Watches that wow by MB&F, Christophe Claret, Peter Speake-Marin

It was my birthday two days ago. It was better than last year, but only marginally. Last year, no one got me anything. Not even a "well done, you're still alive" card. To add insult to injury, I didn't even get any text messages, which, frankly, is the laziest and most impersonal way of communicating. I should have been upset but, to be honest, I had actually forgotten myself.

This year, there were a few texts and one card, but they all came on the wrong day. Baby steps and all that. Here's hoping we graduate to presents next year.

People may not care a fig for my special day, but everyone is going cockahoop for MB&F's 10th birthday. To celebrate, founder Max Busser and his band of merry watchmakers have released the HMX (top), which just might be the brand's most "affordable" watch ever at HK$232,000. That would be considered a fortune by some, but MB&F pieces rarely, if ever, dip below HK$400,000, so this is a big deal.

Busser and watchmaker Eric Giroud have not scrimped on creativity with the display on the HMX. The driver's watch utilises an optical illusion that "projects" the time onto the front display; the time is also shown on the side of the watch making it easy to read when the hands are on the steering wheel. The case is made of titanium and stainless steel and the watch comes in four colour combinations - Lotus Black, British Racing Green, Ferrari Red and Bugatti Blue - with pieces limited to 20 in each colour.