The old English bulldog is an icon, at least in the dog world, but not the kind of animal you’d expect to be immortalized in the world of haute horlogerie. Not majestic, not elegant, and not on the zodiac. Just a curiously proportioned, funny-looking pedigree – the one that MB &F has turned into their spirit animal in the latest and long-awaited horological machine, the Bulldog.
This is the 10th watch in MB&F’s groundbreaking series, where these cutting-edge haute horlogerie pieces sit alongside the more classically minded Legacy Machine (LM) watches. It’s this series that has founder Max Büsser and his watchmaking friends (the M, B and F in the brand’s name) breathing a sigh of relief.
This means it has an incredible pedigree, following in the footsteps of the likes of the HM03 Frog, whose conical display complements the more recent HM09’s crazy case shape. As an anniversary device, the Bulldog draws inspiration from them all.
At first glance, it’s obvious where the name comes from. MB&F’s twin hemispherical chronograph counters – the left hand showing hours, the right hand showing minutes – form the eyes, while the twin crowns that run back along the head-shaped case form the ears.
Of course, this being MB&F, there are more twists. On the underside of the watch, at the end of the dial, you find the Bulldog’s jaws – no explanation here, but a real set of metal jaws that open and close as the mainspring runs down to get Crufts’ traditional power reserve indicator.
Otherwise, the movement is as open as its namesake’s perpetually awkward expression, showing off MB&F’s unique in-house movement via a massive domed sapphire and featuring a suspended balance wheel. This last bit is worth noting as it’s been a feature of the LM series in the past, not the HM.
It’s nice to see a visually fascinating movement layout in this watch, which is as eccentric as any MB&F has come before (at least outside of their L’Epee watchmaking partnership). It adds perpetual motion to the dial of the MB&F, and it’s an eye-catching focal point of the watch.
Despite the case’s generous dimensions, the spring-loaded lugs make it more wearable than its size would suggest. The 54mm (nose to tail) x 45mm (across the head) case is available in full titanium with blue minute and hour domes and on a blue strap or rose gold, black with a chocolate brown strap. It just depends on which color you prefer your bulldog.
If one thing is certain, it’s that of all of Max Büsser’s friends, we now know which one is his best.
Price and specifications:
Model name: MB&F HM10 ‘Bulldog’
Case/dial: 54 mm x 45 mm x 24 mm, grade 5 titanium or 5N red gold
Water resistance: 50 meters
Movement: In-house Bulldog movement
Functions: Hours and minutes, ‘Bulldog’ power reserve and double rotating aluminum dome for time display
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 45 hours
Strap: Hand-stitched brown or blue calfskin with titanium or red gold folding clasp
Price: CHF 98,000 (titanium) or CHF 112,000 (red gold)
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