This Baselworld, MB&F add two variations to their existing line, namely the HMX Black Badger and the Starfleet Machine Black Badger. The new watches are collaborated with the talented James Thompson of Black Badger Advanced Composites.
The MB&F HMX is not quite a new machine. Released last year, and intended to be only offered to existing MB&F owners as a “reward” for their custom, it was quickly sold out. We covered a full hands-on analytical review on the HMX here. For this year, MB&F updated the HMX by collaborating with Black Badger. Black Badger first saw light in horological circles with their collaboration with Schofield Watch Company and most recently with the wildly successful Sarpaneva K0 Northern Lights, released in Baselworld 2015. The series was so successful, that for Baselworld 2016, a simper version, sans moonphase, will be made available. We covered this with a sneak hands-on analytical review of the Sarpaneva K0 Seasons. The unique features of the glow of the Black Badger lume is quite intriguing.
SuperLuminova is a liquid, that is applied to surfaces. The liquid dries and has luminescence properties. Black Badger’s lume comes in solid blocks from a company called Ambient Glow Technology (AGT) and are milled by hand or machine into the desired shape. Black Badger composite lume stores and releases the light very efficiently, and as there is more volume in the solid block than dried paint of SuperLuminova, it shines brighter for longer. For the MB&F collaboration, Max Büsser and team chose Radar Green, Phantom Blue and Purple Reign from the vast range of colours available.
Normal white light charges the green and blue quite easily but for purple, ultraviolet light is needed because more energy is needed.
The MB&F HMX Black Badger is available in 3 x 18 pieces in grade 5 titanium and stainless steel, one in each of the three Black Badger colors of green, blue and purple.
The MB&F Starfleet Machine too is an existing clock from the MB&F collection. The clock itself is a collaboration with L’Epée, and was so popular when released that it was quickly sold out.
The series is also available in a limited edition of 3 x 18 pieces in palladium plated brass, one set of each in green, blue and purple. We think it works particularly well in complete darkness…the glow of the Black Badger composites making it look like it was indeed a space ship in the darkness of space.
