MB&F is giving one of its most restrained creations a more precious treatment with the SP One Pavée, a diamond-set interpretation of the Special Project One that made its debut in 2025.
Unveiled in Singapore on September 15, 2026, the new model retains the unusual architecture that made the original SP One stand out. Its barrel, balance wheel and time display appear to float independently within the case, creating a mechanical composition that is unmistakably MB&F despite being housed in an unexpectedly elegant 38mm watch.
For the SP One Pavée, that architecture remains largely untouched. Instead, MB&F has surrounded it with 18K white gold and 255 diamonds, using the stones to trace the contours of the case rather than allowing them to overpower the mechanics at its centre.
MB&F’s Idea of a Classical Watch
The SP One began with an unusual question for a company known for radical Horological Machines: what would happen if MB&F created a small, elegant and relatively classical watch?
The idea can be traced back to a 2018 sketch by founder Maximilian Büsser. Initially nicknamed “Three Circles”, the concept placed three round elements — the barrel, balance wheel and dial — within the case in a configuration resembling a smiley face.
Those three components subsequently became the foundation of the finished watch.
Working with longtime MB&F collaborator and watch designer Eric Giroud, the initial concept evolved into a 38mm pebble-shaped case with no conventional bezel and delicately detached lugs.
The result became MB&F’s smallest and slimmest watch when it was introduced in 2025. But rather than joining the company’s Horological Machine or Legacy Machine families, it established a third category: Special Projects.
255 Diamonds Without Hiding the Mechanics
The SP One Pavée takes that deliberately restrained design and dresses it in diamonds.
Its 18K white-gold case, crown and buckle are diamond-set, while the rhodium-plated bevelled flange surrounding the movement also receives the pavé treatment. In total, 255 diamonds are used across the watch.
Importantly, MB&F has not redesigned the underlying architecture to accommodate them. The setting instead follows the existing curves of the case and amphitheatre-like interior, using reflected light to frame the movement.
It is an approach that keeps the emphasis on the three floating elements rather than turning the entire watch into a continuous diamond surface.
Another visual change comes from the tilted time display. The black treatment found on previous versions has been replaced by dark blue, providing a cooler contrast against the white gold, rhodium-plated surfaces and diamonds.
A Movement That Appears to Float
At the heart of the SP One remains its unusual three-dimensional construction.
The barrel, balance wheel and dial occupy separate areas of the movement and appear suspended inside the case beneath its sapphire crystal. The balance wheel is particularly exposed, creating the impression that it is oscillating in mid-air.
The tilted dial presents another engineering challenge. Instead of placing the display flat above a conventional movement, MB&F uses conical gearing to transmit power to the angled time display.
The surrounding case effectively becomes an amphitheatre for these components, with the eye naturally drawn towards the exposed mechanics in the centre.
That theatricality is familiar territory for MB&F. What makes the SP One different is the scale and restraint with which it is delivered. At 38mm, the watch takes ideas normally associated with the brand’s much more extroverted creations and compresses them into something designed to sit more quietly on the wrist.
Special Projects Enters Its Next Chapter
The SP One was created to mark the beginning of MB&F’s third decade, following 20 years of unconventional watchmaking.
Its importance therefore extends beyond being a smaller MB&F. The Special Projects collection gives the independent watchmaker a space to explore ideas that do not fit neatly within either its futuristic Horological Machines or historically inspired Legacy Machines.
The SP One is currently offered in three interpretations: platinum paired with a sky-blue bevelled flange, rose gold with an anthracite flange, and the new white-gold Pavée with its diamond-set rhodium-plated flange.
The MB&F SP One Pavée retails for S$137,000 in Singapore, including tax.
