FOR MECHANICAL MAXIMALISTS
THREE NO-HOLDS-BARRED HOROLOGICAL STATEMENTS
01 MB& F THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Before smartphones arrived, enabling users to easily avail themselves of meteorological information, there were desktop weather stations. MB&F reimagines these digital instruments by fusing this concept with mid-20thcentury visions of UFOs to create The Fifth Element. Created in conjunction with partner and Swiss high-end clockmaker L’Epee, this piece of desktop art comprises a brass frame – the so-called Fifth Element – that holds four removable “pods” that are actually a clock, barometer, hygrometer and thermometer. Meteorology just got a whole lot cooler.
02 URWERK AMC PROJECT
In the late 18th century, renowned watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the sympathique pendulum clock – a master clock designed to adjust and set specially designed watches. Urwerk’s AMC (Atomic Master Clock) Project takes this concept into the 21st century: Through a mechanical system, a purpose-built watch is linked to an ultra-accurate atomic clock that has a maximum variation of one second in 317 years. This allows the watch to be wound, set, and adjusted with utmost accuracy. No word yet on whether the AMC Project will make it to production, but if/when it does, we’re sure there will be a good number of Tony Stark wannabes ready to shell out.
03 JAQUET DROZ PARROT REPEATER POCKET WATCH
These days, pocket watches are uncommon, but one like the Jaquet Droz Parrot Repeater is downright rare: Launched to mark the brand’s 280th anniversary, this unique pocket watch – from its two covers to the hand-painted box it comes in – is saturated with traditional decorative and watchmaking techniques. The dial, for instance, features an elaborate tropical backdrop created using crafts such as miniature painting and engraving. Against this lush landscape, a family of five macaws are set in animated motion when the minute repeater slide is activated.