In the last few decades, we have witnessed an exponential growth in the number of inventions that have revolutionized our lives. In fact, there have been so many new machines that in some way we have become immune to innovation. Today's robots may not be able to make dinner, but they can build cars, vacuum the house and mow the lawn. Even sending a man to Mars is more of a money issue than an engineering one, per se.
The project that led to the conception of the Horological Machine Nº5 was inspired by a different time, when we were far more dazzled by technology than we are today. We're talking about the 1970s. Just imagine the enthusiasm and the dreams about the future at that time. Man could fly over the road with a new kind of supercar, fly at supersonic speeds with the Concord and travel to the moon with Apollo. Everything seemed possible: it was only a matter of time before humanoid robots and flying backpacks were invented. In the '70s, the future wasn't tomorrow, it was today. And whilst we're still waiting for flying cars, with the HM5 from MB&F, we can now put a supercar on our wrist.
The HM5 RT is such a box full of surprises that it's almost hard to know where to start. First, hours and minutes are indicated through a kind of digital dashboard that looks straightforward, but which is actually a bi-directional jumping hours with its indications reversed, reflected at 90º and magnified 20%. Just this would be enough to place the HM5 in a whole new playing field in the world of haute horlogerie. But the list – and with it, the surprises – goes on: the design of this mechanical watch, which at first could seem futuristic, is in fact from the '70s, a time when quartz reigned supreme.
The top of the watch has a series of louvres which, in the supersports cars like the Lamborghini Miura and the Lancia Stratos, on which the timepiece is inspired, were used to block out sunlight. In the HM5, they are there to let it in. And just like these cars, the HM5 also has exhaust pipes, which are there to drain water from this water-resistant case. Confused? We're not finished yet.
A case with a brushed finish highlights the rich surface of the 5N red gold, and the warmth of the precious metal creates the perfect juxtaposition with the exciting electric blue trim around the dial. Meanwhile, the grade 5 titanium that flanks the lower sides and the base of the case brings out and softens the formal nobility of the red gold.
Despite the generous size of the case, measuring 51.5mm x 49mm, the HM5 is surprisingly comfortable on the wrist, a feature that the 66 potential buyers of this new creation from Maximilian Büsser &Friends will certainly appreciate.
