The MB&F HM4 Final Edition - A Fine Horological Swan Song.
The MB&F HM4 Final Edition is here - modern military stealth styling, the solitary but all-encompassing boyhood past-time of model aeroplane making - both play a part in the make-up of this piece.
Despite the whimsical, fantastical nature of MB&F models, suprisingly they retain readability, and none more than this one - on the front are twin indications, for the time and the power reserve which tilt upwards offering instrument-inspired clarity for the wearer, each of which has its own winding crown.
The case, like the others in the Horological Machine series is quite simply peerless. Sculpted, smooth and beautiful, with a profile which one could easily mistake for something whose form was conceived using a wind tunnel. But of course, this extraordinary thing is the realisation of ingenious design from sketch pad to end product.
Made from titanium with a shadowy PVD coating, it is supremely technical. Wrapped around the aviation-inspired jet-turbine pods are sapphire panels, three in all, which offer a superb panorama of the intrinsics - visually impressive, these are vitreous sculptures whose construction would surely have been impossible a decade ago.
The movement required to power the HM4 Final Edition is new - completely new in fact, comprising over 300 individually manufactured components created just for this model, it has been three years in the making.
The HM4 Final Edition brings to an end a series of timepieces which has impressed the industry with its inventiveness, and which has inspired others to think again about the possibilities of time indication. As a finale, it is indeed a very fine horological swan song.
The MB&F HM4 Final Edition will be limited to 8 pieces. More information at the MB&F website.
Not familiar with MB&F? Allow me to educate you watch by watch here.