MB&F: Horological Machine N°10 BULLDOG

The relationship between man and watch is as nuanced as the one between man and dog. The best examples of such connections last for years, even decades, shaping lives and stories. In some cases, the watch chooses its owner as much as the other way around. After all, whether it’s your first or hundredth time, there’s something special about the moment you set eyes on The One. So it is, as they say, with Man’s Best Friend.

The design came to Maximilian Büsser while he was travelling in Japan; Horological Machine N°10 ‘Bulldog’ bounded up in his mind’s eye just as a loyal pup might greet a returning master.

“What you see now in front of you is more or less exactly what I saw at the time,” says Büsser, “and it was the first time I actually saw a watch in my mind, just like that.”

HM10 Bulldog coalesced from various MB&F influences and motifs that dedicated enthusiasts of the brand will immediately recognise. In a affirmative way, HM10 Bulldog is simultaneously a reflection of MB&F and a paean to the fidelity of their followers. The traditional saying “as stubborn as a bulldog” parallels the determination of MB&F to chart an untraditional path outside of conventional watch design.

The HM10 BULLDOG

A rounded, compact body of titanium or red gold, coupled with a generous ration of sapphire crystal. Two prominent aluminium time-display “eyes”, rolling at anyone who dares look its way. A collar studded with projections that allow you to wind the mainspring or set the time. Stout but flexible “legs” that wrap firmly around your wrist. A massive jaw. And above all, a big heart beating steadily at 2.5Hz (18,000vph).

Just like the creature for which it is named, there’s more to HM10 Bulldog than meets the eye. Its hinged jaws open and shut according to the amount of wind left in its mainspring — a fully closed mouth tells you that “Bulldog” is wound down and ready for a nap. If you can clearly see the teeth, get ready, because that means “Bulldog” is full of fight, charged up with a 45 hours of mainspring energy.

The manual-winding engine of HM10 Bulldog was designed and developed in-house, leveraging the best of MB&F’s technical expertise built up over the years; longtime members of the MB&F Tribe will recognise elements that hew closely to the horological lab’s best-loved creations. The large suspended balance that hovers just beneath the central dome of sapphire crystal was made possible by the various iterations of this mechanism in the Legacy Machine collection. The massive jaws that indicate the level of mainspring wind are a much-expanded demonstration of the power-reserve management that was first deployed in the 2014 LM1 Xia Hang. The paper-thin aluminium domes have their roots in the HM3 Frog and were refined in 2014’s HM6. Even the grillework design motif in the “ribs” set beneath the balance and in the tail-end of the body echoes the automotive inspired HM8, HMX and HM5. Taken altogether, the message is clear: HM10 Bulldog is a highly bred machine.

Despite its outsize personality — measuring 45mm across, 54mm from nose to tail and with a maximum height of 24mm — HM10 Bulldog is surprisingly wearable. Its sprung strap attachment “legs” allow the body to fit closely around the wrist, with the calf-leather strap as robust as any well-made leash — fastened with either a folding buckle or Velcro system.

MB&F creations have always attracted a highly loyal audience and HM10 Bulldog returns the favour in spades: its allegiances go solely to its owner. Both the time indication and the power reserve display are visible only from the point of view of the wearer.

One final piece of advice for those who come across Horological Machine N°10 ‘Bulldog’ is engraved on its body, like a cautionary message you might find on the collar of a particularly feisty canine. The beast may be intimidating, but it ultimately exists in service of another. People would do well to remember — “Forget the dog, beware of the owner”.

MB&F Horological Machine N°10 ‘Bulldog’ is available in two launch editions : grade 5 titanium body with blue “eyes”(€ 95.000 + TAX), and 18k red-gold and titanium body with black “eyes” (€ 105.000 + TAX).