MB&F's HM6 in 5N red gold

IF you find this spaceship-looking timepiece familiar, it's not surprising. MB&F's HM6 "Space Pirate" came out at end-2014. But the earlier model was in titanium - and it was recently the winner of the "Best of Best" prize at the Red Dot international design competition.

The newly launched HM6 RT has red gold case. And it's not your usual red gold which is defined as 3N and 4N gold. The HM6 RT is in 5N red gold, typically a mix of 75 per cent gold and 25 per cent copper.

A small amount of palladium is added to the mixture, eliminating, or at least reducing, the copper tarnishing. This ensures that the timepiece "keeps its youthful good looks as it ages gracefully".