Horological Machine

The HM1 and the architecture it set

The HM1 separates the hour and minute displays, with the hours on the left and the minutes and power reserve on the right. It puts a raised one-minute tourbillon at the center and runs four mainspring barrels to give a seven-day reserve. The movement runs at 4 Hz, or 28,800 vibrations per hour, and it can be wound automatically or by hand.

The movement has 376 components and 81 functional jewels, so a service has far more parts to account for than a conventional three-hand watch. The split displays rely on an oversized, very thin wheel under the dial that synchronizes the hours and minutes, and that wheel is the kind of detail a generalist won't have seen before.

Each Horological Machine is an architecture of its own. The company's own engineers and its outside partners are the people who know each design best, which is the first thing to keep in mind when you think about who should open the movement. Keep the owner's manual, the service records and any correspondence about the watch together, so the next watchmaker can see the history rather than guess at it.

Servicing a Horological Machine

The official route for service is an authorized MB&F retailer, or direct to the company's headquarters and principal workshop, the M.A.D.House, in Carouge. The warranty page allows direct submission there. Make contact first, either through the retailer or at info@mbandf.com, rather than shipping a watch without a plan for how it will be received.

Independent servicing is hard to recommend on these pieces. The designs are unusual, the movements depend on specialist parts, and the people who know the architecture best work for the company. An independent can still offer a basic functional check or a second opinion on how the watch is running. A full overhaul is a different job, and it's worth asking the company what it would do to your warranty first.

Before shipping, ask for intake instructions, insured transport, a written estimate and an expected turnaround. Include the exact model, the serial number, the symptoms and any previous service history. MB&F doesn't publish a model-specific service price or completion time, so get a quotation for your particular watch and ask what would change it.

Parts, warranty and the long turnaround

The warranty page describes how to submit a claim through a retailer or to the Carouge workshop. Ask at the point of purchase which warranty applies, how long it runs and what it covers, since the terms come from the brand rather than the shop that sold you the watch.

Parts are the constraint on any complex design. Because these movements and cases are built with specialist partners, replacement parts for older references may take longer to source than a standard Swiss caliber would. Ask whether a given component is still available before you agree to a repair, so you know what the outcome could be. Ask too whether a replacement part is original or new, because that affects both the watch's originality and its value later.

Plan for the turnaround to be the long part of owning one. Shipping, customs paperwork and specialist work all take time. If you wear the watch every day, think about how you'll manage without it while it's away. Ask whether an in-warranty repair or a later service will be recorded in the watch's file, so the history stays in one place.

Buying a pre-owned Horological Machine

A Horological Machine is a collectible watch, so provenance matters. Look for the original box, papers and warranty card, and check that the serial number on the watch matches the documents. Ask whether the watch was sold through an authorized channel, because that record affects both the warranty and the resale value.

Ask for a condition report that covers the case finish, the crystals, and any sculpted components that have been adjusted, polished or replaced. Complex cases can hide past work, so a seller who can name the last service and the workshop that carried it out is giving you something concrete to check.

Auction lots sometimes come with paperwork that answers these questions and sometimes don't. Read the lot description closely, check what the house guarantees and what it leaves out, and find out whether the watch has been serviced since it was sold. A seller who points you to the condition report and the serial records is easier to deal with than one who relies on a photograph.

Care, documentation and the next owner

A Horological Machine is easy to damage in ordinary use, since its sculpted parts and split displays can catch on clothing or furniture. Store it in its own case, keep the crown and pushers protected from knocks, and avoid wearing it during work that puts pressure on the case, such as sports with a lot of impact.

Documentation is part of the care. Keep the owner's manual, the warranty card, the invoices, every service report and any correspondence about the watch in one folder. The next owner and the next watchmaker will both rely on that file, and a complete record protects the value of a watch with this much design in it.

Think about the next owner when you choose a workshop. A company or authorized route keeps the history in one place, and a watchmaker who writes detailed reports makes the watch easier to hand on. If you have had any outside work, record what was opened and what was replaced, so the next person knows exactly where things stand.

What to check on a Horological Machine

• Experience with sculpted, multi-part Horological Machine cases
• A plan to route warranty and major service through the company or an authorized retailer
• Pre-purchase checks that record the serial, the papers and the movement construction
• Honest answers on parts availability for older references

Common questions