Finnish Watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva keeps outdoing himself! Check out the first glimpses of the 'Northern Stars' collection, a limited (only 10!) edition of watches including his (now iconic) trademark dimensional moonphase display. I asked Stepan to describe this bold new concept, "It is about the Northern Stars, what I see during the coldest moments of the (Finnish) winter when looking at the sky."
Helsinki in Winter (shot from Sarpaneva watchmaking shop)
As always, featuring truly unique winding masses
Diamond coated blue steel with transparent moons and stars in which to see the hints of the movement.
Seeing a sneak peek of this prototype at Baselworld had my eyes pop out quite similarly to the Frog's bulbous displays. Originally based upon the HM3 Sidewinder & Starcruiser released last year, this alternative version features innovative domes for hours and minutes.
MB&F will only craft 32 Frog movements this year: a limited edition of 12 pieces in black titanium (with green gold rotor) and 20 pieces of a non-limited titanium version (with blue gold rotor).
Haute horlogerie is (usually) a very restrained and serious business; however one of Maximilian Büsser main goals in creating MB&F was to bring a child's sense of awe and sense of playfulness into high-end watchmaking. There is no doubting that with the HM3 Frog, MB&F have certainly achieved that aim . . . and more! The protruding eyes of the (amphibian) frog enable it to see in many directions without having to turn its head. The bulbous domes of the HM3 Frog have the opposite, but no less important, feature of enabling the time to be easily seen from many angles without having to turn the wrist. The Frog differs substantially from HM3 in that it is the aluminum domes that rotate under the sapphire crystals in the Frog, whereas it is the hour and minute hands that rotate around their respective stationary cones on HM3.
Rotating domes of this size and shape posed MB&F with a number of technical challenges. The hour and minute domes are machined from solid aluminium - chosen for its optimal strength to weight ratio. The domes weigh in at just over 0.5g. They are milled first from the outside and then the inside to arrive at a paper-thin wall thickness of just 0.28 mm, which reduces their energy requirements to an absolute minimum.
Even the fabrication of the semi-spherical sapphire crystal domes was incredibly demanding and only recently even possible at all. This is due to the fact that any slight imperfection in the sapphire might introduce a disconcerting magnification effect. The sapphire has to be shaped and polished to be perfectly uniform.
"One of the horological highlights of Baselworld has to be the incredible rebellion T-1000 featuring 1000 hour power reserve, 6 mainspring barrels, two tiny chains, a double hairspring, titanium case and aluminum chassis."
Special thanks to Ian Skellern of UNDERTHEDIAL for his images and descriptions.
The winding lever clicks into place and looks integral to the case.
The force require to wind the T-1000 is very light and there is a tactile clicking ratchet sound as the lever is moved up and down.
On both sides of the T-1000 movement, a tiny chain distributes power between 3 barrels.
IN STYLES FROM WAY OUT! 
The TX 610 Flyback Chronograph collection with retrograde registers.
The TX 310 Perpetual Calendar collection with retrograde month and day of week.
The TX 810 Linear Chronograph collection with retrograde linear functions.
The Ikepod Hourglass is 60 minute counter made up of high-grade glass with “sand” that composed of carbon or nickel-plated nanoballs. A gold-plated nanoball version is also available.
In July 2010 MB&F will unveil its most radical Machine to date: The HM4 - Horological Machine No4 - "Thunderbolt".As this image of the Engine of "Thunderbolt" reveals, Horological Machine No4 will feature a calibre that is a complete departure from any watch movement known today.
Max just forwarded me these early images of the movement and mentioned:
"I think people will start finally understanding why we call our movements “engines”.
I wanted to present the Engine alone so that all attention can be given to this amazing piece of machinery/horology. The whole idea of MB&F being about creating “kinetic art which gives time”, this HM4 engine symbolizes pretty well our creative philosophy."
MB&F (Maximilian Busser & Friends) was founded in 2005 by Maximilian Busser, former Managing Director of Harry Winston Rare Time Pieces and creator of the revolutionary Opus series. By harnessing the power of the Friends, dedicated collectives of the top independent artisans and watchmakers in Switzerland, MB&F creates contemporary time-telling mechanical sculptures. Each MB&F Horological Machine represents the best of the best in the world of watches. By giving full credit to the all star team creating each Machine, the pieces become a showpiece for the most cutting edge designs, the best finishing, the integration of new technologies, in all the highest quality possible.
An interesting new concept watch from new brand 4N is being developed by François Quentin, one of the co-founders of the very cool independent watch brand HAUTLENCE.
Limited edition of 16 in 18-carat white gold and 16 in platinum
"A vision. That is normally the beginning of a time sculpture manufactured by Thomas Prescher. Guided by the idea to improve the perfect visibility of the central elements of his multi Axis Tourbillon Thomas Prescher composed a new breathtaking piece of art.
Respecting the aspects of harmony was an important point. Two crowns were used to keep the beauty of symmetry with. One crown is used for winding and the other for setting time and calendar. Both crowns build the main symmetry axis. Now it was necessary to build the optical balance between the oscillating weight on one side and the indication of time on the other side. For that reason a three dimensional moon was placed between the two barrels, indicating the hours and minutes.
Finally, placed on a turning axis, held by a carrying arm the carriage is rotating around itself. These two synchronized motions create a gyro scoping image immediately taking full attention. 
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