For a 20th-anniversary release that introduces an entirely new collection, one might have expected it to be groundbreaking. And it is. But for MB&F, a brand that has thrived on an ambitious, high-concept approach to horology and raised the bar time and time again, where could they possibly have gone? The answer is simple: simplicity.
The new SP One is MB&F’s slimmest and smallest watch—12mm and 38mm, respectively. It has a rounded, pebble-like profile, essentially consisting of a caseband and two transparent sapphire domes. Seeming to hover within this openness are its mechanics, arranged in tight symmetry. Its composition is dominated by barrel, balance wheel, and dial—an organised trinity of identically sized circles.
And that is, more or less, it. There is far less to say about the SP One than the typical MB&F release. The Horological Machine, or HM, collection usually involves some architectural or automotive foray to fully convey and appreciate the radical layout and structure of the timepiece. The Legacy Machine, or LM, collection often requires a deep dive into watchmaking technicalities in order to explain the paradigm shift involved (and, on a few occasions, the upcoming GPHG award). The SP One, though, is as straightforward as you can get—a pure, if artful, shrine to basic horological principles.
There are details, of course, like how bridges and other components are downplayed and concealed behind the three key elements as much as possible—screws, in particular, so often an inevitable visual reference point in watchmaking, are all but hidden on the dial side of the watch. The dial is slightly tilted towards the wearer, and the rounded, double-domed profile is very much in the spaceship signature of MB&F—particularly that of designer Eric Giroud, the brand’s frequent collaborator—while letting light do curious things with highlights and shadow, especially on the wrist. The addition of a coloured, bevelled flange on the circumference is a simple but powerful visual element that grounds and emphasises the overall lightness of the watch.
The SP One is certainly no statement of philosophical change from MB&F—there is no doubt that the fertile hive of ideas that is the mind of Maximilian Büsser is brewing plenty more complex and bombastic ambitions. But the SP One—‘SP’ stands for Special Project, by the way—rounds out the portfolio and presents a different and refreshing perspective of his design sensibilities. That it is MB&F’s most wearable—and arguably most sophisticated—expression yet is a bonus. It is available in two executions: one with a platinum case (RM341,300), and one with rose gold (RM304,500).
