Guilty #WhenSteemMoons Pleasures: Timepieces

While the Steem blockchain settles and continues towards finding equilibrium, the maximizers pros experiment with the best moment when to place their upvotes and have reactivated their curation maximization alts which can operate thanks to the 10x update in 0.20.4, let’s think about the future.

But in a not too serious way or rather a not that serious way.

Being on the blockchain, still among the generation of early adopters, we all have our little dreams. Dreams of “new oligarchy” for the most audacious Think Big thinkers, that mortgage for the more leveled thinkers, and of course some guilty pleasures too.

What would the crypto world be without that #cryptolambo, right?

Horological Machine N°9 ‘Flow’ by MB&F

So let’s dream, dream of our hard-earned crypto going to the moon. Let’s imagine your holdings multiple by a factor, a huge factor. What would you get when you could.

Anybody who has followed me here, on Steemhunt or occasionally has looked at Steemhunt’s #iwantthat tag can imagine what my guilty pleasures are.

Timepieces.

Time machines.

The truth is I don’t wear a watch currently and haven’t anymore since few years. Not a smart watch, not a classic chronograph. No watch at all.

Somehow I have come to like timeless living, yet watches were always a weak spot of mine.

Like is tradition in the family, age 12 I received my first timepiece, a Seiko. It wasn’t really a timepiece but it was a nice watch. For several years it would be considered a “Sunday watch” or to be worn only on special occasions.

I was only 12 so I couldn’t have worn too huge a time piece anyway on those small’ish wrists of mine. But the bug had bitten me. That first nice watch showed me the path and soon enough I would discover mechanical chronographs.

Few years later I sure had my first chronograph. Took me quite a while of saving but I felt on the moon when I got my first Festina. That was a heavy watch!

From there on, it all went downhill and with the exception of a Swatch the Beep and later a Fossil Big Tic watch, I would get only chronographs anymore.

Until I discovered the Tourbillon.

...a tourbillon aims to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage, to negate the effect of gravity when the timepiece (thus the escapement) is stuck in a certain position
— Source: Wikipedia

My obsession with horological ingenuity comes from my town of birth. A small town 30,000 strong there wasn’t much to do. We lived 60 miles away, near Brussels and almost every schoool holiday I would spend with my grandparents in the town of my birth.

As a kid, the Festraets Astronomical Clock was not only amazing but also a free to visit. You bet I spent way too many hours each years marvelling at the beauty of that... tbh not that sophisticated astronomical clock.

I can not remember anymore when was the first time I saw a watch with a Tourbillon but ever since I’ve never wanted any other watch anymore. If only I could afford a real timepiece with an awesome Tourbillon, that is.

Until... #whensteemmoons

My 3 #WhenSteemMoons Timepiece Guilty Pleasures

1. Horological Machine N°9 ‘Flow’ by MB&F

Let’s get not beat around the bush any further. I’m a sucker for pretty much any timepiece, or should I say time machine, released by MB&F but the Horological Machine N°9 ‘Flow’ beats anything before it. Even the HM6.

Inspired by curvilinear forms which became more prominent in aerodynamics in the ‘40s and ‘50s, the HM9 ‘Flow’ does not have a Tourbillon. Instead this timepiece comes with two fully independent balance wheels with planetary differential, both cancelling each other out and thus providing even greater accuracy. With almost 350 components, 43 for the case alone, and five sapphire crystal glasses, the HM9 ‘Flow’ oozes both wow and ingenuity.

Despite having an absolutely awesome, and rather large appearance, the HM9 looks totally stylish and much less “in your face” than we usually get with a MB&F Horological Machine. Yet, no connoisseur will need more than a glance to recognize the newest MB&F grand complication masterpiece.

Because I like really amazing design, MB&F’s HM9 may very well be the most gorgeous time machine I’ve seen yet. Crypto better moons, rather soon too preferably.

Price: $182,000.
Note: Only 66 available, 33 in each version.

2. Twin Turbo Furious by Jacob & Co

The biggest problem with Jacob & Co, pretty much just like with MB&F, is that they keep releasing timepieces I want. Year after year.

And yes, they come with Tourbillon. Sometimes more than one even.

Jacob & Co’s Twin Turbo Furious is a brute, furious indeed. Much in the mold of MB&F’s HM6, with its unparalleled aesthetic, the Twin Turbo Furious wants attention and when it received it, it slaps you in the face with its beauty and ingenuity.

It literally takes everything to the next level: over 830 pieces, 75 jewels and a gorgeous asymmetrical case measuring 57x52mm and consisting of 88 parts itself.

Not to mention, of course, the world’s first triple axis double Tourbillon.

Luckily it won’t be difficult to decide whether the HM9 or the Twin Turbo Furious first, because the Twin Turbo clocks in at a whopping 81.5BTC at the time of writing. Or more than 21BTC more than that Lambo Aventador.

But for those 81.5BTC you get an integrated folding crank to wind your watch up with. For around 50 hours. If you’re lucky enough to get one of 18 only, that is.

Price: CHF 525,000
Note: I think I may settle for the Quenttin Tourbillon instead.

3. Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Aperta

I must admit that usually I’m not the biggest fan of Hublot’s “Grand Complication Masterpieces” but the MP-05 LaFerrari Aperta ticks many boxes. Mostly because of its rather uncommon style - at least to non timepiece aficionados.

Yet, attentive readers may have spotted my reference to Jacob & Co’s Quenttin Tourbillon and will problably not be too shocked that this branded timepiece made it on the list of guilty pleasures.

If not the 50 days of power reserve delivered thanks to the 11 coupled barrels, the suspended Tourbillon surely makes a statement here. Yet, don’t buy it for the legibility of the time, alright?

Hublot has been running the vertically suspended Tourbillon MP-05 LaFerrari for some years already but this Aperta’s color scheme and sapphire casing takes the cake for me. For fans of Richard Mille, who prefer 637 parts with 108 jewels from Hublot, there’s also a transparent MP-05 Sapphire Crystal edition.

Price: +- $415,000
Note: Get ready for Hublot’s blockchain entrance

Bonus: Richard Mille Tourbillon split seconds Chronograph Sapphire- Felipe Massa

Without any particular desire to offend fans or commit heresy, I admit that I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of Richard Mille’s design. They leave me cold and my crypto wallet too. Not that I could afford any, especially not the sapphire crystal models, but more often than not they are too... watch for me.

Yet, this special edition Massa touches more sweet spots than I wish to admit. Which undoubtedly comes because of its ridiculously limited series of 5 pieces. Or, maybe, because I do like a sapphire edition more than I would ever admit publicly.

Even though it may take some to get used to and get to operate and enjoy the chronograph.

At estimated more than $2,000,000 nowadays - or at least double the cost of all three timepieces above combined - it is easy to return to the default stance about not caring that much about a Richard Mille.

And no... that didn’t suddenly become heresy in the time it took to read those last few lines.

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What’s your @whensteemmoons guilty pleasures?