Swiss haute horolgists MB&F unveil another masterpiece that explores the architecture of our homes with the MB&F 11 Architect watch..
According to the famous Swiss architect Le Corbusier, “une maison est une machine à habiter“ (a house is a machine to live in). The Machines of MB&F are habitable; the stories they tell locate us in different places or different times, and sometimes different worlds. It could be said that an MB&F Machine is not worn; it is lived.
This is not always the easiest concept to grasp, because a watch is not a house, right? A house is a house, and a watch is a watch; there is no confusion, it is black and white, right? With its latest creation, MB&F further blurs the line between the two, and the result is the grey of steel rebar, the grey of freshly sprayed concrete.
Introducing the MB&F Horological Machine Nº11 Architect.
Set around a central flying tourbillon which forms the heart of the house, pushing skyward under a double-domed sapphire roof. Fittingly, for a mechanism that is spatially and functionally at the origin point of the watch, its qua trefoil-shaped upper bridge recalls the shape of clere story windows in some of humanity’s greatest temples to its Creator, or perhaps the shape of a zygote under going cell division at the moment of conception. From this spinning core, four symmetrical volumes reach outwards, creating the four parabolic rooms of the house that is HM11 Architect.
To access the four different rooms within the house turn the watch 90 degrees, the rooms are not just designed to look even they also serves a different purpose, from displaying time to indicating power reserve and even housing a mechanical thermometer.
The watch is presented in two materials: titanium and saphire crystal. Both are known for being extremely challenging to machine, such that it was only within the last two decades that their use became feasible in watches of complex form.
A unique feature of the HM11 Architect is the see-through crown, close to 10mm in diameter, that allows
an unimpeded view directly into the movement where two sets of gaskets can be seen which help prevent water or dust particles from entering the watch and compromising its performance
Despite its 3-dimensional, architectural conception and the complexity of its movement, the HM11 Case surprisingly measures only 42mm in diameter and sits sleekly and comfortably on the wrist, thanks to the curved case feet that are also the strap attachment points. These allow the watch to fit a variety of wrist sizes – and also provide stability when the case is turned to wind the barrel.
The HM11 Architect is available in titanium with red gold dial plate and titanium with blue dial plate both limited to 25 pieces.
