MB&F SP One: When avant-garde watchmakers whisper elegance instead of shout

MB&F SP One 18K rose gold with an anthracite flange.

The Genesis of Beautiful Chaos

For twenty years, MB&F has been the horological equivalent of that friend who shows up to black-tie events in designer sneakers – completely inappropriate, utterly confident, and somehow absolutely right. Their approach to business planning reads like a masterclass in how not to run a company: no market research, no focus groups, just pure, unadulterated creative chaos. It's worked rather splendidly.

While crafting their Horological and Legacy Machines, the team amassed a treasure trove of dormant sketches – those "what if" moments that seemed mad at the time but now feel like prophecy. As their 20th anniversary approached, they decided to raid this vault of unrealized dreams.

MB&F SP One 18K rose gold with an anthracite flange.

Three Circles of Horological Sorcery

Originally codenamed "Three Circles" (because even MB&F's internal memos sound mysterious), SP One presents a trinity of levitating elements that would make David Copperfield jealous. The barrel, balance wheel, and dial appear to hover in defiance of physics, suspended within an amphitheatre of sapphire crystal like celestial bodies in a watchmaker's universe.

At 38mm, SP One represents MB&F's most restrained moment – rather like Mick Jagger attempting a lullaby. The pebble-like case flows with organic curves, eschewing traditional bezels for a design language that speaks in hushed, sophisticated tones. The lugs float delicately away from the case, as if too polite to impose themselves.

The original sketches, dating back to 2018, reveal an ambition to create something that "whispered sophistication instead of shouting for attention." Mission accomplished, though naturally, it still manages to stop conversations mid-sentence.

MB&F SP One 18K rose gold with an anthracite flange.

The Art of Mechanical Levitation

The SP One movement orchestrates its magic around watchmaking's holy trinity. The balance wheel performs its hypnotic dance at 2 o'clock, resembling nothing so much as a UFO preparing for takeoff. The dial tilts at precisely the right angle to showcase MB&F's mastery of conical gearing – a technique so rarely employed in watchmaking that it feels almost rebellious.

The manual-winding barrel, suspended like a mechanical miracle, delivers 72 hours of power reserve while maintaining the illusion of weightlessness. Through sapphire crystal windows front and back, these three elements – each sharing identical circumferences in a display of geometric poetry – create a visual symphony of impossible suspension.

The 191-component movement hides its complexity with the aplomb of a master magician. Bridges become nearly invisible, components vanish beneath the starring trio, and the entire mechanism transforms your wrist into a stage for gravity-defying theater.

The Amphitheatre Effect

Surrounding this mechanical opera house is what MB&F calls the "amphitheatre" – a bevelled flange that frames the movement like a spotlight on Broadway. Flip the watch over, and you're treated to the backstage view: hand-finished surfaces, polished bevels, internal angles, generous chatons, and hand-engraved details that remind us why MB&F remains one of the few manufacturers still committed to artisanal craftsmanship.

It's a reminder that in an age of mass production and corner-cutting, some still believe in doing things the impossibly difficult way – simply because it's right.

Classical MB&F (An Oxymoron Worth Savoring)

SP One represents what might be called "classical MB&F" – a phrase that makes about as much sense as In spirit, it’s every bit a classical MB&F—yet nothing about it plays by classical rules. :)

The SP One debuts in two striking editions:

• 18K rose gold with anthracite amphitheatre – CHF 58,000 + VAT (approx. USD 76,000 / EUR 64,000 + tax)

• Platinum 950 with sky-blue amphitheatre – CHF 63,000 + VAT (approx. USD 82,000 / EUR 69,000 + tax)

L to R: MB&F Platinum 950 with a sky-blue flange

MB&F SP One 18K rose gold with an anthracite flange.

The Genesis of Beautiful Chaos

For twenty years, MB&F has been the horological equivalent of that friend who shows up to black-tie events in designer sneakers – completely inappropriate, utterly confident, and somehow absolutely right. Their approach to business planning reads like a masterclass in how not to run a company: no market research, no focus groups, just pure, unadulterated creative chaos. It's worked rather splendidly.

While crafting their Horological and Legacy Machines, the team amassed a treasure trove of dormant sketches – those "what if" moments that seemed mad at the time but now feel like prophecy. As their 20th anniversary approached, they decided to raid this vault of unrealized dreams.