New Release: MB&F Special Project One: Seemingly-Simple, 38 mm, Time-Only, and Simply-Sensational
Try our newest merchandise
MB&F surprises so usually and so repeatedly that a lot of the awe of shock is diminished: it isn’t a shock when you find yourself anticipating to be stunned.
However after greater than 20 years of ‘anticipate the surprising’, the brand new MB&F SP One took my breath away. It’s completely good – appropriately for the worth – and can match almost any wrist – male or feminine – and go well with almost each event excepting critical sports activities.
MB&F SP One in rose gold on the wrist
At simply 38 mm in diameter and 12 mm excessive, SP One is each MB&F’s smallest watch and their easiest watch: hours and minutes, that’s it.
Whereas solely displaying hours and minutes, the MB&F SP One options conical gearing and copious hand completed anglage.
MB&F SP One in platinum
It appears to be like like the entire motion is on present dial aspect, but it surely’s not. The SP One is a masterclass in each making the difficult look easy by concealing lots of the motion elements and highlighting the motion’s complexity by showcasing essentially the most visually and mechanically fascinating elements and mechanisms.
SP One is MB&F easiest and smallest watch up to now
Max Büsser describes the case form as a pebble. For me the right pebble is a flattish, nicely-rounded river stone that you just really feel like slipping into your pocket, but it surely’s the perfect form to skip throughout the water. Whereas I might not strive skipping the SP One (not if was mine anyway), it appears to be like like it will so job achieved.
I predict that the MB&F SP One will take dwelling at the very least one prize on the GPHG this yr.
MB&F SP One in platinum (left) and rose gold
The one draw back, the worth: at 58,000 Swiss francs in crimson gold and 63,000 Swiss francs (excluding taxes and transport) in platinum, whereas the SP One is more likely to have many followers, solely a lucky few will be capable of afford one. However that’s the identical for any excessive finish watch, and positively any MB&F.
From the press launch:
The MB&F SP One, initially dubbed “Three Circles”, showcases a trinity of floating parts – the barrel, stability wheel, and dial – defying gravity in your wrist.
MB&F SP One in rose gold
These elements seem to hover mysteriously on the centre of an amphitheatre, all seen via invisible sapphire domes, with the stability wheel performing a mid-air dance and the tilted dial highlighting MB&F’s intelligent conical gearing.
The SP One is a mechanical marvel that turns your wrist right into a stage for a charming, gravity-defying efficiency.
MB&F SP One in platinum on the wrist
Encased in a 38mm pebble-like shell, the SP One melds a {smooth}, tactile really feel with a bezel-free design and delicately indifferent lugs. As MB&F’s slimmest and smallest watch, it nonetheless stays true to the model’s signature three-dimensional structure and boundary-pushing spirit.
Someplace between MB&F’s radical Horological Machines and extra traditional Legacy Machines, the SP One inaugurates a brand new, undefinable “Particular Initiatives” assortment.
To actually grasp the amphitheatre-like drama and unconventional aptitude of this challenge, let’s dig into its origin story.
MB&F SP One in platinum
Plunging the hand within the basket
When COVID hit, like many others MB&F thought it was the tip. On this tumultuous time, the staff determined it was essential to dive right into a basket of enjoyable, dormant tasks that had been on the again burner for years. The M.A.D.1 was one instance of those whimsical ventures: initially deliberate to be a playful experiment to thank family and friends, it turned out to be the runaway success we all know at this time.
The next years had been tinged with extra success, marked by new releases, a set of prestigious GPHG awards… Occasions had been nice.
However as MB&F proprietor and artistic director Maximilian Büsser says, success may be poisonous – resulting in complacency, treating shoppers poorly, and stifling innovation. As an alternative of succumbing to those pitfalls, the staff ramped up their creativity and plunged their fingers deeper within the basket of dormant tasks.
This shocking flip of occasions underscored a timeless fact for the model: the surprising can certainly work wonders. It was a daring reminder that the perfect enterprise plans are those you by no means deliberate in any respect. This embodies the spirit of MB&F, which in line with any administration e-book, epitomizes doing all the pieces unsuitable. No marketing strategy, only a will to create the surprising, going in opposition to the grain and revelling within the unconventional.
The basket brimming with particular tasks sketched over time, seemingly mindless on the time, was full of untamed concepts, flashes of instinct, and even sketches of skateboards and razors. It was a treasure trove of creativity. Max reached into the basket and picked out one challenge that greatest embodied the spirit of those particular ventures.
This challenge, merely code-named Particular Undertaking One (SP One), was the chosen one.
MB&F SP One in rose gold
Nothing traditional a few traditional
“We requested ourselves: what if we did what nobody anticipated – a sublime, classical watch?” remembers Max. This was a dangerous transfer, very like the model’s first Legacy Machine, or the M.A.D.1, or many different MB&F tasks: zero market expectations, 100% dangers.
“As creators, delight drives us. Satisfaction doesn’t come from the straightforward path however from risking all of it and probably dealing with an enormous setback”. The primary sketch of the SP One, courting again to 2018, proves this ethos. Like all MB&F tasks, it began with a sketch – rapidly or “badly” drawn, as Max likes to say – however the essence of the design and specificity of the challenge had been already there.
Max Büsser’s unique sketch of what would change into the MB&F SP One
Three circles resembling a smiley face hinted on the playful but intricate journey forward. The idea stemmed from this concept of a trinity: the barrel, the stability wheel, and the dial suspended within the case itself levitating on the wrist.
But, these early sketches had been all about crafting a watch that whispered sophistication as a substitute of shouting for consideration. It wanted to be subtly elegant, with a traditional aptitude that set it other than the standard MB&F boldness whereas maintaining the model’s roots alive. In different phrases, a hard-to-reach equilibrium.
This preliminary sketch was then refined and reworked with the assistance of well-known watch designer and longtime MB&F Pal Eric Giroud. After quite a few iterations, the idea appeared good: it was then time for the engineers to take over, sketching and mapping the whole challenge with precision, care and loads of head-scratching.
Levitating in a circle
Initially code-named “Three Circles,” the SP One motion is crafted across the three key parts of any mechanical watch: the barrel, the stability wheel, and the dial. Every element isn’t simply there for present; they’re meant to really feel like they’re floating in mid-air.
MB&F SP One in platinum
Because of the sapphire glass on each the back and front, these parts seem to defy gravity. Nevertheless, it’s the considerate structure of the motion that actually enhances this charming levitation impact, making a putting visible expertise. Embracing the “much less is extra” mantra, the bridges are virtually like magic, virtually invisible.
Most elements are cleverly hidden beneath the three key parts, letting their magnificence take centre stage. The less bridges, screws, and wheels, the higher! In truth, attempting to identify a screw from the entrance is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, amplifying that beautiful levitating impact.
Visually, the three parts have equivalent circumferences, including complexity to the motion’s design. The only-barrel structure is elegantly suspended, enhancing the levitation impact and presenting a real problem for the motion designers. The stability wheel oscillates at 2 o’clock and captivates the wearer eyes like a flying saucer.
MB&F SP One in rose gold
In Max’s imaginative world, all the pieces appears to drift, and the dial completely follows go well with! Tilted good to spotlight MB&F’s experience in conical gearing, this function is a difficult feat to tug off whereas maintaining it dependable. Hardly ever seen in watchmaking, it provides a splendidly refined three-dimensional aptitude that’s as intriguing as discreet.
This technically complicated to attain structure reveals a easy and distinctive construction that makes understanding how a mechanical watch features surprisingly simple.
Surrounding this motion is what Max playfully dubs the “amphitheatre”: a fantastically bevelled flange that channels the grandeur of Greco-Roman theatres, spotlighting the beautiful intricacies of the motion like a gladiator within the area.
Motion of the MB&F SP One in platinum, be aware the dimensions of that show again
Flip the SP One over, and also you’ll uncover the opposite aspect of its area, showcasing the meticulous hand ending and total consideration to element typical of MB&F – one of many uncommon watchmakers at this time perpetuating conventional hand ending and artisanal craftsmanship.
The MB&F contact is unmistakably current within the SP One. Past the will to shock and take dangers, it’s the meticulous consideration to the motion that reveals the household ties. The complexity lies in sustaining finesse and class whereas preserving traditional codes.
All wheels are hand-angled, with outstanding chatons, and the end stability is refined between satin, polished, and micro-blasted surfaces.
A satisfying pebble
Past the unconventional development of the motion and conventional hand-finishing, the pebble case design additional units the SP One aside.
Regardless of being skinny, this watch paradoxically boasts a three-dimensional presence. Think about holding a perfectly-smooth pebble, polished by years in a riverbed: that’s the texture of the SP One. Its 38mm case, modern like a spaceship and bezel-free, options sapphire glass that seamlessly blends back and front with the case.
This design provides the watch a charming floating impact additionally emphasised by its cleverly crafted lugs. A better look reveals that they’re in a roundabout way hooked up to the higher case; as a substitute, they rise elegantly from the decrease case, making a refined but distinct hole between every hand-polished lug and the higher part.
Total, the SP One is as {smooth} to the contact because it appears to be like, inviting you to run your fingers over its curves. It’s like a tiny UFO landed in your wrist, mixing unconventional design with an natural, tactile sensation.
Whereas the SP One is MB&F’s thinnest watch, it’s not about competing for the title of the slimmest watch on the planet. As an alternative, it embodies a harmonious stability in design and proportions, prioritizing class and artistry over mere thinness to attain true equilibrium.
MB&F SP One in platinum on the wrist
The time period “equilibrium” completely captures the essence of this Particular Undertaking. It breaks conventions whereas staying true to the model’s core identification and conventional craftsmanship, all whereas exploring new avenues.
In essence, a classical MB&F that has nothing classical about it.
For extra info, please go to www.mbandf.com/machines/mbf-machines/special-projects/sp-one
Fast information: MB&F SP ONE
SP One launches in two editions: platinum with a sky-blue bevelled flange and rose gold with an anthracite bevelled flange.
EngineSP One motion developed in-house by MB&F, that includes signature stability wheel and inclined time dial.
Guide winding mainspring barrel
72 hours energy reserve
Superlative hand ending; inside bevel angles highlighting handcraft; polished bevels; hand-made engravings, anthracite bridges (ruthenium end).
Black DLC inclined dial
Steadiness frequency: 2.5Hz (18,000 vph)
Variety of elements: 191
Variety of jewels: 31
Capabilities
Hours and minutes on inclined dial at 6 o’clock
Case
Materials: platinum 950 or 18K rose gold
Dimensions: diameter 38mm x top 12mm
Lug-to-lug: 41.9mm
Variety of elements: 19
Water resistance: 30m / 3ATM / 100 toes
Sapphire crystals on high and show again handled with anti-reflective coating
Strap & buckle
Calfskin strap with white gold or rose gold pin buckle
Lug width: 18mm
Worth: Rose Gold CHF 58,000 + VAT (USD 76,000 / EUR 64,000 + tax) and Platinum 950 CHF 63,000 + VAT (USD 82,000 / EUR 69,000 + tax)
You may additionally get pleasure from:
M.A.D.EDITIONS M.A.D.2 by Eric Giroud with Bi-Directional Leaping Hours- Is Max Büsser creating an Inexpensive Opus sequence?
Bvlgari X MB&F Serpenti – Look Out, it Doesn’t Chew, it Mesmerizes!
MB&F Celebrates its twentieth Anniversary beginning with LM Perpetual Longhorn and LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn
MB&F HM11 Architect: Revisiting the Future
Why I Purchased It: MB&F Legacy Machine 101 2021 Version
