First presented in 2009, HM3 went on to become not only MB&F’s most successful model in terms of pieces delivered, but also in terms of the number of variations it spawned, including the appropriately named Frog.

However, all good things must come to an end, and the HM3 collection takes one last turn under the spotlight before the curtain comes down with the HM3 Megawind Final Edition (FE), a watch that brings light into the darkness.

MB&F HM3 Megawind Final Edition

The original HM3 Star Cruiser and Sidewinder indicated time using a “hand” rotating around the hour and minute cones. The Megawind and Frog models reversed that to have the cones rotating past fixed hands, which made it easier to tell the time.

Ending a series with a black model is gradually becoming an MB&F tradition; the black Megawind FE follows in the footsteps of the black HM5 CM.

While Super-LumiNova comes in many colors, the active pigments are always green (other colors partially mask the green glow, making them less bright; the MB&F HM3 Megawind Final Edition features C3-grade Super-LumiNova, which emits the purest and brightest light

While the dark case and movement are sure to be the first thing to catch the eye in the light, paradoxically it is in the dark where the HM3 Megawind FE really − and quite literally − shines. This is thanks to its top-quality, C3-grade Super-LumiNova, which emits the brightest light.

While Super-LumiNova is available in many colors, the only active pigment is green so other colors in effect partially mask the green glow, making them less bright. One of the biggest challenges in creating the HM3 Megawind FE was finding somebody willing and able to hand-paint the Super-LumiNova onto the curved indication cones. This was considered to be impossible, but as it turned out, the impossible just took a little longer.

The lume on the indications of MB&F’s Megawind FE glows blue under the camera flash, but green in the dark

MB&F HM3 MoonMachines by Stepan Sarpaneva for MB&F

In its six years of production, the HM3 case and movement architecture have given rise to no fewer than 19 different variations including: HM3 Starcruiser in red and white gold; HM3 Sidewinder in red and white gold; HM3 ReBel; JWLRYMACHINE in purple and pink versions; HM3 Frog Ti; HM3 Chocolate Frog; HM3 Black Frog (green rotor); HM3 Frog Zr (purple rotor); HM3 Fire Frog; HM3 Poison Dart Frog; HM3 MoonMachine in titanium, black and red gold variations; HM3 Megawind in red and white gold; and last, but certainly not least, HM3 Megawind Final Edition.

An army (look it up) of MB&F HM3 Frogs

The original MB&F HM3 Starcruiser and Sidewinder

HM3 JWLRYMACHINE by Boucheron for MB&F

One of the (many) factors that make MB&F’s machines so captivating is the attention to contrasts. These contrasts are usually created by the juxtaposition of finishes, e.g. polished and matte, or materials like gold and titanium. However, the HM3 Megawind FE features what is probably the highest contrast that is possible: that between light (bright lume) and dark (case and movement).

The HM3 movement may be dark on MB&F’s Megawind FE, but it’s still possible to appreciate its fine hand finishing

If your definition of a wristwatch includes the words “round” and “three hands,” it may be time to reconsider

It’s sad to see one of the mainstays of the MB&F collection sailing off towards the crepuscular sunset; however, we can take comfort from the fact that the HM3 leaves a legacy of some of the most imaginative timepieces in existence, and its demise opens a door for a new generation of machines.