The HM09, dubbed the ‘Flow’ by makers MB&F, is quite possibly the ultimate car watch in that, rather than reading the time while driving, it looks like it’d take off if you put a few wheels on it. Now though the 2018 shape is being overhauled in space-age style with a full sapphire case. This is the Horological Machine No. 9 Sapphire Vision.
Building any case out of sapphire is an impressive feat; the incredibly hard crystal isn’t exactly easy to work with, even in flat planes. Here though, it’s downright astonishing. The automotive, aerodynamic shape of the HM09 is a world away from flat.
What the eagle-eyed obsessive might notice is that the shape of this particular HM09 has been altered a little, smoothed out a touch and refined. That’s simply because of working with sapphire as a material; the less inclined it is to fracture the better. The overall look though is more like a submarine than a jet.
It’s obviously a feat worthy of the mad scientists at MB&F, but the reason for the sapphire isn’t just another quirky headline for the collaborative watchmaker. It gives a full view of the movement inside, which founder Max Busser describes as “the most beautiful movement we’ve created to date”. We’re not about to dispute that.
Each of the domes houses its own independent balance assembly, which meet in the middle to regulate the watch. The time is then displayed on a superluminova-marked sapphire crystal dial, all fed by a single barrel with a 54-hour power reserve. Throw in stunning, coloured bridges, rose or white gold fixtures and fittings and you have a steampunk masterpiece that could stand in for a Jules Verne submersible.
The HM09-SV comes in four variations, all with the same sapphire case. You have rose gold metalwork, paired with either an NAC-coated black or PVD blue movement, or you can opt for white gold with a PVD purple or rose gold-plated movement. For our money, the rose and blue is the one.
Whichever you choose, it’s the same, admittedly painful but ultimately justifiable price: Euro 362,000. You could probably buy an actual submarine for that.
Price & Specs:
Model: MB&F Horological Machine N°9 ‘Sapphire Vision’
Case/Dial: 57mm diameter x 47mm height, sapphire crystal with 18K 5N+ red gold frame, combined with a NAC-coated black or PVD-coated blue engine or 18K white gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated purple or red gold-plated engine
Water resistance: 30m (3 bar)
Movement: In house HM9 engine, hand-wound, 52 jewels
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power Reserve: 45h
Functions: Hours and minutes on vertical dial display
Strap: Hand-stitched brown or black alligator with red or white gold folding buckle
Price/Availability: €362,000 EUR (approx. £320,823), limited to 5 pieces per edition
More details at MB&F.
