Watch Paparazzi

Doctor Adel Quttainah spotted wearing MB&F

Dr. Adel Quttainah, the Kuwait-based plastic surgeon with a reputation both in the operating theatre and the watch collecting community, was recently photographed wearing the MB&F Horological Machine No. 7 Aquapod in 18K 5N+ red gold — a piece that sits firmly at the intersection of haute horlogerie and kinetic sculpture.

Introduced in 2012, the HM7 Aquapod draws its design language directly from the jellyfish — a creature that has existed virtually unchanged for 500 million years. MB&F founder Max Büsser translated that organic form into a layered, dome-on-dome architecture: a large domed sapphire crystal rises over the entire watch, enclosing two spherical aluminium and titanium disc segments that rotate to display hours and minutes. At the very centre of this organism sits a flying 60-second tourbillon, beating in open air without a bridge overhead, completing one rotation per minute in full view of the observer. The in-house calibre MBF Engine delivers a 72-hour power reserve and is wound via a peripheral rotor system.

The red gold variant seen on Dr. Quttainah's wrist pairs an 18K 5N+ case — a slightly more saturated rose-gold alloy favoured by MB&F for its warmer hue — with a contrasting black ceramic or DLC-treated bezel ring, creating a tension between precious warmth and technical austerity that defines the piece aesthetically. The black rubber strap, embossed with the MB&F logo, keeps the ensemble sporting without diminishing its complexity.

For collectors, the HM7 Aquapod occupies a special position in the MB&F catalogue. It is considered a more accessible entry point than the HM9 or HM10 in terms of visual comprehension, yet remains genuinely complex mechanically. Limited production numbers and the multiple material variants — red gold, white gold, titanium — mean well-preserved examples retain strong secondary-market interest. The red gold configuration is generally considered the most visually arresting of the series.

Dr. Quttainah has established himself as one of the Gulf region's most serious MB&F collectors, with documented sightings of multiple Horological Machines. The HM7 Aquapod in red gold, retailing at approximately $98,000, represents a logical addition to a collection clearly built around MB&F's most ambitious mechanical statements.