Our great friends at MB&F have added an alien(!) element to the extraordinary Horological Machine N°6 (HM6). MB&F first launched HM6 in November 2014, all biomorphic curves and brushed metal in its inaugural edition, known as Space Pirate. Just over a year later, the HM6 Sapphire Vision followed, with the uppermost and lowest sections of the case in transparent sapphire crystal, sandwiching a centre segment of platinum or red gold.
Each of the six aliens on HM6 Alien Nation is individually modelled and then hand-sculpted in white gold by accomplished engraver Olivier Kuhn of Atelier-Création Kuhn. Each one takes up to 34 hours to complete, which adds up to over a month of full-time work for the HM6 engine’s crew of six. You can see him at work in the video below.
Except for some titanium reinforcing elements, which also serve as strap attachment points, the case of is made entirely of sapphire crystal. Up until recently, sophisticated shapes such as those used in HM6 would have been impossible to achieve in sapphire crystal.
Highlighting the extreme transparency and smooth curves of the case are carefully placed bands of luminous material. At the top of the luminosity scale are the AGT (Ambient Glow Technology) Ultra strips that run along the inner peripheral edge of the case middle. This high-tech material — with its startling, near-electric levels of glow — was first exploited in watchmaking by the designer James Thompson (aka Black Badger).
We believe this to be quite a stunning piece!