CUT OUT FOR SPEED
One-of-a-kind design, jumping hour and dragging minutes display in a league of their own, super-efficient automatic caliber: once again the Friends whisk us off along incredible watchmaking tracks.
From its HM5 to its HM8, and not forgetting its HMX, MB&F has definitely brought “casquette”-style (aka visor) watches from the 1970s back into vogue. Its novel HM8 Mark 2 reiterates this concept and ingeniously blends together the very best in esthetics and technology from its older siblings. In a nutshell, the horizontally-placed time data discs are magnified and projected at 90 degrees on the vertical display thanks to high-precision prisms crafted in sapphire crystal. This scenography is now hosted in a case whose lines are inspired by the bodies of legendary GTs like the Fiat Abarth 750 “Double Bubble” Zagato from 1959. A sapphire crystal invites to admire the components of the movement in motion, in particular its famous battleaxe-shaped rotor.
What’s more, for this model, the Geneva brand developed a never-seen-before waterproof grade 5 titanium chassis along with CarbonMacrolon®-sculpted bodywork. This composite’s polymer matrix stands out with its carbon nanotubes that gift it with outstanding properties: it’s resistant, tough and unbelievably light. And, to top it off, this material is lucky enough to be self-coloured. The watch case (47 x 41.5 x 19 mm) is proposed in two versions for its launch, one white, the other a 33-piece limited racing green series. To ensure gentlemen drivers delight in intense wearing comfort, each piece is accompanied by a Velcro®-attached calfskin strap.
