Long dedicated to space, spiders, and robots, MB&F has finally come back to earth with the Horological Machine 8, a new watch inspired by the silhouette of Can-Am race cars.
This watch is part of the “Horological Machine” series, a set of handmade watches that look like a cross between something that belongs on a Jules Verne submarine and a piece of expensive chocolate. This latest piece is far thinner than the previous models and takes its cues from race cars. It features a case made of precious metals and titanium, a unique movement, and vertical dial configuration that shows the time inside two curved pieces of crystal.
Max Busser, the founder of MB&F, wrote that he always wanted to be a car designer and that the HM8 is the next best thing.
“It wouldn’t take much to scale HM8 up to car size, drop a 1,000+ horsepower motor under the sapphire crystal hood and put a set of slick racing tyres under the chassis,” he wrote. While this statement is a bit hyperbolic the HM8 does have roll bars.
Can-Am is short for the Canadian-American Challenge Cup that ran from 1966 to 1987. The race was where Bruce McLaren launched his first care and it allowed for unlimited engine sizes, aerodynamics, and supercharging. In short, it was an anything-goes technologically-focused race dedicated to pushing the envelope. Busser, for his part, tried to grab a little of the Can-Am cool and I think he succeeded. This piece is reminiscent of the HM5 but features an airier, lighter design that shows off the movement quite beautifully.
If you thought you could hit the mall today and pick one of these up then think again. The watch is limited to 20-30 pieces per year and will cost $82,000 in red or white gold. The piece runs a modified Girard-Perregaux movement that has been decorated and modified to fit the case and support the cool dial system. While I suspect most of us won’t have almost a hundred grand to splash out for one of these, it’s nice to know there are startup founders out there with solid exits who might be able to let us drool on one of these at the Creamery.
