News: Horological Machine Number 9 Receives The Sapphire Treatment
MB&F introduced the world to the HM9 in 2018. The HM9 is a watch inspired by the automotive/aviation “streamline” trend of the 1940s and 50s. With the watch—which is reminiscent of a jet engine—finding traction amongst fans, MB&F released the “Air” and “Road” limited edition in 2019. So, with the original 2018 watch in titanium and the newer “Air” and “Road” in red gold, the only logical next step is to go more exotic, right? Well, that must have been the thought of MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, because this new HM9 Sapphire Vision has been given the sapphire treatment—and it’s…erm…interesting.
MB&F was founded in 2005 by Maximilian Busser
Ok, I’ll address the elephant in the room. I know what you think it looks like. I agree with you. Let's move on.
Ever sat on a plane, looked out the window, and wondered: how does that engine work? Me too. By making the HM9’s outer shell from sapphire, MB&F has given us an unobstructed look into how its jet engine works.
Sapphire crystal is an incredibly hard material to shape. It takes tens, if not hundreds of hours to mill sapphire crystal into the angular shaped case of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Sapphire; so, you can imagine how long it would take MB&F to produce the “flowing”, seemingly moulded case of the HM9 Sapphire Vision—over 350 hours if you wanted to know by the way. But wait. Creating the shape of the case isn’t the end of it. Set on either a red or white gold frame, the sapphire crystal is merged to its base with a mixture of rubber gaskets and bonding compounds unique to MB&F. All that hard work not only makes the watch air-tight, but water-resistant to 30m too.
The MB&F HM9 Sapphire Vision is limited to five pieces per variation
Moving away from the case, and we come to the watch itself. Let’s start from the back end of the engine, shall we? A large crown allows the user to wind the HM9’s 45-hour, hand-wound movement. Speaking of the movement, next up is the twin 18,000vph balance wheels. The balance wheels are suspended—in true MB&F fashion—by arching bridges. The balance wheels also have propellers directly below them—if you haven’t already noticed. These little features help to tie the watch back to its intended jet engine aesthetic—which without the outer shell of the original, is a little harder to notice.
As we move from the balance wheels, up the movement, we can see how and where all that power—from some 301 parts—is being diverted: the sapphire dial at the end. The dial, while pretty basic in layout being a simple two-hander, is still highly legible—it even has Super-LumiNova coated hands, markers and numerals for when light is scarce. I know what you are thinking. All of that, for a tiny dial at the end? Well, yes. Like other MB&F watches—while they are still watches, in the truest sense of the word—the HM9 Sapphire Vision is a work of art, made to be appreciated in its entirety.
The MB&F HM9 Sapphire Vision costs CHF 390,000
Wear it, leave it round the house as a symbol of power and fertility; the MB&F HM9 Sapphire Vision might have an unusual shape to it, but then again, all MB&F watches are a little weird looking—that’s why we love em, right?
