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Dear Friends,
It feels a bit strange to write to you about
a timepiece which is no longer available: all 80 pieces of the HMX limited
editions, our 10th Anniversary Horological Machines, were sold out within just a few
weeks. But since HMX represents an important milestone for us, I decided to
go ahead and finalise this newsletter after all – from your feedback, I know
that for at least some of you, these newsletters are the best way to keep you
informed. So here goes!
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This was technically our seventh Horological
Machine, but we called it “X”; on one hand because it holds a special
position among our sequence of numbered Machines… but also “X” like the Roman
numeral for 10.
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If there is one word which has marked our 10
years, it’s probably “Independence”. Our independence gives us great creative
freedom, but there are strings attached: I spent the last few months
explaining to clients, journalists and other partners that this last decade
was a totally unpredictable and often very challenging adventure – anything
but a smooth and easy ride. On at least three or four occasions, our
Horological Lab was at serious risk. But as they say, “what doesn’t kill you
makes you stronger”.
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If MB&F followed our industry’s
conventions, we would have celebrated our birthday with a super-complicated,
super-expensive timepiece. But as you know, we’re not big fans of
conventions… So HMX was exactly the opposite: we conceived a true MB&F
Horological Machine, but at an unprecedented price, sacrificing our own
margins along the way. Our way of expressing our gratitude to a fantastic
group of Friends: the collectors who have always supported us.
As you may know, as a young man I aspired to
be a car designer, so like HM5, this anniversary piece just had to be a tribute to
sports cars. If HM5 echoed the bold designs of Bertone, HMX was crafted with
finer, more elegant lines in mind – those of coachbuilders like Carrozzeria
Touring, champions of the “Superleggera” approach.
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HMX is of course a true driver’s watch.
Inside the Grade 5 titanium and stainless steel case, two
optically-engineered sapphire crystal prisms reflect vertically and magnify
the bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes. The automatic movement
is powered by a special anniversary rotor engraved with the phrase that has
become our mantra: “A creative adult is a child who survived”.
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And now for my favourite feature: if you look
closely at the movement, you’ll notice what seem to be two oil caps on
valve rocker covers. Those chrome caps are not decoration, but real: the
watchmaker will need to delicately unscrew them during servicing, to add oil
and lubricate the jewels below.
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Check out the short film to see HMX in action. You’ll also find more
details on our website. But please don’t ask me to find an HMX for you…
mission impossible!
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In general, luxury watches lose a lot of
their value during their first years; like automobiles, you need to wait
decades to reach “vintage” status and observe – in some rare cases – an increase
in value. Auctions are even trickier for young, independent brands like
MB&F; contemporary horology has too few followers to make up a solid
community ready to buy at auction, and most pre-owned timepieces are
therefore sold at much lower prices than retail (think 50% off).
Some time ago I was asked by a journalist,
which criteria influenced the value of watches sold at auction. I am not an
expert, but answered by making a parallel: if you look at vintage
automobiles, it seems to me that high prices result from a combination of
three factors, namely scarcity, quality of craftsmanship… and truly
game-changing designs. Those ground-breaking cars were not the result of
design by committee, but the fruit of fiercely independent designers and
engineers.
Having said all that… We were recently
shocked not just once but twice, by the auction results of one of our most
extreme timepieces ever: HM4. First on June 3rd, a “Razzle Dazzle” limited edition
was sold at Christie’s for HKD 1,840,000 (about CHF 230,000) – that’s
a whopping 20% over the retail price of a brand-new piece when it was
launched in 2011! And then again, on October 6th, a unique HM4 in yellow gold
reached an even higher HKD 1,875,000 at Sotheby’s…
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To continue the good news, I was
very pleased to see our small Horological Lab recently in the pages of some
major international media: in Forbes for example, who published a
wonderfully-written piece by Jonathon Keats. If you missed the printed
version, you can still read the article online – and understand why I responded,
back in 2005, to a generous new contract from Harry Winston by… quitting and
starting MB&F.
MB&F was also featured in the
International New York Times, thanks to Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop. Her
excellent interview will give you some insight into why I am intent on
keeping MB&F “small and nimble” – read the online version here.
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Ever dreamed of a house on the beach? Or up
in the mountains? How about both? A French architecture firm, Multipod
Studios, has created PopUp House, a cheap, quick and easy way to give people
a home anywhere they want.
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PopUp House is – literally – built around a
simple idea: ease and speed of construction, thanks to pre-fabricated
insulated frames. The firm has rethought the traditional process of building
a house and invented “parallelopoids”, rectangular blocks that easily
interlock to form the frame of each housing unit.
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Multipod Studio also believes that a house
should be affordable and approachable, so they decided to use recyclable
elements - expanded polystyrene and Lamibois – along with solar power panels.
Energy is conserved and used smartly within the living space.
A Pop-Up House build requires just three
items: a pair of good arms, a little intuition and an electric drill. And if
a drill is lacking, there is also a glue-on version of Pop-Up House
available. Four people can put one together in four days.
Have a look at the amazing video of the
construction process, along with more information on our blog, A Parallel World.
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I look forward to seeing and hearing from
you. Between my team and myself we are present at various fairs in Taipei,
Dubai, Mumbai and Mexico this month – and also in London for Salon QP in
November. As always, if our paths don’t cross, the other option is our
@mbandf social media accounts. One way or another, please do stay in touch!
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Very best regards,
Maximilian Büsser Owner & Creative Director |
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