MB&F’s SP One was already an unusual proposition for the independent watchmaker, a smaller and calmer expression of the brand’s famously sculptural thinking.
The new SP One Pavée brings diamonds into that equation without turning the watch into a spectacle piece.
Set in white gold and paired with a dark blue display, it uses 255 diamonds to trace the curves and depth of the case while leaving the suspended mechanical layout as the main event.
At a glance
- MB&F has introduced the SP One Pavée, a diamond-set version of its compact Special Project One watch.
- The 38mm white gold case uses 255 diamonds across the case flanks, internal flange, crown and buckle.
- The watch is priced at CHF 78,000 or EUR 85,000, excluding taxes.
A quieter kind of diamond setting
The SP One Pavée doesn’t follow the usual high-jewellery watch playbook.
There’s no bezel to load with stones, and MB&F has instead used the setting to underline the watch’s rounded, pebble-like profile.
The 18k white gold case measures 38mm across, 12mm thick including its ultra-domed sapphire crystal, and 41.9mm from lug to lug.
Its side carries a double row of 165 pavé-set diamonds, while the crown at 10 o’clock is set with 14 more.
Inside the case, an internal flange carries 55 brilliant-cut diamonds, creating a softly lit frame around the exposed architecture rather than a hard glittering border.
The white gold pin buckle continues the idea with 21 diamonds, keeping the detail consistent without overwhelming the watch.
The floating three-circle architecture
The SP One began with Max Büsser’s 2018 “Three Circles” concept, later developed with designer Eric Giroud into a more classical but unmistakably MB&F form.
Its dial-side composition is built around three visible elements that appear to hover beneath the domed sapphire crystal.
At 2 o’clock sits the oversized balance wheel, beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour.
At 10 o’clock, a skeletonised single mainspring barrel slowly unwinds and gives a visual reading of the 72-hour power reserve.
Time is shown at 6 o’clock on an inclined dark blue sub-dial with applied polished indices and openworked hands.
The result is one of MB&F’s more wearable watches, but it still carries the brand’s fascination with dimensionality, exposed mechanics and mechanical theatre.
The calibre behind the illusion
The manual-winding SP One movement was developed in-house and uses 189 components with 31 jewels.
Much of the technical work is hidden under the three suspended dial-side elements, which helps create the impression that the balance, barrel and time display are floating independently.
Through the sapphire display back, the movement reveals a Y-shaped bridge layout, a complex gear train and conical gearing.
The finishing combines traditional hand work and contemporary texture, including hand-angled wheels, bevelled and polished angles, gold chatons, rhodium-finished bridges and micro-blasted surfaces.
A light-blue calfskin strap softens the presence of the white gold and diamonds, keeping the watch closer to elegant experiment than jewellery statement.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | MB&F |
|---|---|
| Model | SP One Pavée |
| Case size | 38mm diameter, 12mm thickness, 41.9mm lug-to-lug |
| Case material | 18k white gold |
| Diamonds | 255 total, including 165 on the case side, 55 on the internal flange, 14 on the crown and 21 on the buckle |
| Crystal | Ultra-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating |
| Display | Suspended balance wheel at 2 o’clock, skeletonised mainspring barrel at 10 o’clock, inclined dark blue hours and minutes sub-dial at 6 o’clock |
| Movement | In-house SP One manual-winding movement |
| Components | 189 components, 31 jewels |
| Frequency | 18,000vph, 2.5Hz |
| Power reserve | 72 hours |
| Water resistance | 30 metres |
| Strap | Light-blue calfskin with 18k white gold diamond-set pin buckle |
| Price | CHF 78,000 or EUR 85,000, excluding taxes |
The SP One Pavée works because it treats diamonds as architecture rather than decoration.
For collectors who want MB&F’s spatial watchmaking in a more restrained form, this may be the most polished expression of the Special Project One idea yet.
