MB&F HM8 Mark 2: A timepiece supercar!
Design and automotive advancements have gone hand in hand since the early decades of the 20th century. The look of cars is evolving faster every year as cars move beyond utility machines designed to get you from point A to point B and into the realm of a personal display of style and taste. It didn't take long for the notion of form over function to take hold, only to be overtaken by that of function over form. high quality cheap watches
Of course, the space age filled designers' minds with visions of the future that would never materialize, but they did everything they could to bring it to life with more complex car concepts like speed, aerodynamics and shape. It can't last forever, and as the design concept moves away from a rocket on wheels, we start to see visions of power as the swooping curves become more angular and chiseled. The late sixties and seventies were an era of automotive design that presented an opportunity to push your desire for power.
This is not an elegant era, but an energetic era. We're seeing shapes never imagined before, and you can have a vehicle that tries new things, regardless of performance. The performance and muscle cars of the era were quite possibly the least subtle in terms of design choices, with concept cars peaking in the wild (one of my all-time favorites is the Bertone Lancia Stratos Zero).
But as the design is forced into the economy of a production car, style continues to evolve while concept designers can still live out their wildest dreams. Flat panels are everywhere, and it's as if no designer has ever heard that metal can bend. The 1980s were the prime example, while the 90s moved towards the smoothest shapes imaginable, leading to an era affectionately known as "soap" styling in terms of common passenger cars.
The dawn of the new millennium saw the biggest gap between concept and production cars, as each passenger car became a clone of the other, and supercars were the last bastion of interesting design choices. luxury cheap Watches
Fortunately, the trend has turned a little in the other direction, as many car designers now realize that we may be in the last few decades of the ubiquitous passenger car, so they might as well shoot for the moon. In just one century, there have been countless inspiring designs to suit every taste, from the glorious days of the coach all the way to the mass-produced automobile that can travel over 400 kilometers an hour and physically deform at high speeds.
For watches inspired by automotive legends, it's easy to mold something that instantly elicits a visceral excitement in the same part of our brain that lights up when we're driving very, very fast.
Max Busser needs no introduction to such watchmaking enthusiasts, as he has been inspired by the history of the automobile for decades. Take a look back at MB&F's past catalog and its 20+ unique model designs, 4 of which were directly inspired by specific car designs and 12 in the 'drivers' watch category. This means that automotive history has directly influenced more than half of MB&F's designs in some way.
Its latest iteration, the HM8 Mark 2, clearly stems from the supercar realm, without forgetting the key heart of the 1970s that was so important to Busser himself. buy replica watches
MB&F HM8 Mark 2 As the name suggests, the HM8 Mark 2 is a follow-up to the original HM8, with a different inspiration than its predecessor.
The former looks like a Can-Am race car from the '60s and '70s, while the Mark 2 looks more modern. The design language is easily recognizable as a reference to the 2013 Porsche 918 Spyder, seat covers, etc., though it still incorporates classic styling, including possible cues from the 1972 BMW E25 Turbo, with its scooped rear deck and full-length body ridgeline, seen in the HM8 Mark 2 on the central titanium shell.
Design inspiration aside, the Mark 2 follows in the footsteps of many other MB&F products, functionally telling the time like a 'driver's' watch. This means that when the driver is holding the steering wheel, the display swivels or tilts towards the driver, in this case vertically, thanks to a pair of prisms at the top of the hour and minute dials. The prism display is also enlarged to compensate for the depth of the angular view, all integrated into the prism body.
The core mechanics of the HM8 Mark 2 are essentially the same as the original and the Mark 2, simplifying the build and allowing attention to other details. The crown has been updated with a unique 'dual-clutch' mechanism that needs to be pushed and turned three-quarters counterclockwise to unlock, thus protecting the crown from bumps and accidental adjustments. It's not as highly water-resistant as the screw-down crown (the Mark 2 is water-resistant to 30 meters), but it gives the user a more tactile experience and incorporates more automotive Easter eggs into the design.high quality watches replica
At the top of the Mark 2, we can see the movement, a full view of the classic Tomahawk rotor, and the rear of the display prism. The sapphire crystal mirror mirrors the shape of the display hood and reminds me of the classic Hurst Hemi Under Glass car, a show car that purposely kept the rear engine visible through the huge glass window. Now fairly common in supercars, its origins are squarely in the muscle car scene of the 60s and 70s. But that's juxtaposed with CarbonMacrolon body panels on the top and bottom of the shell, a construction technique more modern than any classic car.
mix of old and new Taking a central shell and bolting on rigid body panels on the outside is definitely inspired by modern high-end vehicles, especially when you consider what a CarbonMacrolon is. As a composite, CarbonMacrolon is a "dense polycarbonate resin reinforced with carbon nanotubes," which means it's essentially a cast material that's incredibly hard and can be shaped and colored in virtually unlimited ways.
Manufacturing a material like CarbonMacrolon still requires a lot of planning, as hard materials tend to crack when subjected to impact, so the right material formulation will allow for some flex to prevent catastrophic failure, while protecting the case and crystal from life's usual bumps.
In the case of the HM8, instead of being on the outside, the bottom CarbonMacrolon panel is sandwiched between the outer titanium case back and the center case. In this area, it extends beyond the central shell, acting more like a bumper than a shell, but with the upper section acting like a colored hard hat. The British Racing Green limited edition showcases the vibrancy the material can bring, but the non-limited edition still opts for white that only glows on the wrist. It can also be seen here that aesthetics are a strong influencing factor for the MB&F team.best replica watches
The white version features British Racing Green anodized rotors that glisten under the sapphire fastback window, meaning both versions are steeped in racing history in the much-loved colour. For the limited edition, the rotors are a more traditional gold, but thanks to the famous livery of Jaguar, Aston Martin and Lotus, green and gold is one of the most popular color combinations in racing. It's called "British" racing green for a reason, after all.
It's also an example of how classic car history and more modern development can come together in one watch, and why it follows in the footsteps of some of the most successful car designs. The simple shape of the upper "body panel" with its twin fairings and flared protrusions on the crown is evidence enough of careful consideration of the shape and proper flow of the case.
Shape Drives Experience One might even think that the case looks like it was designed with the help of wind tunnel testing. The way the panels flow and wrap around the central crust almost feels like a layer of pie crust has been carefully wrapped around the fruit filling, smoothly forming the shape of the apple below. But alas, this is no pie, but a stunning horological machine that is relatively easy to read while driving.
Both the sapphire crystal and the sapphire prism take shape and flow like clear water over the desired shape of the case, like an invisible skeleton supporting the case cover. Under the hood, the movement is ready to go, waiting for you to step on the gas pedal. Well, maybe the automotive allusion doesn't always capture the Mark 2, but when you flip the watch over, you'll still find a modular main plate with machined ribs, just like the engine or oil pan cover, depending on your exact make and model.replica luxury watches
While it's much softer than the wilder shapes of the original HM8, it feels more inspired than its predecessor. Using the Mark 2 as part of the overall MB&F adventure, one can see how the exploration of shape has been one of the driving forces behind the brand, especially in the Horological Machine collection. The Legacy Machine's "steampunk future" vibe dabbles in some wilder shapes, but it's limited to three dome models that are considered driver's watches.
These pieces really reaffirm the car culture's inspiration for the brand, born of Max Busser's love of car design that consumed his life from the age of 4 to 18. He clearly grew up in the right era, obsessed with automotive design, and luckily applied his passion to our favorite industry years later. With the HM8 Mark 2, Busser has gone back to its roots once again with a watch that subtly captures the spirit of the car, going so far as to make the strap and buckle a Velcro closure, turning it into an aficionado's wrist tool.
As always, horological machines aren't for everyone's perfect aesthetic, but for those who love it, the HM8 Mark 2 is a stunning exercise in the design language of the automotive world. Pieces like this make MB&F one of my favorite brands because after using dozens of machines, I can still be blown away by the variety and experimentation found within the brand.
It also shows that the ability to design a clean, simple watch on top of a complication is still perfectly viable. We haven't seen a watch this streamlined since the HM5 or HMX (I'm not complaining), and it's nice to see that MB&F doesn't suffer from the Hollywood blockbuster syndrome of always needing to go bigger and wilder to keep people interested. The HM8 Mark 2 may not be my all-time favorite MB&F (currently a 3-way tie), but it's definitely one of my top 5 MB&F creations so far!
At the risk of the HM8 Mark 2 flying away from me at high speed, I'll try to beat it down! replica Richard Mille RM011 Felipe Massa