MB&F HM12 The Guardian Turns a Watch Into a Robot

June 16, 2026

Part wristwatch, part mechanical sculpture, MB&F’s latest Horological Machine arrives with a robot body built around its tourbillon-powered head.

June 16, 2026

MB&F has never been interested in making conventional watches. For more than two decades, the Swiss horological laboratory has treated watchmaking as a form of mechanical storytelling, producing machines that often feel closer to science fiction props than traditional timepieces. The new HM12 The Guardian may be the brand’s most ambitious expression of that philosophy yet, combining a highly complex wristwatch with a full-scale mechanical robot companion.

At the center of the project is the HM12 wristwatch itself, a Grade 5 titanium creation that presents time through instantaneous jumping hours and trailing minutes displayed as a pair of robotic eyes. Above them sits a flying tourbillon, deliberately positioned as the machine’s “brain,” while a double-sided micro-rotor occupies the role of a mechanical mouth. The entire architecture was developed in-house over four years, resulting in a movement containing 646 components, 86 jewels, and an impressive 84-hour power reserve.

What truly separates the HM12 from anything else on the market is its face shield mechanism. Activated via the left crown, a pair of mechanical shields can progressively conceal or reveal the watch’s face. More than 200 individual components are dedicated to this system alone, transforming what could have been a decorative flourish into a genuine horological complication. The shields add an interactive element rarely seen in haute horlogerie while reinforcing the watch’s robot-inspired identity.

Then there is The Guardian itself. Developed alongside long-time MB&F collaborator L’Epée 1839, the 15-kilogram robot serves as far more than a display stand. Standing approximately 15 inches tall, it houses a mechanical thermometer in its chest, a magnifying loupe concealed within one arm, and a detachable UV flashlight in the other. The watch can be removed from its strap and mounted directly onto the robot’s head through a dedicated quick-release system, effectively transforming the HM12 into the robot’s brain. Together, the watch and robot comprise nearly 1,500 individual components.

Visually, The Guardian feels like a deliberate return to the playful spirit that defined many of MB&F’s earliest Horological Machines. Founder Maximilian Büsser cites childhood memories of robots and science fiction as key inspirations, while co-designer Maximilian Maertens draws from later cultural touchstones such as Transformers and modern robotic storytelling. The result is a piece that simultaneously channels vintage science-fiction nostalgia and contemporary mechanical artistry.

Available in green, blue, or purple configurations, HM12 The Guardian will be limited to just 12 examples per color, for a total production run of 36 pieces worldwide. In a luxury watch market increasingly crowded with incremental updates, MB&F continues to operate in its own category. The Guardian is not merely a timepiece, nor is it simply a sculpture. It is a mechanical character brought to life—one that blurs the line between watchmaking, industrial design, and kinetic art.