What is the new MB&F HM12 The Guardian?
It is the 12th all-new Horological Machine from MB&F. It comprises the HM12, the “face shield” grand complication timepiece (notice I did not call it a “watch”) and The Guardian, a 38 cm tall robot. The HM12 is the robot’s brain. It is presented in green, blue, and purple, each edition limited to 12 pieces each.
Max Büsser’s first timepiece when he debuted MB&F in 2005 was the Horological Machine N°1 (unveiled in 2007), an audacious creation that began a journey of horological, mechanical, and artistic collaborations that earned him and his namesake brand a permanent place on the horological map.
Also Read: MB&F unveils the dazzling new LM Perpetual Chromatic Editions
How did this creation come about?
The HM12 The Guardian was supposed to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary in 2025. Its development took longer than expected, the project scope expanded and it became more complex. This turned out to be a blessing because “what first seemed like a delay gradually revealed itself as an opportunity: it became the perfect object to launch the brand’s third decade.” MB&F unveiled the Special Projects or SP One to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
The HM12 The Guardian evokes the robots from Max’s childhood, revisits the brand’s audacious roots (click here for an overview of all HMs over the years), and speaks to an entirely new customer base who were perhaps toddlers and children back then.
“HM12 The Guardian is not a watch; it is a complete horological concept – and a deliberate return to MB&F’s roots, at a time when much of the brand’s audience has discovered it only recently. HM12 arrives as a recalibration. A way « to put the church back at the centre of the village » as we say in French.”
Max has collaborated extensively with young designer Maximilian Maertens for the HM12 The Guardian. It is the first HM that has not been designed by Eric Giroud, one of the original “Friends” of the brand and largely responsible for most of the their designs. Eric remains a key partner of MB&F. His nightclub inspired M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.2, is also a tribute to him (and his nightclub days in 1990s Lausanne, Switzerland).
Maximilian Maertens has been instrumental in MB&F’s collaborations with L’Epée for clocks and Reuge for music boxes. The HM11 Architect, designed by Eric Giroud and launched during Dubai Watch Week in 2023 was reinterpreted into the HM11 Art Deco by Maximilian Maertens.
Horological Machine or HM12.
The HM12 or the robot’s brain is a grand complication timepiece featuring instantaneous jumping hours, trailing minutes, a flying tourbillon and a shield function that is not connected to the movement. It is powered by an automatic in-house movement with a double winding rotor that comprises 646 parts, 86 jewels and delivers a power reserve of 84 hours or 3.5 days.
Its case is made from grade 5 titanium, measuring 49.3 mm (length) * 43.6 mm (width) * 13.8 mm (thickness). It comprises Super-LumiNova highlights. Three sapphire crystals on the front or dial side, 12 o’clock where the tourbillon is, and the caseback. The case comprises 84 parts. Mobile lugs at 12 o’clock and fixed lugs at 6 o’clock. The Velcro fastening straps can be detached easily using a quick release system. This is required to mount it on The Guardian.
The Guardian.
The Guardian or the robot was developed by L’Epée. It measures 38.2 cm (height) * 22 cm (diameter), weighs 15 kgs and comprises 755 parts. It features a mechanical thermometer, a magnifying glass or loupe (contained in a shield in the right arm) and a detachable UV torch (left arm). A drawer in the base is used to store the strap when the HM12 is mounted on The Guardian.
“The development of The Guardian was entrusted to L’Epée, a long-standing partner of MB&F. The robot is conceived as a mechanical extension of the watch and includes 755 components. At the centre of its chest sits a mechanical thermometer, acting as the heart of the robot. Each arm carries a tool. On one side, a shield that contains a loupe, calibrated to inspect the movement and reveal its finer details. On the other, a detachable torch with UV capability, designed to activate the Super LumiNova on both the watch and the robot itself.”
What do we think?
My first introduction to Max Büsser and MB&F was during the mid to late 2000s. I had just returned to India after studying and working overseas. I often bought the US edition of Robb Report, which pre-recession 2008 used to be thick featuring many watch advertisements, including MB&F and other independents such as De Bethune and F.P. Journe. Once while flipping through the pages, I was so intrigued with an MB&F timepiece (I am sure it was an HM, as the LM series was not introduced yet), that I emailed Max, and even got a reply from him!
I had no clue whether MB&F was comparable to larger mainstream brands, as I had no watch collector or WIS friends back then. Facebook was just introduced, Instagram not yet, but no real 24/7 online global community as we have today. Yet, gazing at pictures of MB&Fs creations and reading a few articles that mentioned Max, the audacious world of MB&F forever carved a rent-free space in my mind.
Things changed for me. I discovered two online horological communities and made friends across the world and had a chance to live in Singapore where I met several collectors who owned MB&F HMs. Once a collector had one on both wrists! As a watch journalist during the past few years, I began interacting with Max frequently and had a full circle moment during Dubai Watch Week last November when I met him for the first time.
The HM12 The Guardian speaks to me on so many levels. As a child growing up in 1980s India, my grandmother introduced me to a Japanese TV show (with English subtitles) aired by our government-owned national television channel (our only TV channel back then). I do not recall the storyline, but I know it involves a boy (not more than 12 or 13) and a giant robot hidden in a secret mountain or cave. And whenever the robot needed to be launched into flight, the boy would both program a command and speak into his smart watch.
When I came across the press release for the HM12 The Guardian, memories of my childhood and the TV show came flooding back. I was reminded of the boy waiting to launch his robot. Its as if the HM12 timepiece is the “watch” the boy wore, and The Guardian the “giant robot” waiting to launch into flight.
While I admire all the creations of MB&F, the HM12 The Guardian hits different. It brings back the sheer audacity of early MB&F creations yet is so relevant and timeless as ever. It is a complex creation that evokes the child in us. I wish Max and the MB&F team all the best as they get ready for their third decade.
Additional Details
Name: HM12 The Guardian
Version: Green
Version: Blue
Version: Purple
Price: Swiss Franc (CHF) 280,000 (excluding VAT)
Each reference is limited to 12 pieces each.
Please visit mbandf.com for more information.
