The MB&F HM9 Sapphire Vision (HM9-SV) is an odd watch to have a personal story attached to and yet surprisingly enough, that’s the case for me. Specifically, when it was launched back in 2021 I had just started working for Oracle Time so it was one of the first articles published while I was here. It feels like a full circle moment that now I get to write about the latest additions to that collection – those additions being two new colourways in blue and green.
At a baseline level, the HM9-SV is one of the craziest pieces of horology that you’ll ever see, with a sweeping, hyper-futuristic design that makes you question whether it even counts as a wristwatch. It’s more spaceship than a timekeeping device. It has three main chambers made from sapphire crystal supported by gold frames. The shape consists of two large bubbles on either side that connect to the central portion, at the end of which is the vertically situated time display.
As for the new colourways, the first one has a blue PVD movement with a white gold frame and the second has a green PVD movement and yellow gold frame. They’re really solid colour combinations that work well together. In the original launch there was a blue and yellow gold edition but the clash between the warm tone of the gold and the blue was a little off. Here though, the pairing of the blue with the cold white gold works perfectly.
Meanwhile the green and yellow gold complement each other nicely with an almost autumnal aesthetic, like the changing of the leaves – which sounds odd to say about a watch that visually has such a strong sci-fi vibe. Even just describing the mechanics of the piece sounds like science fiction with its double independent balance wheels and planetary differential system.
While these new watches aren’t quite as exciting as when the HM9 first made the transition to sapphire, they feel like more confident versions of the watch. The HM9-SV Blue and HM9-SV Green are both limited to five pieces making them extremely exclusive. Although the £350,000+ price tag could also be described as a fairly major barrier to entry for most collectors.
Price & Specs:
Model: MB&F Horological Machine N°9 ‘Sapphire Vision’ Blue and Green
Case/dial: 57mm diameter x 47mm height x 23mm thickness, 18k yellow gold with green PVD coated engine or 18k white gold with blue PVD coated engine
Water resistance: 30m (3 bar)
Movement: MB&F HM9 engine, in-house, manual winding, 52 jewels, 301 parts
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 45h
Functions: Hours and minutes on vertical dial display
Strap: Hand-stitched brown or black alligator with red or white gold folding buckle
Price/availability: CHF 420,000 + VAT (approx. £376,000) , limited to 5 pieces per edition
More details at MB&F.
Oracle Time