Launched MB&F HM3 FrogX, comeback on the 10th anniversary Ten years later, there is still a strong cry in the new sapphire crystal habitat.
MB&F celebrates the 10th birthday of its much-loved HM3 frog. Its three new frogs are housed in a transparent sapphire crystal case with blue, purple or turquoise rotors, case gaskets and Metallic luster. The date display of the former frog has been discarded and replaced by a larger rotor, while the weight-reduced rotating aluminum dome is used to indicate the hours and minutes, and is illuminated with colorful Super-LumiNova accessories. The HM3 FrogX has absolutely nothing to hide, with a special secret signature on the crown, revealing these secrets to the lucky few who managed to catch one of these transparent amphibians before they could not be seen.
HM3 Frog is a derivative product of 2009 HM3. It is a timepiece that breaks the tradition and pushes watchmaking to a whole new level. The HM3 was inspired by the 3D case of the Proteus submarine in the 1966 movie “Fantastic Journey”. Its hour and minute hands had two hour and minute cones and exposed 22k gold Tomahawk rotors, which shocked the watchmaking world. One year later, MB&F’s first mascot jumped into the limelight in the form of an HM3 frog, and its HM3 forehead cone became the eyes of a giant bulbous frog. There is another product with unconventional configuration based on HM3, which was also released in 2010 and is called JWLRYMACHINE. In the high-end jewelry owl cheap swiss watches made in collaboration with Boucheron, the unique cone becomes the owl’s big eyes, and is set with diamonds and a beautiful purple cabochon center.
The first generation of frogs and frogs appeared in the form of gold, zirconium, a metal used in nuclear reactors and spacecraft, and even brown titanium and titanium chocolate frogs. Like HM3, HM3 Frog is equipped with a very special movement created by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht (Agenhor).
The glass frog is a tree frog with translucent abdomen and chest found in tropical rain forests of Central and South America. Like HM3 FrogX, glass frogs can also expose the heart, arteries and internal organs. The complex shape of the FrogX transparent sapphire crystal case is very difficult to machine and must be milled using a tool with a diamond tip.
The two sapphire domes (eyes) not only need to be uniform in size, but also must be completely uniform and consistent in thickness and curve to avoid any final optical distortion when reading the time. In order to simulate the black fissures (pupils) characteristic of frog eyes, the hour markers and minute dome are covered by black markers.
Like the glass frog, HM3 FrogX reveals its vital organs from countless angles. From the top, you can see the protruding eyes and the iconic Tomahawk rotor made of 22k gold and titanium, as well as the swing of the balance wheel and handmade bridge. This rotor was suggested by MB&F friend and collaborator Stepan Sarpaneva, and it is an enlarged version of the MegaWind rotor.
The movement was built by the award-winning watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and based on the Girard-Perregaux movement, it has actually been turned upside down to bring Enjoy watching. This reversal means that power must be transmitted from the bottom of the movement to the dome that indicates the time. Instead of standard pinions and gears, HM3 relies on two large high-tech ceramic bearings. Their 15 mm diameter minimizes friction and only requires support at one end for finer movement.
Another remarkable feature of the new amphibian was discovered on the crown. At the micro level, the member’s only secret signature-Spoiler Alert-is the battle axe. In order to manufacture the secret tomahawk, replica MB&F used the light engraving technology pioneered by the Swiss company Rayform, which has a wide range of uses, from design to anti-counterfeiting measures.
By micro-molding the metal surface at a level that is almost imperceptible to the human eye, Rayform technology is able to direct the incident beam to reflect in a customized way, creating a light-encoded message or design that can be viewed on any relatively uniform surface.
The color of the housing gasket (blue, purple or turquoise) is again reflected on the rotor’s sharp titanium blades using a CVD coating. Even applying the color of Super-LumiNova to the numbers on the time dome and under the battle axe matches the color scheme of each replica watches best, resulting in a purple, blue or green-turquoise-green luster in the dark.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – MB&F HM3 FROGX
Case: 48.3mm x 52.7mm x 17.5mm – sapphire crystal – blue, purple or turquoise gaskets – anti-reflective treatment on domes, bezel and caseback – 30m water-resistant – secret message on crown
Dial: hours and minutes on two rotating aluminium domes – battle-axe rotor in 22k gold and titanium with blue, purple or turquoise CVD coating
Movement: 3D horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht (Agenhor), Girard-Perregaux base – automatic – 28,800vph – ceramic bearings – 277 components – 36 jewels
Strap: hand-stitched alligator strap – custom-designed folding buckle
Availability : limited to 10 pieces in each colour (blue, purple or turquoise)
Available November 2020