The MB&F HM7 Aquapod – Is this even a watch?

SIHH 2017 beheld many horological “first times” for me. However, what stands out as the highlight of all of them has to be my meeting with the people of MB&F and their newest creation, Horological Machine No.7 – The Aquapod.

For those of you that are not fully familiar with Maximillian Büsser and his creations, I highly recommend checking out our featured article titled: Maximilian Büsser: The Mastermind Behind the Magic of MB&F.

It is a refreshing experience to talk with a brand younger than myself. Created in 2005, MB&F blasts everyone’s expectations yearly by pushing the boundaries of watchmaking.

And the jellyfish-inspired Aquapod is no different, dividing the community into those who admire the courage and those that snicker at the 50-meter water resistance. Can you fault them, though, for pointing out the flaws in this extreme example of “function follows form”? 53.8 mm across and 21.3 mm high, the watch is too big on paper, the time is too difficult to read at first glance, and the flying tourbillon seems too fragile and absurd to pass for anything but a gimmick.

Trying to approach a watch like this from such a highly analytical perspective, is a futile exercise as the best answer you will get as to why it exists is; Because it can.

And this watch can do a lot. It sports a vertically built flying tourbillion. This eye-catching presentation of the tourbillon is essential for the vision of the watch, as it creates space for the floating bezel. This builds the jellyfish-like appearance, which is particularly vibrant when looking at the watch from the side. The jellyfish had lovingly been carried into all the details of the watch. For example, the Lume has been applied on the top of the watch and the rotor. Completely pointless, but boy, oh boy, does it look magical in the dark when the rotor spins!

All these oddities put aside, what impressed me most was how self-aware the whole operation behind the brand is. Many brands try to find many serious reasons why you may need their watch. Not so with MB&F.

When I asked why the watch does not have diving accreditation (something that should be relatively easy to achieve), I was told that this would be beside the point as it isn’t a real dive watch. If someone wants a serious dive watch, more than enough brands perform this job.

This spirit of not bending to conformity which we see a lot of in the industry as of late can be best witnessed when recalling the adamance with which MB&F calls its timepieces machines rather than watches. This creates unprecedented freedom, no longer conforming to what we think a watch could be but existing in a league of its own.

Conclusion

The Aquapod is a watch made to get your gears turning. Spending time with it inspires one to think outside the box and dream of all the opportunities left uncovered. Whether you love or hate it, you must see it in person.

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