THAT Maximilian Busser & Friends does things differently is no surprise at all; the brand considers its HM7 Aquapod collection as its dive-watch line, for instance. So what MB&F really does is reimagine things to an altogether divergent level that these blow all others out of the, well, water.

The brand has just brought out the new HM7 Aquapod Platinum Red — the fourth in the series of HM Aquapods and the first in a platinum suit. This new piece follows after equally limited versions. One came in titanium with blue accents, another in a pink-gold-and-black scheme, and the third also in titanium but had splashes of neon green. None of the first three came in more than 66 pieces. The HM7 Aquapod Platinum Red is limited to only 25 examples.

MB&F pitches all the HM7 Aquapods as jellyfish-inspired.    

Now, this is one huge jellyfish. And physically, not only as a statement. The watch’s case measures a full 53.8 millimeters across and is 21.3 millimeters high. The uni-directional rotating dive-watch bezel accounts for much of the width as it surrounds even the two large crowns fitted at either side of the watch (the left one winds the movement, the right is for time-setting). The spherical sapphire crystal on top accounts for much of the vertical real estate (the back is covered in sapphire crystal, too). Put together, these allow the HM7 Aquapod a 50-meter water resistance rating.

Boosting the watch’s nautical credentials is a strap molded from aircraft-grade elastomer — which is supplied in red, black and white.

The HM7 Aquapod Platinum Red is tall not only because it looks cool that way, but also because MB&F stacked the movement’s components on top of one another, rather than spreading these out on a single (or a few) lateral plane. Starting at the bottom, the major parts are arranged as thus; rotor (made from titanium and platinum), mainspring barrel, hour and minute indications, and the flying tourbillon (yes, it’s clear MB&F wants this to be in plain sight). All this are mounted around the same central axis.

The energy coming from the rotor makes its way to the tourbillon via staggered gearing that sends torque upward one level to the next. What this architecture has allowed is for the hour and minute tracks to be placed on the periphery of the movement.

But rotating these huge tracks (or rings) — it’s how they tell the time — requires a lot of power. And it is something that, if not addressed, would cause the movement to be imprecise. MB&F figured that reducing friction would lessen the energy needed to rotate the displays. And so fitted to the hour and minute display tracks were ceramic ball bearings, on which they turn, resulting in easier rotation. Plus, the rings themselves were machined from titanium, shaving off mass further.

And for such a complex architecture this 391-piece movement is still capable of storing power good for 72 hours. It oscillates at 18,000vph while the tourbillon completes a rotation in the usual 60 seconds. Really clever, this.

Unlike jellyfish.