The MEGAWIND from MB&F

This just in from MB&F -

MEGAWIND

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Time and Power – who says you can’t have it all? Derived from the iconic HM3 series, MEGAWIND combines a giant 22k gold and titanium winding rotor with highly legible time indication cones rising up from the complex asymmetric case, like truncated gold-framed monoliths.
Rotating within their twin gold and sapphire crystal frustums, the cones display hours (left) and minutes (right), with the time clearly visible from both the large numbers on the sides of the cones as well as duplicate indications on their flat caps.

However, while it may be a temporal desire that attracts the viewer’s gaze towards the three-dimensional sculptures housing the hours and minutes, it is likely to be the giant battle-axe shaped winding rotor that mesmerises the eye as it swings unhurriedly, but indomitably, over the meticulously hand-finished movement.

As they revolve, the strong, but lightweight high-tech titanium arms of the rotor intermittently reveal tantalising views through to the fervently oscillating balance wheel.

Power is nothing without control and MEGAWIND offers a perfectly harmonious balance of the two.

Courtesy of MB&F

MEGAWIND is powered by the beautifully engineered, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht-designed HM3 engine. Placing the rotor and regulator on the dial side required an inverted movement, which was only possible thanks to two large high-tech ceramic bearings – visible through the display back – that efficiently transmit time up to the revolving hour and minute cones above. Rotating domes of this size and shape posed a number of technical challenges. The hour and minute domes are machined from solid blocks of aluminium, chosen for its optimal strength to weight ratio; this reduces energy requirements to an absolute minimum.

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Close inspection of the case – which comprises over 50 separate components – is rewarded with a myriad of carefully considered details, including the bevelled perimeter of the rotor display crystal that adds visual flair as the angles catch and reflect flashes of light; the bespoke clover-head gold screws; and the cleverly integrated lugs attaching the strap.

MEGAWIND is available in red gold with a 22k red gold rotor or white gold with a sky-blue 22k gold rotor.

Courtesy of MB&F

MEGAWIND
Inspiration and Realization:

The original HM3 was developed to display the machine’s beautifully finished movement in operation and MEGAWIND follows the same principle. Harmoniously crafted bridges, rapidly oscillating balance wheel, gearing and MB&F’s iconic battle-axe automatic winding rotor are all open to view on the dial side. This allows the wearer to fully appreciate the art and craft of the HM3 engine by drawing the viewer’s gaze inside the highly complex machine; a machine comprising more than 300 fine-finished, high-precision components.

The movement of HM3 has been literally turned upside down to allow for an uninterrupted panorama of the 22k gold and titanium winding rotor’s powerfully graceful arcs and the high-speed oscillations of the balance wheel. Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, winner of the inaugural award for Best Watchmaker at the 2007 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, was entrusted with turning the drawings and designs of Max Büsser and designer Eric Giroud into horological reality and, with his team at Agenhor, he surpassed the challenge.

Indications:

The hour and minute cones are milled from solid aluminium to paper-thin thickness. The cones are housed within three-dimensional truncated gold and sapphire crystal cones, which are brazed together. Brazing is a high-temperature soldering technique which is aesthetically pleasing and ensures a solid, water-resistant construction.

Mega Rotor:

Independent Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva (co-creator of MB&F’s MoonMachine) provided both the initial idea for the large rotor and the name, MEGAWIND. The two 22K gold blades of the iconic MB&F battle-axe rotor on the dial make what is called a ‘mystery’ rotor because, in appearing to be symmetrically balanced instead of having a visibly off-centred mass, they look to defy the laws of physics. This ‘mystery’ is achieved by machining the underside of one of the gold blades to a razor-thin edge, so reducing its mass.

Ceramic Bearings:

Time indications are usually located on the top, or dial side, of a movement. As the movement of HM3 is inverted to display its operation, an efficient solution was needed to bring power from the bottom of the movement to the timekeeping cones at the top. Standard pinions set in jewels would have required complex, friction-generating gearing, and would require support top and bottom – a factor which would increase the height of the movement, and thus the watch.

So instead of standard jewelled pinions, HM3 features two large-diameter (15mm) high-tech ceramic bearings. Because of their large diameter, these bearings minimise the number of friction inducing gears and, due to the rigidity resulting from their ultra-high precision design and manufacture, they only require support at one end (the base) so allow for a thinner movement.

Courtesy of MB&F

MEGAWIND – Technical Specifications

Movement
Three-dimensional horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht / Agenhor; Sowind oscillator and gear train
Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph
Automatic winding rotor in 3 parts: hub in titanium with outer sections in 22K gold, fastened with 4 rivets
Time indications transmitted via ceramic ball bearings

Number of jewels:
36 (all functional)

Number of components:
270

Functions:
Hours on one cone
Minutes on second cone

Case
Available in 18k white gold/titanium or 18k red gold/titanium
Screwed-down crown

Dimensions (exclusive of crown and lugs):
47mm x 50mm x 17mm

Number of case components:
52

Sapphire crystals:
Sapphire cones and front and back display crystals have anti-reflective treatment on both faces

Strap & Buckle:
Black hand-stitched alligator with 18k gold and titanium custom designed folding buckle.


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The Latest MB&F Collaboration

This just in from MB&F -

Every so often, we like to share our work with someone we admire, in a special co-creation exercise – we do this by asking an external creator to reinterpret one of our Machines. You might remember the HM2.2 “Blackbox” designed with Alain Silberstein; the impressive “JWLRYMACHINE” by Boucheron; or the unique pieces we donated to the “Only Watch” charity auctions, created with artists Sage Vaughn and Huang Hankang. We call these special co-creations “Performance Art”.

Today we present our fifth Performance Art piece, with a new guest star. Another jeweller? A designer? An architect?

No – this time, we teamed up with… a watchmaker! Not your standard watchmaker though – a great talent who worked with the very best in Switzerland for 10 years, before returning to his native Finland :

STEPAN SARPANEVA !

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Stepan’s horological skills are matched by his amazing sense of design. If you’re familiar with the timepieces he has created since 2003, you’ll know one of his signature design elements: his iconic moon face. So when we gave Stepan our HM3 Frog to play with, he naturally transformed it into :

the MOONMACHINE

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You’ll find the Sarpaneva DNA in this new series of Machines. The twin hand-finished moons indicate the moon-phase through a Korona-shaped aperture. 

Courtesy of MB&F

The 22k gold and steel northern sky adds a stunning background: the stars are laser-pierced, allowing light to reflect from the movement underneath. And there’s a twist: this star-filled sky is in fact the revolving rotor, bringing not only metaphoric life to the MOONMACHINE, but also literally providing life as it generates power for the movement.

Courtesy of MB&F

MOONMACHINE is 3 Limited Editions of 18 pieces each, in titanium, black titanium and red gold.

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Summer reruns - a few minutes with Maximilian Busser

A Few Minutes with Maximilian Busser

JH - What was your first watch? Was it a gift? Is there a story behind it?

MB - I was 8 years old. It was a hand - winding Jean Perret and every evening I would religiously wind it up in front of my father when he would come to say good night to me. I remember the winding would hurt, because the crown was so small…

JH - A bit about yourself please - you started out with Jaeger-LeCoultre and stayed for 7 years. But then you left - why?

MB - I had no intention of leaving! And then one day one of the top headhunters in the world (who only hunt top executives), called me up. I was intrigued… “Why would he call a small fry like me ?”, so I went down to Geneva for an interview with them. It turned out the job position was Managing Director of Harry Winston Timepieces! I laughed out loud, but the headhunter convinced me of trying the interview. I thought anyway I did not have a chance to get the job, but it could be fun. Then four months later, to my dismay… they told me I was the “chosen one”!

JH - So then after Jaeger-LeCoultre you went on to Harry Winston - this was a very large jump in terms of the types of company "profile" - from a world-class horology based type of company, to a jeweler turned watch maker - why such a jump?

MB - Because when you have never expected or dreamt of such an amazing job (head of a watch brand), the day someone gives it to you on a platter, you just cannot turn it down without having regrets all your life. Clearly I had my reservations on leaving such a beautiful company as JLC, a real Manufacture which devotes all its energy to creating fantastic mechanical calibers, to join a jeweler! But Ronald Winston (son of Harry, and then owner of the company) found the right words to convince me to join. He basically told me he would give me the freedom and support necessary to turn the brand into one of the most admired watch creators, when it was already one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. He kept his word and let me follow my own path to develop Harry Winston Timepieces. 

JH - When you were a boy - what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

MB - A car designer. I was obsessed with this idea - doodling cars from the age of 4 to 18 ! And then my 5 years of studying engineering at university sort of killed that. I suspect that maybe I was kind of depressed during those years, and really did not connect with what I was studying. 



JH - Where did you go to school - what did you study exactly?

MB - I did a Masters in micro technology engineering. Not my most inspired choice, but it introduced me to watch making (5 hours of courses amongst 5 years of studies!) which became my passion and my life. In my life, the brightest light has always followed the darkest moments. 

JH - Who else is making watches that excite you?

MB - A few real creators/watchmakers who create not to please clients but to follow their calling. For example Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), Denis Flageollet & David Zanetta (DeBethune) or François Paul Journe (F.P.Journe)


JH - MB&F is Maximilian Busser & Friends - where did this idea come from?

MB – It was really a matter of simply stating the obvious. Without all those amazing people around me, my ideas would just remain ideas. And I have chosen the “Friends” as much for their fantastic competence and ability as for their/our shared human values. I discovered early in life that by being totally transparent, one had nothing to lose - on the contrary you have everything to gain. 

JH - What do you like to do in your "down-time"?

MB - What “down time” ??? In the last 5 years, since the beginning of MB&F, the little time I have not been working I have devoted to my family, loved ones and friends. There was no way I could build my dream company without sacrificing hobbies, sports and social life. 

JH - How does MB&F work on a daily basis?

MB - Fast! All joking aside, MB&F is a very small, adrenaline - addicted beehive! There are only 7 of us in the company (including the two Master watchmakers who assemble every movement). It is the type of place where everyone works as if it were their own company. That is also one of the most important reasons of our success. 

JH - It appears that you spend a good amount of time meeting your fans and customers - what is your favorite spot to visit so far?

MB - I love travelling in Asia – it is so vibrant, so energy - driven, so forward-thinking! Everyone looks to the future, contrary to Europe where everyone looks back and tries to hang on to a grandeur which was once theirs. 

JH - Why watches?

MB - Because it is one of the only technical working environments where each human being is important and each person can make a difference (contrary to cars for example, where only massive corporations can hope to exist and where individuals are more or less expendable)

JH - If you weren't doing this - what would you be doing?

MB - I don’t know. I already have issues grasping the fact that I am so lucky! This is my life. This is my calling. 


JH- Who was/is your "horological hero"?

MB - Günther Bluemlein, the man who recreated Lange & Söhne, and the ex-CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC. Visionary, charismatic, engaging, knowledgeable and caring for the individuals he respected.

Visit Maximilian and read about him and all of his friends at -

www.mbandf.com