Our Take

Since its early days, MB&F always finds a way to bring already mind-blowing timepieces to another level with sapphire crystal. The most recent HM9-SV “Sapphire Vision” from Geneva Watch Days 2023 is a testament to that reality. As spectacular as all “SV” timepieces are, they come very limited in quantity. That’s why we’re fortunate to present one of the earliest of these timepieces – the Horological Machine No.2 “Sapphire Vision” Black.

First launched in 2008, Horological Machine No.2 revolutionized the world of haute horlogerie with its distinctive rectangular shape, flying buttresses, dual portholes and modular construction. Its mechanical movement offers instantaneous jumping hours, concentric retrograde minutes, retrograde date, bi-hemisphere moon-phase and the brand’s hallmark “battle ax” automatic-winding rotor. The HM2-SV Black arrived three years later in 2011 – an exploration in the realm of sapphire crystal cases.

While everything comes together seamlessly, getting there was no small feat. The sapphire crystal that sits on top of the PVD-coated titanium base broke in the production process, leaving many cases completely destroyed. Such is the nature of working with sapphire crystal, and certainly part of the reason that “SV” timepieces occupy such a small sliver of the brand’s corpus over the last ~20 years.

The final result is spectacular. The ability to admire the three-dimensional, highly complex movement through the dial is a delight on the eye. The striking green outline around the rectangular case is functional: this is in fact the gasket that guarantees water-resistance to 3 atm. The green of the gasket matches the green of the winding rotor of the automatic movement with its 349 components and 44 jewels.

Limited to 18 timepieces, this HM2-SV Black is pre-loved and in great condition.