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Dear Friends,
Happy New Year!
The end of 2012 was unusually busy for us: just after the amazing wins at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (two prizes for LM1!), we plunged straight into the HM5 launch. The combined Grand Prix + HM5 buzz certainly helped to boost our active Facebook community over the 20,000 Friends mark… and to top it all off, MB&F and LM1 won another award, this time the Special Jury Prize from the ‘Watch of the Year 2012’ competition organised by Chronos24 in Poland.
After a short break we’re now back in Geneva, ready to rock… and already finalising preparations for the “Geneva Wonder Week”, which starts this Saturday.
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If you spent any time online after December 4th, you probably got a glimpse of our new Machine: Horological Machine N°5, aka ‘On the Road Again'.
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For HM5, we drew from our dreams of kids growing up in the 1970s… We remember a time when everything seemed possible: Man’s first steps on the Moon, the beginning of supersonic flight, hovercrafts, jet packs – and of course, the first supercars like the Lamborghini Miura, Lancia Stratos or Lotus Esprit. At the same time, the arrival of quartz movements and LED displays inspired a funky wave of futuristic watch designs – in fact much more forward-looking than the majority of watches today!
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We put all those dreams ‘On the Road Again’ to create HM5 – a tribute to the futuristic timepieces and the supercars of the amazing 1970s. This Machine was conceived and designed from day one like a supercar for your wrist: it has a chassis, aerodynamic bodywork, rear flaps, exhaust ports and a dashboard. It innovates technically by combining mechanical and optical engineering: the jumping hour and minute discs are driven by an automatic movement, but reflected 90 degrees and magnified 20% thanks to an optical-grade sapphire prism.
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This first HM5 series is a Limited Edition of just 66 pieces in zirconium. Take it for a test drive on our short video.
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As announced in our last newsletter, we just opened our very first MB&F Boutique – in Beijing’s Yin Tai Center, in the heart of the Central Business District. The Grand Opening took place on December 1st, and I had the great pleasure of cutting the inaugural ribbon together with our retail partners Europe Watch and Ray Union Investment Group. Joining us was the award-winning Chinese actor Sun Hong-lei – and we celebrated the event with friends and VIPs from all over China.
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As you’d expect, this first MB&F boutique features a complete collection of our Machines, but also an exclusive, limited-edition HM3 ‘Fire Frog’ created especially for the occasion.
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In October I told you a bit more about our Head of Watchmaking, Didier Dumas. I’d like to introduce you now to David Lamy, our man in charge of ERP and supply chain management.
David joined the crew in 2009. His background is not watchmaking – he has a Master’s degree in Industrial and Electronic Data Processing – and his previous posts were with a manufacturer of automotive lamps, before joining a world leader in cable-driven lift systems (ski lifts)!
In a nutshell, David keeps our supply chain on track, all the way from purchases through our production flow to sales… Not an easy task if you consider that our complex Machines are split between 60-odd variations and assembled from thousands of components supplied by 80 active Friends spread across Switzerland. Why did he join our crazy team, moving from 3,000 lamps per hour to 200 watches per year? Apparently, because he likes confronting the very rational aspects of his logistics role with the creativity of MB&F. Go figure :)
By the way, don’t let his rather serious role at MB&F fool you… David definitely knows how to have fun. On the weekend you’ll spot him zipping around on his vintage ’66 Vespa, and this man is a serious dancer. Want to know more? Ask him about Lindy Hop, Balboa or West Coast Swing...
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As mentioned, the “Geneva Wonder Week” starts in just a few days – this is the intense trade fair week combining the famous SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), GTE (Geneva Time Exhibition) and a number of individual watch brand shows including our own. From January 19 to 25, we will be holding commercial meetings with retailers in our suite at the Hotel de La Paix, and welcoming in parallel the international press at the M.A.D.Gallery – all in all close to 200 meetings are planned over 7 days!
Next to our watchmaking novelties, including the just-launched HM5 and a sneak preview of our next Machine, we’ll also be presenting a world first from an amazing independent creator, who crafts some of the most exceptional time machines...
Please send us an email if you’d like to meet us during the fair: info@mbandf.com
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If, on your travels to exotic regions, you happen to find yourself in the small village of Derweze – located in the middle of the Karakum Desert in the centre of Turkmenistan– you won’t need any guide to lead you to what has been locally dubbed ‘The Door to Hell’.
The sound of crackling flames licking out from the massive 70-metre crater and the pungent smell of burning sulphur should lead you there without any trouble. The fires come from natural gas and have been burning for 40 years. You can find out more about this fire-and-brimstone hell-hole this week on our blog, A Parallel World.
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Stay tuned in 2013 – looking at our calendar for this year, we have a very busy agenda indeed! Every month will bring its generous share of news, alternating between our timepiece launches and the creators we showcase at the M.A.D.Gallery. Definitely enough to keep our small team of mechanical art rebels busy :)
Wishing you again all the very best for the New Year!
Warm regards,
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Maximilian Büsser
Owner & Creative Director
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