Our Take

Flipping through the MB&F’s recently published Catalogue Raisonné, titled “The First Fifteen Years,” there’s so much to see that elicits awe and excitement for collectors of avant-garde timepieces. From the HM1 all the way to the latest HM9-SV, every timepiece is more creatively wild than the next.

Heavily inspired by vintage timepieces and cars like the Amida Digitrend and Lamborghini Miura, this is MB&F’s twist on 1970’s aesthetics. A driver’s watch, the HM5 was the brand’s first truly sporty timepiece, released originally in 2012. This HM5 CarbonMacrolon arrived two years later in 2014 with production ending in 2016. With jumping hour and minute discs, the time is read through a sapphire crystal prism that acts as a magnifying glass. Without doubt, the side-view digital display of time creates one of the brand’s most sleek Horological Machines.

While it may appear more “subdued” than some of its siblings, the case is truly a marvel in engineering. Crafted out of 80 components, there are actually two integrated cases here – one external for the louvres system and one internal to house and protect the movement. On the external case, a small lever opens the louvres on the top, similar to the Miura’s design, to allow light into the movement. This charges the purple lume on the discs and allows for easy nighttime legibility. There’s also two vents by the crown, both act as exhaust ports for water to escape the case. It does justice to the glory days of vintage automotive design, looking very much like a sports car on the wrist.

Compared to the earlier two released versions of the HM5, in titanium-like zirconium and rose gold, this timepiece is made out of CarbonMacrolon. Developed for this sole application, CarbonMacrolon is a dense black polycarbonate resin with reinforcement from carbon nanotubes. The material meets the set specifications by MB&F – it can be polished like a metal, feels as solid as a metal, and is as hard as steel. Rather than simply adding a PVD coating to stainless steel – something that tends to be very prone to scratching – this case is black all the way through. For a brand that always goes the extra mile, this material is much more “MB&F” than any alternative surface finish.

One of our all-time favorite MB&F timepieces for good reason, this pre-loved timepiece is available.