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Lot Essay
Introduced in 2012, the MB&F Horological Machine No. 5 (HM5) is one of the manufacture's most distinctive creations, seamlessly blending retro inspiration with futuristic engineering. Conceived as a tribute to two icons of the 1970s, the era's dramatic wedge-shaped supercars and the cult Amida Digitrend driver's watch, the HM5 reinterprets both through MB&F's unmistakably avant-garde design language. The model was offered in three case configurations: zirconium and stainless steel, red gold and titanium, and CarbonMacrolon®. The present example, combining red gold and titanium, was introduced in 2013 in a limited edition of just 66 pieces.
While its aesthetics evoke the 1970s, the mechanics are thoroughly contemporary. Developed by Jean-François Mojon and Vincent Boucard of Chronode, the self-winding movement incorporates a GP/Sowind gear train, 30 jewels, and a 42-hour power reserve. Its ingenious display presents bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes through a sophisticated optical system in which the indications are inverted, reflected through a 90-degree prism, and magnified by approximately 20 per cent, allowing the time to be read vertically in the manner of a driver's watch.
The HM5's wedge-shaped bi-colour case is itself an engineering achievement. Constructed as a case within a case, the outer shell features opening louvres inspired by the rear decks of 1970s and 1980s supercars. Operated by a sliding mechanism on the case flank, these louvres admit light to charge the Super-LumiNova-coated display discs. In the event of moisture entering the outer shell, two rear outlets, resembling automotive exhaust pipes, allow water to drain away, while the fully water-resistant inner case protects the movement within.
Today regarded as one of MB&F's defining creations, the HM5 perfectly encapsulates the manufacture's philosophy of combining unconventional design with inventive mechanical solutions. Produced in highly limited numbers, it remains one of the most recognisable and sought-after creations in the world of contemporary independent watchmaking.
While its aesthetics evoke the 1970s, the mechanics are thoroughly contemporary. Developed by Jean-François Mojon and Vincent Boucard of Chronode, the self-winding movement incorporates a GP/Sowind gear train, 30 jewels, and a 42-hour power reserve. Its ingenious display presents bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes through a sophisticated optical system in which the indications are inverted, reflected through a 90-degree prism, and magnified by approximately 20 per cent, allowing the time to be read vertically in the manner of a driver's watch.
The HM5's wedge-shaped bi-colour case is itself an engineering achievement. Constructed as a case within a case, the outer shell features opening louvres inspired by the rear decks of 1970s and 1980s supercars. Operated by a sliding mechanism on the case flank, these louvres admit light to charge the Super-LumiNova-coated display discs. In the event of moisture entering the outer shell, two rear outlets, resembling automotive exhaust pipes, allow water to drain away, while the fully water-resistant inner case protects the movement within.
Today regarded as one of MB&F's defining creations, the HM5 perfectly encapsulates the manufacture's philosophy of combining unconventional design with inventive mechanical solutions. Produced in highly limited numbers, it remains one of the most recognisable and sought-after creations in the world of contemporary independent watchmaking.