Earlier this year, on the occasion of the SIHH exhibition, the house of MB&F introduced its aquatic-inspired timepiece, the Horological Machine No.7, aka HM7 Aquapod. Envisioned as a horological jellyfish, the eighth of MB&F’s “Horological Machines features a central flying tourbillon mounted on top of the concentric vertical movement with indications radiating out from the center.
The design of the radially symmetric Aquapod is inspired by the anatomy of a jellyfish. Its three-dimensional movement architecture is paired with a large flying tourbillon, as well as some common elements of a classical divers’ watch.
Developed entirely in-house, the Aquapod generates its power from the tentacle-like automatic winding rotor, crafted from a solid block of titanium. The rotor, the mainspring barrel, radially symmetric rings displaying hours and minutes, and flying tourbillon, are all concentrically mounted and rotating around a shared axis. The energy travels from the rotor to the tourbillon regulator via gearing acting like a series of stairs. The power slowly and steadily transitions from one level to the next, allowing the minutes to be displayed around the periphery of the movement. Underneath the tentacles, a platinum mass ensures powerful and efficient winding.
While Horological Machine No.7 is not a dive watch, it incorporates some of the elements of a classical divers’ timepiece. For example, it features a unidirectional rotating bezel, but, Aquapod's bezel isn't attached to the case - it actually floats apart. The case of the watch, which measures 53.8 mm in diameter and is 21.3 mm thick, is like a three-dimensional sandwich made of two hemispheres of high-domed sapphire crystal on either side of a case band. The bezel floats outside, while dual crowns are located between the two structures.
Like many jellyfish species, the HM7 Aquapod glows in the dark – on the hour and minute numerals, around the inside of the movement, and along the tentacle-like winding rotor. Its three-dimensional vertical movement is assembled from 303 components and 35 jewels, and provides around 72 hours of power reserve. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters of depth, and it features a rubber bracelet molded in aircraft-grade Fluorocarbon FKM 70 Shore A elastomer, with folding buckle matching case material.
MB&F Horological Machine No.7, HM7 Aquapod is available in editions in grade 5 titanium or 18k 5N+ red gold. The titanium version, limited to 33 pieces, retails for $98,000, while the rose-gold model, limited to 66 pieces, goes for $118,000. For details, visit mbandf.com.
MB&F collections
Advertisement
Right now 100+ watches on sale!
Latest News from MB&F
MB&F LM 101 Palladium
Just a couple of days ago, I read that palladium is now the most valuable of four precious metals! And immediately after, a gorgeous new MB&F watch in palladium has hit the market! The Legacy Machine 101, which made its debut in 2014, now returns in the LM101 Palladium edition. While the LM101 was the first movement developed entirely in-house, the palladium variant is the first MB&F piece made of a rare silvery-white material. This classically sized 40mm watch arrives in two frost limited editions. Visually, the monumental balance wheel and...
MB&F Horological Machine No.9 Flow
MB&F presents the new Horological Machine N°9 ‘Flow’, a time instrument inspired by the profiles of automotive and aviation mid-century design. The latest retro futuristic project goes all the way back to 1940s and 1950s, when aerodynamic principles first started to apply in the field of automotive design. Instead of the carriage-like outlines of the previous decades, this is when cars began to take on a smoother shape, more streamlined, almost aerodynamic form. Think about the Mercedes-Benz W196 and 1948 Buick Streamliner; or the snub-nosed De...
MB&F Legacy Machine Split Escapement
The house of MB&F introduces the new retro futuristic Legacy Machine, inspired by designs that MB&F would have created 100 years ago. There have been four different versions of the Legacy Machine so far, and all of them share a single technical constant: the very large, suspended balance wheel on the dial side that remains above everything else. The newly launched Legacy Machine Split Escapement not only highlights this common feature, but also raises it to another level. Legacy Machine Split Escapement Yellow 03.WL.FY - 18k white gold with ye...
MB&F Legacy Machine No 2 Titanium
Ahead of the BaselWorld watch and jewelry show, Maximilian Busser and friends present the Legacy Machine No2 in titanium. Just like the rest of the Legacy Machine collection, the Legacy Machine No2 in titanium is inspired by some of the world’s most significant horological inventions of the past. This retro futuristic range comprises amazing designs influenced by the inventions of the greatest watchmakers in history, a watches that MB&F would have created 100 years ago. Legacy Machine No 2, a watch that is already available in 18k red gold,...
MB&F Legacy Machine No. 1 Silberstein
As always, the latest iteration pays homage to the rich watchmaking traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries, by answering the question that Maximilian Büsser, the founder of MB&F, frequently asks himself: “What would MB&F watches have looked like they had been designed 100 years ago?” As we all know by now, the answer to this question is a retro futuristic range of avant-garde watches based on the classic principles of traditional Swiss watchmaking. The latest edition of MB&F Legacy Machines is designed in collaboration with Büsser’s frien...
MB&F Legacy Machine 101 Platinum for SIHH 2016
The original LM101 was launched back in 2014, in white and rose gold variants. While it still remains the most practical and the most affordable of all MB&F watches, the LM101 now houses the very first movement developed entirely in-house by MB&F. This classically sized 40mm wristwatch is nothing like the Manufacture’s earlier releases. While the first Horological Machines were more like small series of radical concept watches, the LM101 looks like any conventional high-end timepiece, even though it still sustains the innovativeness that MB&F i...
MB&F Arachnophobia
As announced by the brand, Arachnophobia is an imaginative creation inspired by a giant spider sculpture named Maman (mother in French), created by Louise Bourgeois (1911 - 2010) in bronze, stainless steel and marble. The monumental sculpture, measuring 9.27 x 8.91 x 10.24 meters, has been installed in a number of different locations around the world. In 2015, MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, known for his appreciation of art, decided to honor the late French-American artist with a special series of clocks inspired by the famous Maman sculpt...
MBF The Legacy Machine No.1
The newest creation is a tribute to all great watchmakers and ingenious innovators of traditional watchmaking. It was born out of imagination when Maximilian Büsser asked himself what would have happened if he had been born a century earlier, in 1867. He wondered what would his 1911 horological machine look like, and came up with this authentic three-dimensional creation. The Legacy Machine N°1 is available in two variations, crafted in 18k red gold or 18k white gold. Its elegant annular case boasts impressive proportions, it is 44mm wide and 1...