It’s been 2 full years since we’ve seen a new Horological Machine out of MB&F, and today we get our first look at the latest from Max Busser and Friends with the introduction of the ninth Horological Machine, aka HM9 “Flow”. The watch is a return to form for MB&F, pairing it’s space age design with bespoke movement architecture, this is a lot of watch with a price tag to match. At $182,000 it costs roughly the same as a new Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Like the Porsche, the HM9 is a technical powerhouse with a lot to unpack.
In 2011, MB&F debuted their first Legacy Machine, a more classically designed family of watches to live alongside the more sci-fi inspired Horological Machines. The second Legacy Machine, LM2 featured a movement (engine, in MB&F parlance) developed by Jean-François Mojon and Kari Voutilainen, and placed a pair of balance wheels on the dial, linked and averaged via planetary differential. The HM9 is a very different watch than the LM2, that much is clear at a glance, but the former also makes use of dual balance wheels and a planetary differential. Presentation is another story.
The HM9 lacks any sort of traditional dial. The central “fuselage” which houses the mainspring and gear train places a vertical dial at its end, oriented in such a way to make reading easier with your hands on a steering wheel. This is a driver’s watch, afterall. The dial is small, and puts just an hour and minute hand to work; it may be the only practical component of the watch but it certainly isn’t the focal point here. The case of the HM9 is comprised of 43 components, and is the clear star of the show here. There are 5 sapphire crystals built in to amplify the architecture of the completely bespoke the movement within. The dual balance wheels, suspended by polished steel bridges, are housed in their own “pods” on either side of the main body of the case, each magnified by sapphire windows.
The design of the HM9 is born of an era where “designers were guided more by their aesthetic sense than by any scientific precepts” with specific references to automobiles like the Mercedes-Benz W196 and 1948 Buick Streamliner. Hence the nickname of the HM9 being “Flow”. This is a sculpture by every definition, that happens to have a working mechanical movement inside. Like other Horological Machines, the HM9 begs to be held and viewed at every angle rather than be content sitting on the wrist.
The HM9 is offered in 2 variations, a “Road” and “Air” edition. Each have the same titanium case, but with different dial designs and movement color scheme. The Road model uses a silver and black dial inspired by a mid century speedometer and rose gold movement plates. The Air model has an all black aviation dial, and space grey plates. Just 33 examples will be built in each configurations. Learn more from MB&F.
