A class act knows when to stop: at the height of its fame. And with MB&F this has been a corporate credo.

No, don’t worry, MB&F is not going anywhere. But the Horological Machine N°6 is as the brand will retire this model after one more edition.

MB&F HM6 Final Edition on the wrist

There has never been anything ordinary about any MB&F, but the Horological Machine N°6 really took the extraordinary to the next level; its design was out of this world.

MB&F developed the movement together with independent watchmaker David Candaux, and it can best be described as a mechanical objet d’art. I personally still rank the Horological Machine N°6 Sapphire Vision, which MB&F released in 2016, as one of the most memorable watches ever created.

The Sapphire Vision edition maintains the unique lines of HM6, but thanks to the sapphire crystal case (which is a technical tour de force in itself!) more of the inner workings of this magical watch are revealed.

MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Final Edition with central tourbillon shield closed

So did MB&F save the best for last?

And now comes the final edition of Horological Machine N°6. Did MB&F save the best for last?

In my opinion no, the brand didn’t. And that is not a bad thing: Horological Machine N°6 is such a unique creation that the different versions of it only added to its allure; they are merely different and cannot be ranked as one being better than the other.

MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Final Edition

In fact, the Final Edition – as this last Horological Machine N°6 is called – is, in my opinion, quite ordinary looking as compared to some of its more extreme predecessors (if this watch can be called ordinary at all). And the HM6 Final Edition is also made from a more common material: stainless steel.

Note that while I refer to steel here as being ordinary, my colleague Joshua Munchow makes the case as to why it is not ordineary in Here’s Why: Stainless Steel Is The Most Precious Metal.

The brand made the executive decision to use stainless steel for all future goodbye editions of its watches after releasing the Horological Machine N°1 Final Edition in the material.

MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Final Edition back side

Because this version is so pure, with few distractions from colors, materials or finishes, the essence of what makes the Horological Machine N°6 so great gets the opportunity to shine one more, and one last, time.

View of the back of the MB&F HM6 Final Edition

The hours and minutes are indicated by blue hemispheres, which, combined with the dark-colored alligator strap, are actually quite understated for such an extroverted watch as the Horological Machine N°6. Perhaps that’s also why it is so fitting that MB&F created this version last.

MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Final Edition

It is perhaps also the most elegant version of the bunch, though that is certainly arbitrary, with the slightly revised lug design as well as the grooves engraved in the stainless steel amplifying the shape of the case while at the same time drawing the eye to the center, where we find the unique flying tourbillon underneath a “shield.”

While the Horological Machine N°6 will be missed, its legacy comprises only highlights.

MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Final Edition on the wrist

We can be secure in the knowledge that the departure of HM6 makes room for something new. And knowing MB&F, whatever comes next will be an outrageously spectacular model as well.

For more information, please visit www.mbandf.com/en/machines/horological-machines/hm6.

Quick Facts MB&F Horological Machine N°6 Final Edition
Case: 49.5 x 52.3 x 20.4 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic three-dimensional movement developed exclusively for MB&F by David Candaux, 60-second flying tourbillon with retractable shield, twin aluminum turbines driven by rotor, power reserve 72 hours, 18,000 vph/2.5Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: 8 pieces
Price: $215,000/CHF 210,000 plus applicable taxes

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