Mb&f unveils ‘the guardian’ – a robotic wristwatch that’s a mechanical masterpiece

Geneva-based watchmaker MB&F has just dropped a creation that defies conventional horological expectations: ‘The Guardian,’ a fully functional robotic head designed as a wristwatch.

A five-year obsession takes form

Founded in 2005 by Maximilian Büsser, MB&F has long cultivated a reputation for audacious, science-fiction-inspired timepieces, moving far beyond the predictable confines of Swiss tradition. This project, however, represents a significant departure, a testament to the brand’s willingness to push boundaries – and a considerable engineering challenge.

The genesis of ‘The Guardian’ lies in a deceptively simple request from Maximilian Büsser to designer Maximilian Maertens, who has spent the last eight years crafting MB&F’s intricate clocks and music boxes. “Wouldn’t it be cool if the head of a robot could become a wristwatch?” Maertens recalled, setting the stage for a five-year odyssey.

What emerged isn’t simply a watch; it’s a meticulously crafted titanium and sapphire instrument boasting a jumping-hour, trailing-minutes display, anchored by a flying tourbillon that functions as the robot’s ‘brain.’ A second crown unlocks a mesmerizing face-shield complication, allowing six panels to slide across the watch’s face – a subtle flourish that, according to Maertens, was “quite nice to add,” yet demanded significant development.

The face-shield mechanism alone comprises over 200 individual components. The entire movement, a sprawling 646-piece creation, incorporates a double-sided micro-rotor decorated with guilloché – a nod to the unparalleled skill of independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. But the watch was only half the story.

‘The Guardian’ is inextricably linked to a 38cm-tall robot, developed in partnership with L’Epée 1839, complete with a mechanical thermometer nestled in its chest, articulated arms, and concealed UV torch. The project ultimately incorporated a staggering 755 components, totaling nearly 1,500, a frankly staggering figure. Getting there, according to Maertens, involved “years of trial and error,” a humbling realization given the project’s complexity.

“The biggest problem was to really fit the size of a head to the robot’s body,” he admitted. “In the beginning, the head was always a little bit too big.” Numerous prototypes were painstakingly refined, a process driven by Maertens’ fascination with Japanese robot culture – specifically, the iconic designs of Gundam and Transformers. The movable face shield, he explained, deliberately evokes the battle modes of science-fiction characters, a deliberate rejection of traditional Swiss aesthetics.

‘The Guardian’ will be released in three limited editions: blue, green, and purple, each produced in just 12 examples. At a cool CHF 280,000 (approximately $350,000) before taxes, it’s a statement piece – and a deeply personal one for Maertens. “Of course I am proud – it is the first and greatest robot I’ve ever designed.”