First seen in 2018, the extraordinary Horological Machine N°9 was a tribute to the extraordinary automotive and aeronautical designs of the 1940s and 50s. The result was a case like no other that echoed the period’s flowing, aerodynamic lines.
HM9-SV, has an outer hull of sapphire crystal and precious metal, curved, bubbled and precisely fitted together in three parts, sealed with a proprietary combination of patented three-dimensional gasket and high-tech compound bonding process. Two fully independent cantilevered balances channel data into a differential that turns two heartbeats into one coherent time-pulse. Ultra-precise conical gears efficiently turn the engine’s energy and information current through a 90° angle to feed the time display on a sapphire crystal dial, marked with Super-LumiNova.
On the reverse, co-axial beneath each of the balances are propellers: twin turbines that spin freely as an element of pure visual interest, waiting for someone to begin a new type of exploration. After the initial HM9 Flow ‘Air’ and ‘Road’ editions conquered land and sky, HM9-SV takes us to the depths of the ocean – the last realm on Earth that still holds a wealth of untold secrets.
Externally, the lines of HM9-SV glide over the blueprint of its Road and Air-designated predecessors. The laws of fluid dynamics remain dominant in its design, although the hydro-governed objectives allow HM9-SV to take a more lenient approach to the sharp inward angles and parabolic curves of the previous Flow versions. From a technical standpoint, the reworked dimensions were necessary to account for the differences in material properties of sapphire crystal; although extremely hard, sapphire can fracture sharply under pressure whereas a metal would merely deform.
Performing the task of averaging the time measurement from the twin balances of the HM9 engine is a planetary differential, the gearbox of the movement, which then delivers a final reading to be displayed on the perpendicularly oriented dial. This complex mechanical computation was partially revealed in the original HM9 Flow, with sapphire crystal domes set over each balance and with a magnifying pane mounted above the planetary differential, visually emphasising the importance of its chronometric role. In HM9-SV, every aspect of the engine is open to discovery; the eye can follow the interplay of components from barrel to balance, from differential to dial.
HM9 Sapphire Vision initially came in four editions, each limited to only five pieces: two editions with 18K red gold frame, combined with a NAC-coated black or a PVD-coated blue engine; and two editions with 18K white gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated purple or a red gold plated engine. In 2023, two new editions join the HM9 Sapphire Vision’s ranks; a PVD-coated blue engine with a white gold frame, and a PVD-coated green engine with a yellow gold frame.
Preparing the crystals for a single case of HM9-SV requires approximately 350 hours of careful machining and polishing; weeks of work that would be extended greatly if not for the many years of boundary-pushing sapphire crystal design that MB&F has accumulated since 2005.
Both come in a limited edition of five pieces.
Technical Specifications:
HM9-SV
HM9 Sapphire Vision comes in six editions, each limited to only five pieces:
– two editions with 18K 5N+ red gold frame, combined with a NAC-coated black or PVD-coated blue engine;
– two editions with 18K white gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated purple or red gold-plated engine;
– Two new 2023 editions, with 18K yellow gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated green engine, or 18K white gold frame, featuring a PVD-coated blue engine.
Engine
Manual-winding in-house movement
Two fully independent balance wheels with planetary differential
Frequency: 2.5Hz (18,000bph)
Single barrel with 45-hour power reserve
301 components, 52 jewels
Hours and minutes on vertical dial display
Dual spherical turbines under the movement
Shock-absorbing helicoidal springs linking the movement to the case
Case
‘SV’ editions in sapphire crystal with frame in 18K white, yellow or red gold (5N+). Hour/minute dial in sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment and Super-LumiNova on the numbers and indexes.
Dimensions: 57mm x 47mm x 23mm
52 components
Water resistant to 3ATM (30m)
Unique assembly process of the three sapphire crystal case parts with a patented three-dimensional gasket and high-tech bonding compound.
Sapphire crystals
Total of five sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating: three crystals for the main components of the case, one crystal covering the dial, and one crystal for the dial itself.
Strap and buckle
Hand-stitched brown or black alligator strap with red, yellow or white gold folding buckle matching the case.
Price
Retail price of the new HM9-SV editions is CHF 420,000 + VAT (USD 490,000 / EUR 440,000 + tax)
For more information please visit MB&F