US$84,000 watches

On my Twitter account I saw an article posted by Forbes, entitled The $84,000 Watch Made for Lefties. Being a south paw myself, I could not resist but take a look. A US$84,000 watch would normally be a creation of one of the old watch ultra luxury brands like Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantine, or one of the more contemporary manufacturers like a Frank Muller or Richard Mille creation. This one was by MB&F, the MB&F HM3 ReBel.

MB&F HM3 ReBel

MB&F is a watch manufacturer which specializes in three-dimensional high-end timepieces. MB&F which stands for Maximilian Büsser & Friends was founded by Maximilian Büsser in 2005. The brand is based in Geneva, Switzerland. MB&F presented its first watch, Horological Machine No.1 in 2006 and has followed that up by presenting Horological Machine each year. The MB&F HM3 ReBel is not the companies new watch for 2011, it is a limited edition release of its 2008 MB&F HM3. 

MB&F's website describes their new offering thus: James Dean was a Hollywood Rebel Without a Cause; Billy Idol had a Rebel Yell; Star Wars had its Rebel Alliance; and now MB&F pokes the establishment firmly in its conservatively-focused eye with the HM3 ReBel. Whereas James Dean was the epitome of movie star bad boy, MB&F is the wild child of haute horlogerie; the lone biker in a black leather jacket when everyone else is wearing grey suits and driving Volvos. And unlike Dean, the HM3 ReBel knows exactly what its cause is: horological anarchy!

ReBel: R for right (hand), B for Black (case). The black-coated ReBel is a distinctive, rock 'n roll mirror-image of the HM3 designed to be worn on the right wrist, as a few individualists out there want to do. 

The HM3 has twin cones. One cone indicates and has a day night indicator. The other cones  indicates the minutes. On the dial of the watch is a date wheel. The design of this watch, was inspired by a frog, of all things.

Inside is a "three-dimensional" movement designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor with a Girard-Perregaux oscillator and gear Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph. The watch is built from a PVD treated white gold case.

MB&F HM3 ReBel

There would be three reactions to this type of watch. The first is utter shock, "Who would buy a watch for US$84,000". In the ultra-luxury world with many watches priced at over US$1 million, this is really an entry level watch. 

The second is disappointment. "Who would buy a watch for US$84,000 without a grand complication." I admit, I belong to this group. For this money, the only thing I would consider buying is a Patek Philippe with a perpetual calendar movement. But that is a personal preference. 

The third would be utter amazement. The watch is different, and if smiles to you a lot, US$84,000 may not be all that much. Not many watches are made in such limited quantities. Pretty much any MB&F watch is limited production. This one, makes you one of eighteen. 

There is nothing reasonable, and there are no value for money options in the world of ultra luxury watches. It is really nice to see unique. MB&F watches have delivered that time and time again.  Love it or hate it, MB&F really comes up with something different, year after year. With the crowded watch market, that is not easy to do.

MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt