To mark the opening of its third decade, MB&F unveils HM12 The Guardian, a horological concept that pairs a highly complex wristwatch with a towering, 38cm mechanical companion. Conceived by founder Maximilian Büsser around a single question—“What if a robot’s head were a watch?”—HM12 was developed entirely in-house over four years by the new design tandem of Büsser and Maximilian Maertens, marking the first Horological Machine created without longtime collaborator Eric Giroud.
The watch reads frontally as a face: Jumping hours and trailing minutes form the eyes, a battle-axe-shaped micro-rotor sits where the mouth would be, and an exposed flying tourbillon serves as the brain. A novel face-shield complication, built from over 200 components and operated via the crown, slides open or closed to protect and dramatically color the face.
The watch detaches via quick-release and clips onto The Guardian, its full-bodied robot companion developed with L’Epée 1839 and complete with a mechanical thermometer heart, a magnifying loupe, and a UV torch. Limited to twelve pieces each in blue, purple, and green, the combined object totals nearly 1,500 components, making it a playful sculpture concealing serious watchmaking.
