Perpetual determines dates. Traditional perpetual calendars use a 31-day month as the default, changing, for example, from February 28 to March 1 quickly to arrive at the 1st. Interrupting the movement during this critical changeover can damage it. 

With this perpetual calendar movement, Busser and friends essentially replaced that traditional system with a mechanical processor that instead utilizes that default 28-day month and adds extra days only as required.

Three years go MB&F added a sporty version of the perpetual calendar when it launched the Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO, a zirconium-cased update to the original model.

This new model, with its premiere 44mm by 17.5mm steel case/salmon dial plate-color combination, is a handsome – and welcome – addition to the full collection of a true ground-breaking original.

Price: $180,000. 

 

Since its 2015 debut, the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual has been offered:

– in platinum 950 with blue face (limited to 25 pieces);

– in 18k red gold with grey face (limited to 25 pieces);

– in 18k white gold with purple face (limited to 25 pieces);

– in 18k white gold with dark grey face;

– in grade 5 titanium with green face (limited to 50 pieces);

– in 18k yellow gold with blue face (limited to 25 pieces);

– in palladium 950 with aquamarine face (limited to 25 pieces);

– in stainless steel with salmon face.

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