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Lot Essay
MB&F has transformed its Horological Machine No10 – aka HM10 Bulldog – into a panda bear, one of the rarest and cutest of the world’s mammals, much loved by children and adults alike.
HM10’s rounded, compact body lends itself perfectly to the shape of the cuddly panda; the top section is coated in black and white lacquer to mimic the animal’s colouring. To accommodate the lacquer, the top section of the standard titanium case had to be crafted for this Pièce Unique in stainless steel. Other unique features include two black titanium panda ears, added atop the sapphire crystal dome, and a ceramic tail machined from Grade 5 silicon nitride.
Much like the panda’s unmistakable eyes, two black aluminium time-display domes dominate the face of the watch – a nod to the other use of the word ‘panda’ in watchmaking, where white dials with black counters are called panda dials. Other panda bear features include flexible “legs” that wrap firmly around your wrist and panda teeth that are constantly munching on bamboo shoots; the teeth also indicate the power reserve.
COLLABORATION
The HM10 Panda is being offered together with unique works of art by multidisciplinary designer Lee Yuen-Rapati – well-known in the watchmaking world as @OneHourWatch on Instagram – who has graciously created a series of illustrations inspired by the HM10 Panda specially for the auction.
MB&F has been following Lee Yuen-Rapati’s work for quite some time. Lee recently did a live drawing of an HM10 Bulldog during a Zoom session with RedBar, which gave MB&F the idea to do this special collaboration for Only Watch.
HISTORY OF THE BRAND
Founded in 2005, MB&F is the world’s first-ever horological concept laboratory. With almost 20 remarkable calibres forming the base of the critically acclaimed Horological and Legacy Machines, MB&F is continuing to follow Founder and Creative Director Maximilian Büsser’s vision of creating 3-D kinetic art by deconstructing traditional watchmaking. After 15 years managing prestigious watch brands, Maximilian Büsser resigned from his Managing Director position at Harry Winston in 2005 to create MB&F – Maximilian Büsser & Friends. MB&F is an artistic and micro-engineering laboratory dedicated to designing and crafting small series of radical concept watches by bringing together talented horological professionals that Büsser both respects and enjoys working with. In 2007, MB&F unveiled its first Horological Machine; its sculptured, three-dimensional case and beautifully finished movement set the standard for the idiosyncratic Horological Machines that have followed. In 2011, MB&F launched its round-cased Legacy Machine collection. These more classical pieces pay tribute to nineteenth-century watchmaking excellence by reinterpreting complications from the great horological innovators to create contemporary objets d'art.
HM10’s rounded, compact body lends itself perfectly to the shape of the cuddly panda; the top section is coated in black and white lacquer to mimic the animal’s colouring. To accommodate the lacquer, the top section of the standard titanium case had to be crafted for this Pièce Unique in stainless steel. Other unique features include two black titanium panda ears, added atop the sapphire crystal dome, and a ceramic tail machined from Grade 5 silicon nitride.
Much like the panda’s unmistakable eyes, two black aluminium time-display domes dominate the face of the watch – a nod to the other use of the word ‘panda’ in watchmaking, where white dials with black counters are called panda dials. Other panda bear features include flexible “legs” that wrap firmly around your wrist and panda teeth that are constantly munching on bamboo shoots; the teeth also indicate the power reserve.
COLLABORATION
The HM10 Panda is being offered together with unique works of art by multidisciplinary designer Lee Yuen-Rapati – well-known in the watchmaking world as @OneHourWatch on Instagram – who has graciously created a series of illustrations inspired by the HM10 Panda specially for the auction.
MB&F has been following Lee Yuen-Rapati’s work for quite some time. Lee recently did a live drawing of an HM10 Bulldog during a Zoom session with RedBar, which gave MB&F the idea to do this special collaboration for Only Watch.
HISTORY OF THE BRAND
Founded in 2005, MB&F is the world’s first-ever horological concept laboratory. With almost 20 remarkable calibres forming the base of the critically acclaimed Horological and Legacy Machines, MB&F is continuing to follow Founder and Creative Director Maximilian Büsser’s vision of creating 3-D kinetic art by deconstructing traditional watchmaking. After 15 years managing prestigious watch brands, Maximilian Büsser resigned from his Managing Director position at Harry Winston in 2005 to create MB&F – Maximilian Büsser & Friends. MB&F is an artistic and micro-engineering laboratory dedicated to designing and crafting small series of radical concept watches by bringing together talented horological professionals that Büsser both respects and enjoys working with. In 2007, MB&F unveiled its first Horological Machine; its sculptured, three-dimensional case and beautifully finished movement set the standard for the idiosyncratic Horological Machines that have followed. In 2011, MB&F launched its round-cased Legacy Machine collection. These more classical pieces pay tribute to nineteenth-century watchmaking excellence by reinterpreting complications from the great horological innovators to create contemporary objets d'art.