The MB&F HM7 Aquapod first saw the light of day 2017, in red gold with black ceramic bezel, and in titanium with blue ceramic bezel – HM7 is back in a titanium case with a green sapphire crystal bezel, limited to 50 pieces. And for this year, we got our intimate sessions for a hands-on with the latest HM7, the Aquapod in titanium with green sapphire crystal bezel limited to 50 pieces. We cover this Press Release with our own photographs, spiced with hands-on commentary.
Essential Reading: We covered the original HM7 release with a full detailed hands on review here.
With a green bezel, the HM7 Aquapod takes on a totally different persona.
All the essentials remain the same as the original 2017 release. The only difference is the colour of the bezel, which is now in a light, almost lime like green. Trying to describe the hue is not the easiest, so we apologize. The colour is almost exactly as we see on our (admittedly colour calibrated) screens as we saw it in real live in Baselworld.
The martini glass marks where the hours and minutes are read. The nickname for the marker came from the designer himself, Eric Giroud. And once you hear the name and see the martini glass, you cannot un-see it.
From the side view, the double sapphire glass on the top and bottom bulge out quite significantly. But on the wrist, it sort of disappears, and one does not really bothered by it. If at all, the upper sapphire tends to snag on the shirt cuffs, and may tend to “crash” into objects in the surroundings if one is not careful.
The lume is also green, pardon for not having lume shots.
The green unidirectional rotating bezel is unlike every other dive watch. The Aquapod’s bezel isn’t attached to the case, but floats apart like a life buoy.
From the back, the winding rotor’s tentacles are machined from a solid block of titanium. Their curved, very three-dimensional nature is a manufacturing challenge, both for machining and for finishing, which alternates between polished and satin-finished sections. Hidden underneath the lightweight titanium tentacles, a sector in much heavier platinum ensures that the HM7 Engine is wound efficiently.
Retail price is CHF 108,000 + VAT (USD 108k, EUR 100k + VAT).
HM7 Aquapod technical details
3 limited editions:
– grade 5 titanium, with blue ceramic bezel and blue lume (33 pieces) released in 2017
– 18k 5N+ red gold, with black ceramic bezel and blue lume (66 pieces) released in 2017
– grade 5 titanium, with green sapphire crystal bezel and green lume (50 pieces), this release in 2018
Engine
Three-dimensional vertical architecture, automatic winding, conceived and developed in-house by MB&F
Central flying 60-second tourbillon
Power reserve: 72 hours
Balance frequency: 2.5 Hz / 18,000 bph
Three-dimensional winding rotor in titanium and platinum
Number of components: 303
Number of jewels: 35
Functions/indications
Hours and minutes displayed by two aluminium / titanium spherical segment discs rotating on oversized central ceramic bearings
Unidirectional rotating bezel for elapsed time
Numerals, markers and segments along the winding rotor in Super-LumiNova
3 panels of AGT Ultra (Ambient Glow Technology) lume around the flying tourbillon
Two crowns: winding on left and time-setting on right
Case
Spherical construction
Material: Grade 5 titanium or 18k 5N+ red gold
Dimensions: 53.8 mm x 21.3 mm
Number of components: 95
Water resistance: 50 m / 150 feet / 5 atm
Sapphire crystals
Top and bottom sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces.
Strap & buckle
Rubber bracelet moulded in aircraft-grade Fluorocarbon FKM 70 Shore A elastomer with folding buckle matching case material.
