MB&F’s latest creation, the HM8 Mark 2 Purple, is not for the faint of heart. Wrapped in a gleaming violet shell, this new limited edition reinterprets the brand’s “driver’s watch” concept with fresh audacity. It’s bold, sculptural, and unapologetically futuristic—exactly what we expect when Max Büsser and Friends let their creativity loose. If MB&F’s past creations were machines inspired by dreams, the Purple Mark 2 is what happens when those dreams take the fast lane.
MB&F and the Machines That Broke the Rules
Founded in 2005 by Maximilian Büsser, MB&F has never aimed to fit within the boundaries of traditional Swiss watchmaking. Instead, the brand treats horology as a multidisciplinary art form, collaborating with artisans, engineers, and designers to produce “Horological Machines” that often resemble spaceships, robots, or science-fiction tech. The HM8, originally launched in 2016, drew its design from the Can-Am race cars of the 1970s. The HM8 Mark 2, which debuted in 2023, refined the concept with a sleeker profile, new materials, and improved ergonomics. Now, the Purple edition adds a chromatic jolt to the equation, underscoring the idea that a watch can—and should—make an emotional impact.
Technical Mastery Meets Visual Drama
At the heart of the HM8 Mark 2 Purple is a specially modified Girard-Perregaux automatic movement, enclosed in a Grade 5 titanium chassis and covered by an outer shell made of CarbonMacrolon. This advanced composite is prized for its lightness and durability, but here it also serves as a bold canvas for the metallic purple lacquer coating, which gives the watch a unique energy under shifting light.
One of the defining features is the lateral prism display—a vertically mounted system that uses high-precision sapphire optics to reflect hours and minutes from rotating discs, making the time legible from the side of the case. It’s a direct nod to vintage driver’s watches, designed to be read without lifting your wrist from the wheel.
The rotor, shaped like the MB&F battle axe, spins beneath a green-tinted sapphire crystal, resembling a supercar engine under glass. The display is as captivating as it is technically accomplished. Despite the complexity, the case retains wearable dimensions: 47mm by 41.5mm, with a 19mm height. A screw-down crown at 12 o’clock and 30 meters of water resistance make it more practical than it might initially appear.
Who Is This Watch For?
The HM8 Mark 2 Purple is aimed squarely at collectors who crave individuality and are unafraid of standing out. It’s not discreet, nor does it try to be. The color, form, and technical presentation are designed to make a visual and emotional impact. It’s the kind of watch worn to spark conversations, to challenge expectations, or simply to remind yourself that time can be read in more ways than one…and that you’ve made it !
The design also evokes a particular era—the futurism of the 1970s, when concept cars and space-age aesthetics ruled the imagination. There’s a retro-futuristic charm here that connects the past to the speculative tomorrow MB&F so often explores.
Price, Availability, and Final Thoughts
The MB&F HM8 Mark 2 Purple is limited to 33 pieces worldwide, each priced at $78,000. It will be available through MB&F’s own M.A.D. Galleries and select authorized retailers. Considering the rarity, and MB&F’s cult-like collector base, it’s unlikely these will remain on offer for long.
Ultimately, this isn’t a watch for checking the time. It’s a piece of kinetic art, a design object, and a celebration of mechanical ingenuity. For those who find poetry in machines, the HM8 Mark 2 Purple delivers a powerful verse.
Thanks for reading—writing about something this eccentric and beautiful never feels like work. And while some people might think that MB&F takes if too far, they will be pleasantly surprised with the SP One.
