The MB&F SP One, the First Chapter of the New Special Projects Collection

Founded in 2005 by Maximilian Büsser and counting on the participation of “friends” in the creative process, MB&F has levitated around two main collections since its creation, but always with a rather radical concept and designs like nothing else on the market. First came the Horological Machines (with HM1 in 2007), futuristic watches inspired by space, science fiction, aviation, supercars or architecture. In 2011, with the LM1, Büsser launched the Legacy Machine collection, steampunk-inspired timepieces with a drastically different look. But like all creative structures, what makes it into production is only the tip of the iceberg. There were tons of dormant projects, watches that didn’t fit in, and concepts that were far more accessible (hello, M.A.D Editions)… And now there’s a capsule to encase them: Special Projects. And it starts with the MB&F SP One, the “what if the brand created an elegant 38mm watch” piece that’s anything but classic in the end.

Historical context

Although I’m not entirely sure Max will fully appreciate the idea of discussing the “history” of his brand, we must remember that MB&F is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. And what a ride it’s been for the team and friends. The road has not always been easy, but this is what you get when you’re radically creative and disruptive. Now, MB&F is one of the most established members of the indie watchmaking scene, with strong financial backing from Chanel. But everything started when Maximilian Büsser, previously head of Harry Winston watches and responsible for the Opus collection, decided to fly solo – well, actually, never really solo, as the whole concept was to collaborate with other creative minds.

Bringing together talented horological professionals, Büsser incorporated his company in 2005 under the name MB&F – Maximilian Büsser & Friends – and in 2007 presented his first time-telling UHO, or unidentified horological object. The HM1 marked the start of the Horological Machine series: sculptured, three-dimensional cases with beautifully finished, shaped engines inside, inspired by everything Büsser and Giroud (his partner in design) loved. Inspirations came from themes as diverse as space and science fiction, aviation, supercars, the animal kingdom and architecture. And this series gave birth to absolutely incredible watches, such as the HM3 series, the Lambo-like HM5, the jellyfish HM7 or the unquantifiable HM9 Sapphire.

In 2011, another collection came to life with a drastically different inspiration and style, the Legacy Machines. Round cases, historical references and a far more traditional execution of the movements, and yet an undeniable steampunk vibe. The idea was to imagine the watches Max could have made if he were born 100 years earlier, and was active at the same time as great names such as Eiffel or Verne. Following the LM1, the collection expanded with complications such as an innovative perpetual calendar or a crazy-complex chronograph. Certain Legacy Machines have also given birth to EVO editions, featuring increased water and shock resistance.

And we’re only talking about watches, because we could also mention clocks made with L’Epée 1839 or musical machines made with Reuge. In addition to MB&F, the team also created a more accessible brand named M.A.D Editions, sharing some of the bigger brother’s creativity with more affordably priced models.

As you can expect, and despite a vast collection created over 20 years, what you’ve seen assembled and commercialised only represents a fraction of Büsser and Giroud’s work. Dozens of cancelled ideas, countless dormant projects, several great ideas that couldn’t be completed or simply creations that were not in line with the rest of the brand, or the time, or the market or the trends of the day… But somewhere in this basket of unachieved things lay the idea of a compact, elegant, sleeker watch. But MB&F being MB&F, there’s a twist.

And here comes the Special Projects collection, a basket full of “wild ideas, flashes of intuition, and even sketches of skateboards and razors. It was a treasure trove of creativity”. One of these concepts was picked out and brought back to life, code-named Special Project One. And here we have the newest watch and collection of MB&F.

The MB&F SP One

SP One is like nothing else we’ve seen before at MB&F, and yes, it’s an MB&F through and through. Just with an altogether different intention. “What if we did what no one expected – an elegant, classical watch?” The first sketch of the SP One dates back to 2018, but it always felt risky, an unexpected and novel idea for the brand. But so was the LM1, and don’t get me started on the HM1… And yet, these have made history on the indie watchmaking scene.

The MB&F SP One represents a new chapter in the brand’s creative vision. But it’s not the guiding light or blueprint for everything else that will later be branded SP. The Special Projects collection won’t be as consistent as HM and LM. It will be… special, and expect the unexpected and things that don’t fall into the two other collections’ codes. Back to SP One, which started with a simple sketch: three circles resembling a smiley face, encapsulating the trinity of a watch movement, namely the barrel, the balance wheel and the off-centred dial. Quickly drawn, unfinished, forgotten for a while. And then it returned, with the idea to create a watch that whispered sophistication instead of shouting for attention, a subtly elegant watch, sleek and restrained (at least compared to everything else MB&F), putting aside the usual boldness of the brand and yet keeping its codes intact.

The result is this SP One, an elegant 38mm streamlined watch that has far more discretion than anything else we’ve seen before from the Geneva-based indie brand. Yet, you can’t really miss the origins of this creation, which oozes Giroud and Büsser, and includes the classic mechanical features we’ve seen in previous creations. It starts with a smooth design, a watch as soft as a pebble, without sharp lines or aggressive angles on its case. Compact, with a 38mm diameter and a sub-42mm length, this watch is also the slimmest ever done by the brand at 12mm – yes, it is not going to win the race for ultra-thin, but the slim caseband makes it visually much thinner on the wrist, also helped by the box-shaped, ultra-domed sapphire crystal on top.

The case itself, made of 18k rose gold or 950 platinum, with a fully polished finish, is quiet and discreet. Only the crown at 10 o’clock and the slight floating effect on the lugs introduce a dose of originality. Some will say that it feels too shy, but this was the objective. The watch also has a bezel-free construction, which adds to the sensation of space, transparency and lightness, as well as a pleasant tactile feel. And as you can imagine from the dimensions, it wears like a charm.

Moving towards the centre of the watch, there’s no dial in the strict sense of the word, as often with MB&F. The MB&F SP One was conceived around its movement, and the triptych-like architecture of the calibre defines the look of the watch. There is, of course, a time indication, which sits in a typical MB&F inclined dial at 6 o’clock, with a DLC-coated base and classic polished markers and hands. This is the first of three main elements of the calibre.

The two others are the barrel and the balance wheel, arranged in an architectural way in the top part of the watch. All the elements are sandwiched between the two sapphires, as if they were levitating inside the watch. The movement is constructed around three arms, cleverly hidden beneath the three key elements, with the barrel, balance wheel and dial taking centre stage. Also participating in the sleek elegance of the SP One, the movement barely features visible bridges, screws or wheels. And enhancing the architectural look, all three elements have identical circumferences. The single-barrel architecture is elegantly suspended and framed by a bevelled flange with a spiral brushed surface, adding some texture to the whole layout. Depending on the case material, this inner flange is either sky-blue (platinum) or anthracite (rose gold).

The back of the movement has a lot more going on, as you can expect. From a technical perspective, it features an oversized balance wheel beating at 2.5Hz, a solid 72-hour power reserve on the single barrel and a total of 191 components. The finishing is refined and discreet like the rest of the watch, and yet full of details. All the wheels are hand-angled, the jewels are held in place by prominent gold chatons, the bridges are bevelled, and all he surfaces are decorated.

Availability & Price

Worn on a calfskin strap with a white gold or rose gold pin buckle, the MB&F SP One (Special Project One) is available in two non-limited editions in platinum or rose gold. Only the production capacity will limit the availability. The platinum model is priced at CHF 63,000 or EUR 69,000, while the rose gold version comes at CHF 58,000 or EUR 64,000 (all prices excl. taxes).

For more details, please visit mbandf.com.