For the second time, MB&F will be a part of the Only Watch charity auction, again in a spectacular and pretty special way. Along with an outstanding shape and the authentic, aviator style, HM4 Only Watch brings a beautiful message of hope for kids who are disabled to feel all the beauties of their childhoods.
MB&F and its horological master, Maximilian Büsser, based a new one-of-a-kind timepiece on the HM4 Thunderbolt, but it is the collaboration with a Chinese artist, Huang Hankang, that made it absolutely unique. It celebrates the idea of flying and this is what every boy is dreaming about.
The most striking part of the HM4 Only Watch is a flying panda that rides this special flying machine that can be used as a timetelling device, as well. As Huang Hankang has already become famous by his painting of flying pandas, he seamed like a perfect person for this project. The watch comes with his signature in Chinese, located on one of the sapphire crystals, as well as with a Hankang’s special painting.
The panda and the reins that it holds in its hands are crafted in solid 18k white gold and then, they are hand-engraved on the timepiece. They are attached in a way that allows them to be slide off from the watch.
Highly Complicated Construction
A 54mm wide, 52mm long and 24mm high case, made of titanium, has a highly complex construction, with two turbines on either side of a central platform. Separate sapphire crystals cover both parts of the platform and go around the turbines. They provide different angles of view on a hand-winding mechanism. It is an in-house three-dimensional masterpiece, constructed from 311 components, that oscillates at the frequency of 21,600 beets per hour (3Hz). Thanks to two mainspring barrels set in parallel, it provides a power-reserve of 72 hours.
One of the turbines displays accurate time and the other one is used as a power-reserve indicator. The first one has a simple design, based on a contrast among the black dial and white SuperLumiNova hour markers and Arabic numerals, a triangular index at the 12 o’clock position and arrow hands. Above the turbines, there are two crowns, one for winding the watch and the other one for adjusting the time.
Black leather straps of the MB&F HM4 Only Watch 2011 are removal, enabling its lucky buyer to use it as a timetelling sculpture. However, he or she will need to pay an enormous sum of money (the estimated price goes from 170,000 to 230,000 euros), in order to get this masterpiece. At the same time, this person will donate the money to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophies (AMM), in order to help the fight against the fatal children’s disease.
Hahaaha. This watch is totally crazy. I wonder what would be the reaction if I would wear it to the business meeting.