MB&F hasn’t refreshed the HM8 so much as completely reimagined it. The Swiss watchmaker has just unveiled a second iteration of the automotive-inspired Horological Machine No. 8 called, fittingly, the Mark 2. This time around, the timepiece’s unique body takes its design cues from one of the more revered supercars in recent memory, the Porsche 918 Spyder.
It should come as little surprise to anyone familiar with MB&F’s watches—particularly the Horological Machine line—that there was a time when founder Maximilian Büsser wanted to design cars. Nowhere does this come through more clearly than in the looks of the first HM8, which was released in 2016.
The first timepiece’s body was basically a chassis with two roll bars just like those found on the Can Am race car. This time around, the body incorporates a double roll hoop structure like that found on the 918 Spyder that houses an old-school speedometer dial with a bi-directional jumping hour and trailing minutes. The structure also features a piece of double-domed sapphire crystal that offers an unobstructed view of the timepiece’s engine below. The case is made from Grade 5 titanium finished in either British racing green or white Carbon Mocrolon. Completing the package is a contrasting colour strap made from Calfskin (the green watch has a white strap, while the white dons a green one).
The HM8 Mark 2 may have a completely new body, but the movement that powers it is the same found in its predecessor, including its Girard-Perregaux base. The movement is made up of 247 components, including 30 jewels and a 22-karat-gold winding rotor (that’s finished in green on the white watch). The watch also has a power reserve of 42 hours.
The HM8 Mark 2 is available now for US$78,000, which is less than 10 per cent of the supercar’s US$845,000 starting price. You’ll have move as fast as a 918 Spyder if you want the green version of the timepiece, though; it’s limited to just 33 units.
Previously published on Robb Report.
