SP One, Platinum

MB&F's SP One began as a sketch Maximilian Büsser made in 2018—three equal cricles that he admits he lacked the courage to execute until years later. The pandemic allowed Büsser time to explore his more outlandish concepts. This allowed the first Special Project to be born: at 38mm by 12mm, this is the thinnest, most svelte MB&F ever made—a truly elegant time-only in a design only MB&F could imagine. 

The architecture of the SP One is entire argument. Barrel, balance, and inclined dial share one circumference, cantilevered off the bevelled flange Büsser calls the amphitheater (a Y-shaped bridge structure hiding nearly all else). The barrel sits at 10—which is why the crown does as well, its stem tucked under the barrel bridge—and doubles as the state-of-wind indicator. Conical gearing tilts the dial at 6 for clarity of legibility. The 2.5Hz balance sits near 2, its escape wheel only just visible below the Y-shaped bridge. One barrel gives 72 hours, on a baseplate so light that winding torque became a real problem to be solved through engineering. 

On this platinum example, all this is set inside a aqua-tone brushed inner bezel that doubles as case structure. Its dial is black PVD, with contrast finish hands. The case itself is pebble-like, with all surfaces curved to some degree. The lugs are elegantly detached and diminutive, allowing all focus to be on its calibre.  

Eric Giroud, Büsser's designer for two decades, reworked the sketch before the engineers took it. The movement is MB&F's own, developed under co-founder Serge Kriknoff, who runs R&D and production, with Didier Dumas as head of watchmaking. Decoration runs through the Friends named elsewhere—Denis Garcia's finishing department at Charles-Louis Rochat, Florent Bolis at DSMI Electronics, Stéphane Greco at Rhodior for plating. Contemporary finishing is quietly excellent: hand-angled wheels, gold chatons, ruthenium-grey bridges, satin against micro-blasting and black polish, hand engraving, and screws all but invisible from the front. 

The SP One has successfully managed to pair MB&F’s daring attitude with a sense of minimalist restraint. Its entry into this year’s GPHG is no surprise. MB&F estimates that 30 examples of the SP One are expected to be made in platinum and rose gold annually. Compared to the LM lines, the SP One has a paired-back aesthetic and proportion that sits alone in the collection, allowing many who previously found proportions a bit too bulky to now be able to enjoy Büsser’s approach to watchmaking. The SP One is MB&F distilled, without any compromises or excess. 

This SP One presents in excellent overall condition, having first been worn for the photography on this listing. It comes with its full set and all straps.

This example is modelled on an average-sized 7-inch wrist.