The new MB&F HM8 Mark 2 Blue Edition

Since cogheads and petrolheads tend to share similar passions, it won’t surprise our readers that one of Max Büsser’s childhood dreams was to become a car designer. Although he ended up designing watches, his car-fuelled fantasies made themselves felt in his creations. One of his early muses was the Amida Digitrend watch, a 1976 model displaying the time laterally that was – almost uncannily – revived just a few days ago. Often referred to as driver’s watches, this genre of timekeepers features a lateral time display that allows drivers to consult the time at a glance without lifting their wrist off the steering wheel. Following a consolidated trajectory of Supercar-inspired wristwatches, MB&F launches a third iteration of its HM8 Mark 2 with glossy, sparkly sapphire blue bodywork.

In 2012, MB&F released the HM5, a 1970s-inspired driver’s watch with functional louvres to charge the lume and a sapphire prism that allowed the jumping hours and sweeping minutes to be indicated vertically in a window shaped like an old-style speedometer. The HMX tenth-anniversary piece was also inspired by Supercars, followed by the HM8 “Can-Am” of 2016 with roll bars riveted to the case inspired by the crazy cars competing in the  “Can-Am” (Canadian-American Challenge Cup). Held from 1966 to 1987, the Can-Am sports racing series pitted hairy racing cars with unlimited engine capacity and few technical regulations against one another in exhilaratingly loud, dangerous races. The HM8 Can-Am was fitted with a sapphire crystal revealing the rotor of the movement based on a Girard-Perregaux calibre, the same movement featured inside the HM8 Mark 2 of 2023 with its white or British racing green CarbonMacrolon case.

Fuelled by the looks of the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Abarth 750 Zagato Double, the HM8 Mark 2 is built like a car with the engine mounted on a water-resistant titanium chassis to which body panels are then added. Crafted from lightweight yet resilient titanium, the body panels are made from CarbonMacrolon. Developed specifically for MB&F, CarbonMacrolon is a polymer matrix invented by Bayer injected with carbon nanotubes that can compete in strength with steel but weighs eight times less than steel. Versatile and agreeable to the touch, the material can be coloured, polished, bead-blasted, satin-finished, lacquered, etc.

Made from grade 5 titanium with blue CarbonMacrolon panels, the aerodynamic HM8 Mark 2 case has a length of 47mm, a width of 41.5mm and a maximum height of 19mm at the display end of the case. The crown, positioned near the boot (trunk) of the car, is well-concealed and can only be extracted with a push and a twist to protect the movement. Now flaunting sparkly sapphire blue coachwork, the mineral pigments applied to the translucid material are the same as those found in metallic car paint.

The viewing panels, made of double-curved, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, reveal the battle axe 22k gold rotor on the top and the bridges with speed lines on the reverse side of the case. The lateral time indications are protected by a structure resembling the top part of Darth Vader’s helmet. To enhance legibility, the dual-reflective sapphire crystal prisms have integrated magnifying lenses. Placed upside-down and arranged on two discs, the numerals are reversed to a normal position when projected through the prisms. The hours, indicated in the left window, are jumping hours, and a light-blue pointer indicates the trailing minutes on the right.

MB&F developed the 3D engine, which comprises 247 components and is powered by a Girard-Perregaux automatic base calibre with a 42-hour power reserve.

Availability & Price

The HM8 Mark 2 in titanium and blue CarbonMacrolon comes with a sporty white calfskin strap. It is a limited edition of 33 pieces and retails for CHF 68,000, USD 78,000 or EUR 70,000 (all prices excl. tax). For more information, please visit mbandf.com.