MB&F HM11 Architect – Titanium, 750/1000 5N Rose Gold

With the HM11 Architect, MB&F adds a new dimension to mechanical watchmaking by conceiving a watch designed as a true miniature house. The result of a collaboration between Maximilian Büsser and designer Eric Giroud, this Horological Machine draws its inspiration from the organic and neo-futuristic architecture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Limited to 25 pieces, this edition combines a Grade 5 titanium case with a 750/1000 5N rose gold PVD-coated dial plate. Its rounded forms, transparent surfaces, and three-dimensional architecture reveal a mechanical movement in which every component contributes to the construction of this astonishing machine for inhabiting time.

Four sections arranged around a flying tourbillon

The HM11 Architect is structured around a central atrium, crowned by a double sapphire crystal dome. Beneath this transparent canopy, a flying tourbillon—the watch’s true mechanical heart—takes flight.

Four symmetrical sections radiate from this central space. Each serves a specific function.

The first houses the hour and minute display. The hour markers take the form of polished aluminum and titanium beads, mounted on slender conical steel rods.

The second contains the power reserve indicator, consisting of five beads of progressively increasing sizes that show the amount of energy available in the mainspring barrel.

The third volume incorporates a mechanical thermometer operated by a bimetallic strip, capable of indicating temperatures ranging from -20 to +60 °C.

Finally, the fourth volume conceals the time-setting crown. Accessible behind a transparent door adorned with the MB&F asterisk-axe emblem, it allows the hands to be adjusted by rotating the crown.

A watch that winds by rotating its case

The HM11 Architect offers a unique mechanical experience: it is wound not by a traditional crown, but by rotating the entire case on its base.

Each 45-degree clockwise rotation provides 72 additional minutes of power reserve. Ten full rotations achieve the maximum power reserve of 96 hours.

This design also allows the watch’s four modules to be freely oriented, so that the desired display faces the wearer.

The three-dimensional mechanical movement, developed in-house by MB&F, comprises 364 components and uses bevel gears to transmit energy throughout its architecture.

Its central flying tourbillon operates at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour. Four laser-cut steel suspension springs protect the movement from shocks.

5N Rose Gold in the Service of an Organic Architecture

In this 2023 launch version, the 750/1000 5N rose gold PVD coating on the dial plate lends a warm tone to the mechanical structures visible beneath the various sapphire domes.

The Grade 5 titanium case, with a diameter of 42 mm, features a succession of rounded volumes and glass-covered surfaces that allow the movement to be viewed from multiple angles.

Despite its particularly complex construction, the HM11 Architect maintains proportions suited to the wrist. The curved lugs naturally extend the lines of the case, while the khaki-green rubber strap complements the color scheme of this edition.

Produced in a limited run of just 25 pieces, the MB&F HM11 Architect in 750/1000 5N rose gold embodies an approach to watchmaking where mechanics, architecture, and interaction with the object become one.