HM12 The Guardian emerges as a fully imagined horological universe, created to mark the beginning of MB&F’s third decade. It blends a highly intricate wristwatch with a 38‑centimetre mechanical robot, forming a single concept made of nearly 1,500 components and produced only in three editions of twelve pieces each. The watch itself introduces a new “face shield” mechanism, a flying tourbillon, a double‑sided micro‑rotor, jumping hours, and traditional hand‑finishing, while the robot expands the watch’s presence beyond the wrist through a mechanical thermometer and integrated tools.

The idea traces back to founder Maximilian Büsser’s childhood fascination with robots, which has shaped MB&F’s identity since the beginning. That influence surfaced vividly in creations like Melchior, developed with L’Epée in 2015, where machines were imagined as characters rather than objects. With HM12 The Guardian, MB&F pushes this idea further: the watch becomes the robot’s mind, and the robot becomes the watch’s physical extension.

Originally intended for the brand’s twentieth anniversary, the project grew in ambition and complexity, eventually becoming the ideal symbol for the next chapter of MB&F. Rather than simply revisiting past designs, it returns to the founding principles—creativity rooted in childhood imagination, mechanical storytelling, and the fusion of high watchmaking with playful experimentation. HM12 blends the spirit of the Horological Machines, the refinement of the Legacy Machines, and the collaborative energy of MB&F’s Co‑Creations into a single object.

This creation also marks a shift in MB&F’s design process. For the first time, an Horological Machine was shaped entirely by the duo of Maximilian Büsser and Maximilian Maertens. Büsser set the conceptual direction—imagining a robot whose head is a watch—then Maertens spent four years refining the architecture, proportions and mechanics through sketches, 3D modelling and prototypes.

The watch is conceived first as a face. Its design immediately evokes a pair of eyes, drawing from Büsser’s memories of 1970s–80s sci‑fi and Maertens’ later influences such as Transformers and films like I, Robot. The jumping hours and trailing minutes form the eyes, the micro‑rotor sits where a mouth would be, and the flying tourbillon crowns the composition like an exposed mechanical brain. A sapphire “skull” allows light to illuminate the tourbillon from multiple angles.

One of the most distinctive features is the mechanical face shield system, controlled by the left crown. It slides smoothly to reveal or conceal the watch’s face, stopping anywhere along its path. Entirely independent from the movement, the system contains over 200 components—more than many complete watches—and is finished with the same level of care as traditional haute horlogerie. Two engineers developed the movement and shield mechanism in parallel, ensuring perfect integration.

The reverse side of the HM12 calibre reveals a more classical aesthetic, with soft curves, balanced symmetry and hand‑finished surfaces. The movement contains 646 components and 86 jewels, with an 84‑hour power reserve. The rear rotor features a guilloché dome crafted with the involvement of independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, a demanding task due to its curved surface.

The Guardian robot completes the concept. The watch detaches from its strap and clips onto the robot’s head, while the strap hides in a drawer at the base. L’Epée engineered the robot’s 755‑component body, which includes a mechanical thermometer at its core and two functional tools: a shield containing a loupe for examining the movement, and a detachable UV torch that activates the Super‑LumiNova on both the watch and the robot.

HM12 The Guardian is offered in blue, purple or green, with only twelve examples of each. It encapsulates everything MB&F has explored over the past twenty years—sci‑fi‑inspired design, in‑house mechanics, traditional finishing, unconventional displays and interactive mechanical companions. What appears at first as a playful sculpture is in fact a deeply technical creation, reaffirming MB&F’s commitment to building mechanical objects with personality, substance and wonder.