Introducing the MB&F HM6 Alien Nation – 4 Unique Pieces (that are already sold)

With MB&F you always have to be prepared for the unexpected. Its Horological Machine 6 (HM6) is a horological UFO (Unidentified Flying Object). For the latest version, Alien Nation, the company has created four unique pieces, which certainly live up to their unusual name. For collectors there good news and bad news, although we’ll leave it up to you to decide which is which. The news is this; if you were already planning to spend half a million USD on a new MB&F watch, these four unique versions of the HM6 won’t kill your savings, however, all four unique pieces have already been sold… to one collector! 

What would you do if you met an alien? The first two series of HM6, the Space Pirate and Sapphire Vision, were astonishing creations born out of Max Busser’s horological lab. The newest version had to be even more special. This time, it is inhabited…. by aliens! Don’t believe us? Watch the video to see it yourself.

As you would have noticed, there are six aliens, all modelled and hand-scuplted with incredible precision by engraver Olivier Kuhn. Made of white gold, they are all on the move, travelling in a high tech-case made almost exclusively of sapphire crystal with only a few grade 5 titanium elements to reinforce their spaceship. A true technological feat, the 12 sapphire blocks that make the crystal ship, required no less than 510 hours of machining and polishing. This was all the more difficult to achieve as the shapes are highly complex (and sapphire crystal is very fragile.)

To travel in the infinite dark of space, the 95-piece transparent case houses the ultra-luminescent material AGT (an acronym for Ambient Glow Technology). AGT was first exploited in watchmaking by designer James Thompson, aka Black Badger (it has been previously used by MB&F for its HMX black badger edition.) Smaller surfaces on the movement such as the turbine fins or indices on the dial are coated with Superluminova. The gaskets are rendered in coloured AGT material.

As with the previous versions of the HM6, the engine of this spaceship is regulated by a flying tourbillon that has a retractable, semi-spherical titanium shield activated by the left crown. This automatic movement is wound by a platinum, battle-axe shaped winding rotor in a different color for each version. The movement ticks at 18’000 vibrations per hour for a power reserve of 72 hours. Its original and sophisticated architecture comprises almost 500 parts and was developed with David Candaux. At the front, two spheres rotate vertically, displaying the hours and minutes respectively.

At the back, cool twin turbines made of aluminium regulate the winding system. These act like a governor; if the rotor rotates too quickly, the turbines (slowed by air friction) will slow the rotor in turn, thus protecting the movement from excessive stress and wear.

The MB&F HM6 Alien Nation comes in four different colours: green, blue, turquoise and purple. It is worn on a grey alligator strap with stitching matching these colours. It is secured by a titanium folding buckle.

Crazy? You are right, and we like it that way. Plus, this is technically really impressive in many respects: the complexity of the sophisticated sapphire case, the meticulous hand-making of the aliens, the use of AGT and the innovative movement are all integral parts of the concept. As Max Busser puts it, ‘a creative adult is a child who survived’!

For more information about MB&F, please visit www.mbandf.com

Technical specifications of the MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Aline Nation

• Case: 51mm x 50mm x 22.7mm – sapphire – crystal case with some reinforcing elements in grade 5 titanium – 30m water resistant
• Movement: Three-dimensional horological engine developed exclusively for HM6 by MB&F with David Candaux – 72h power reserve – 18,000 vibrations/h – 68 jewels – Flying tourbillon with retractable semi-spherical titanium shield – Hours and minutes on separate semi-spherical aluminium indicators.
• Strap: Grey hand-stitched alligator strap with stitches matching the gasket’s colours. Custom designed folding buckle in titanium.
• 4 unique pieces
• Price: $ 500,000 USD each