MB&F Horological Machine N°3 ‘FROGX’ Limited Edition

MB&F presents Horological Machine N°3 “FrogX”, a new interpretation of the much loved HM3 “Frog” watch.

The HM3 “Frog” was introduced in 2010 as a part of the Horological Machine HM3 series by Maximilian Büsser& Friends. Aptly named, this watch features a daring design inspired by the shape of a frog. The hours and minutes are indicated via two bulbous domes resembling the eyes of frog. The occasional bright flicker of the signature MB&F battle-axe rotor mimics the action of frog’s mouth. The HM3 “Frog” is one of the best loved watches from MB&F.

Dressed in a sapphire crystal case, the new HM3 “FrogX” watch takes inspiration from the transparent-skinned glass frogs of Central American cloud forests. The HM3 FrogX 10th anniversary limited editions are available in three versions of 10 pieces each with blue, purple or turquoise rotors and matching colours of Super-LumiNova and case gaskets.

Horological Machine N°3 was first presented in 2009, and in its six years of production became MB&F’s most popular model. Before FrogX, the case and movement architecture gave rise to 19 previous variations: 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, MoonMachine in titanium, black and red gold variations, MegaWind in red and white gold and the 2015 MegaWInd Final Edition.

HM3 FrogX incorporates the distinctive HM3 engine in its MegaWind Final Edition version. Harmoniously crafted bridges, the oscillating balance wheel, gearing and MB&F’s iconic battle-axe automatic winding rotor are all open to view on the dial side.

The engine of HM3, built by award-winning master watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, is based on a Girard-Perregaux calibre, which has been literally turned upside down to allow for an uninterrupted view of the enlarged 22k gold and titanium winding rotor and the oscillations of the balance wheel.

Time indications are usually located on the top, or dial side, of a movement. As the HM3 engine is inverted to display its operation, an efficient solution was needed to bring power from the bottom of the movement to the time-indication domes at the top. Standard pinions set in jewels would have required complex, friction-generating gearing, and would require support top and bottom — a factor which would increase the height of the movement, and thus the watch.

Instead of standard jewelled pinions, HM3 features two large-diameter (15mm) high-tech ceramic bearings. Because of their large diameter, these bearings minimise the number of friction inducing gears and, due to the rigidity resulting from their ultra-high precision design and manufacture, they only require support at one end (the base), allowing for a thinner movement.

The two 22K gold blades of the MB&F battle-axe rotor make what is called a “mystery” rotor because, in appearing to be symmetrically balanced instead of having a visibly off-centred mass, they seem to defy the laws of physics. This is achieved by machining the underside of one of the gold blades to a razor-thin edge, so reducing its mass.

To create the secret battle-axe signal, MB&F worked with light-sculpting techniques pioneered by Rayform, a Swiss company whose technology has various applications, from design to anti-counterfeiting measures.

Technical details

Model: HM3 FROGX

Edition
HM3 FrogX 10th anniversary limited editions in sapphire crystal: 3 x 10 pieces in blue, purple or turquoise

Movement
Three-dimensional horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht / Agenhor, powered by a Girard-Perregaux base.
Balance frequency: 4Hz / 28,800 bph
Battle-axe automatic winding rotor in 22k gold and titanium with blue, purple or turquoise CVD coating matching the case gasket
Hours and minutes transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to rotating domes.
Number of components: 277
Number of jewels: 36
Super-LumiNova segments under the battle-axe and on the hour and minute domes.

Functions
Hours on one dome (aluminium dome rotating in 12 hours).
Minutes on second dome (aluminium dome rotating in 60 minutes).
“Secret message” crown reflects light rays to project the MB&F battle-axe icon (Rayform technology).

Case
Material: sapphire crystal
Domes, bezel and back with anti-reflective treatment on each face
Gasket in blue, purple or turquoise matching the battle-axe rotor
Dimensions: 48.3 mm x 52.7 mm x 17.5mm
Number of components: 59
Water resistance: 30 m / 90 feet / 3atm

Dials
Rotating aluminium domes – 0.58g

Strap
Hand-stitched alligator strap with titanium custom designed folding buckle.