Swiss horological manufacturer MB&F recently announced the launch of its Special Project One (SP One), a 38mm timepiece that marks the debut of the brand’s new “Special Projects” collection. The watch represents a departure from the company’s typical larger-scale creations while maintaining its signature three-dimensional architecture and innovative design philosophy.
The SP One, originally code-named “Three Circles,” features a unique display of floating mechanical elements, including the barrel, balance wheel, and dial that appear to defy gravity within the watch case. These components are visible through sapphire crystal domes, creating what MB&F describes as an “amphitheatre-like” presentation where the balance wheel performs a mid-air dance and the tilted dial showcases the brand’s conical gearing system.
Housed in a 38mm pebble-shaped case, the SP One represents MB&F’s slimmest and smallest watch to date. The design incorporates a smooth, tactile feel with a bezel-free construction and detached lugs, positioning itself between the brand’s radical Horological Machines and more traditional Legacy Machines collections.
The watch’s development traces back to the COVID-19 pandemic period, when MB&F revisited dormant projects from their creative archives. According to the company, this period initially seemed threatening to the business but ultimately led to renewed creativity and unexpected successes.
When COVID hit, like many others, MB&F thought it was the end. In this tumultuous time, the team decided it was important to dive into a basket of fun, dormant projects that had been on the back burner for years.
The strategy proved successful, with projects like the M.A.D.1 becoming unexpected hits. However, MB&F owner and creative director Maximilian Büsser cautioned that success can lead to complacency and stifled innovation. Instead of falling into these traps, the team intensified their creative efforts and delved deeper into their collection of experimental concepts.
“Success can be toxic – leading to complacency, treating clients poorly, and stifling innovation,” Büsser noted, explaining the company’s decision to maintain their unconventional approach despite growing success.
The Special Projects collection emerges from what MB&F describes as a “treasure trove of creativity” – a collection of wild ideas, intuitive flashes, and experimental sketches accumulated over years. This archive contained concepts ranging from timepieces to unexpected items like skateboards and razors, all representing the brand’s commitment to unconventional thinking.
The SP One project exemplifies MB&F’s business philosophy, which the company acknowledges runs counter to traditional management principles. Rather than following conventional business plans, the brand focuses on creating unexpected products and challenging industry norms.
This embodies the spirit of MB&F, which, according to any management book, epitomises doing everything wrong. No business plan, just a will to create the unexpected, going against the grain and revelling in the unconventional.
The watch’s mechanical complexity is contained within its compact 38mm case, demonstrating MB&F’s ability to maintain their innovative three-dimensional movement architecture in a more wearable size. The floating elements create a visual spectacle that transforms the wearer’s wrist into what the brand describes as “a stage for a captivating, gravity-defying performance.”
After two decades of pushing horological boundaries with increasingly complex and often larger timepieces, the SP One represents MB&F’s exploration of elegance within constraints. The watch maintains the brand’s distinctive aesthetic while offering a more accessible size that appeals to a broader range of wearers.
The Special Projects collection positioning suggests MB&F plans to continue mining their archive of experimental concepts, potentially leading to future releases that blur traditional categorisations within their product portfolio. The SP One inaugurates this new collection as an undefinable piece that bridges the gap between the brand’s most radical and classical offerings.
The SP One launches in two editions: platinum with a sky-blue bevelled flange, retailing in Malaysia at RM341,300, and rose gold with an anthracite bevelled flange, retailing at RM304,500
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Visuals courtesy of The Hour Glass
Published by Tim Chew
