MB&F Launch HM12 The Guardian: a Mechanical Wristwatch Sculpture

MB&F has always been open about the fact that many of their more extreme watches are inspired by media and science fiction ever since the brand was founded in 2005. Especially in the Horological Machine series, which is where they explore Avant Garde case designs, futuristic concepts and ideas that are more than a little outside the box. The previous addition to this range was the HM11 back in 2023 and now after three years we have the next model in the series, HM12. However, HM12 is more than a wristwatch, it’s also a mechanical sculpture of a robot and any good robot needs a name, so meet HM12 The Guardian.

In as simple terms as possible, HM12 The Guardian is a multi-part sculpture with detachable components that turn the piece from a sculpture into a wearable wristwatch with accessories. The head is the watch, the right arm holds a shield that’s actually a loupe and the left arm is a UV torch for activating the watch and robot’s lume elements. It also stands on a plinth that serves as a container for the watch strap when not in use. While it’s not detachable, the centre of the robot’s chest is a mechanical thermometer, monitoring the conditions of wherever you decide to store it.

The robot body and its arms are produced by MB&F’s long-term partner L’Epée. The wristwatch though was developed by the creative duo of Maximillian Büsser and Maximillian Maertens, marking the first Horological Machine not to involve designer Eric Giroud, who has been focussing on projects like the M.A.D.2 instead during the same production period. It’s exciting to see other designers be trusted with core models for MB&F, introducing fresh perspectives to the brand.

Focussing in on the watch, it is an example where the aesthetics of the watch came first because making it look like the face of a robot was the primary target. It was then a challenge to find an haute horology way to execute that concept. The solution was to use jump hour and trailing minute disks to serve as the robot’s eyes, the signature double-battle axe rotor became the mouth and the constant motion of the tourbillon represents the mechanical whirring of its artificial brain.

With the HM12, MB&F also introduce a brand new aesthetic mechanism – they describe it as a complication but as it serves no horological purpose I’m not sure that description is accurate. It’s called the face shield system and it is comprised of 200 components (more than the entirety of some basic movements). By using one of the two crowns you can reveal or hide a series of coloured plates across the display, found along the edges of the forehead, the eyebrows and the cheeks. It lets you swap the watch between robot face mode and fully exposed wristwatch mode, or even any point in between. It also has a de-coupling crown so that you can’t damage the system once it reaches full extension/retraction.

On a mechanical level, the HM12 offers an 84-hour power reserve. It’s housed in a Grade 5 titanium case that measures 43.6mm width x 49.3mm length x 13.8mm thickness. It has a distinctive, wide, skeletonised style of lugs that lead into a quick release strap that’s convenient for attaching the watch to either the strap or robot body. There are also sapphire windows giving you multiple viewpoints of the movement inside, particularly focussed on the tourbillon at 12 o’clock.

Interestingly, when it comes to the back of the watch they’ve opted to give it a more traditionally haute horology appearance. Yes, it’s a weird shape, but it’s recognisably a watch movement with an array of traditional finishes such as a grainy textured plate with anglage across its edges. The micro-rotor is finished in guilloché for which MB&F collaborated with the workshop of Kari Voutilainen.

There are three versions of HM12 The Guardian being produced, each limited to 12 pieces. Those options are blue, green and purple, three of the classic colours used by MB&F across their many creations. They also note that these launch editions are also the final editions as there will never be any more HM12 The Guardians produced. They are priced at CHF 280,000 (approx. £263,000) excl. VAT.

It’s difficult to evaluate a project like this because it’s as much a mechanical work of art as a timepiece. I really like that you can detach the watch and wear it as a regular (albeit strangely shaped) timepiece instead of it being locked into a desk clock. It keeps it feeling like part of the Horological Machine series instead of being something else entirely or a L’Epée-only creation. I wouldn’t say it meets my personal tastes, but I know plenty of sci-fi mega-fans who would love a functional transformer like this.

More details at MB&F.