L’Epée 1839 x MB&F Albatross
MB&F and L’Epée Debut the Albatross, and It’s Their Most Audacious Clock Yet
The indie watch brand and the esteemed clockmaker recently released their 15th collaboration in 10 years, and it’s an innovative new automaton inspired by the Jules Verne novel Robur the Conqueror.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
The collaborative pieces from MB&F always seem to leave us awestruck. This year marks a decade of the Maison’s “Co-Creations,” or rather the non-wristwatch machines made in tandem with other manufactures, as part of the “friends” aspect of the “Maximilian Büsser & Friends” moniker.
More than 20 of these mechanical marvels have resulted from MB&F’s partnerships with makers like Reuge (the “MusicMachine” music boxes), Caran d’Ache (the Astrograph pen), and Loupe System (Project LpX). Still, the brand’s most enduring collaborator has been the legendary clockmaker L’Epée 1839.
At Geneva Watch Days last month, MB&F and L’Epée introduced their 15th and most audacious clock yet: the Albatross.
A World First Complication and A Lot of Personality All in One Clock
According to the co-creation’s designer Eric Meyer, the Albatross was specifically inspired by the propulsion system of the “Albatross” airship in Jules Verne’s novel Robur the Conqueror.
The table clock also owes its steampunk aesthetic to the many fantastical rockets and hot air balloons imagined by the French author, who had a fascination for flying objects in many of his prototypical science fiction stories.
Of course, there’s a lot of technical know-how involved in turning science fiction into fact. Composed of 1,520 components, the Albatross has two compelling features. The first is a striking hour function that chimes both the specific hours on the hour as well as a single strike on the half-hour.
Then, there’s a world-first complication the brands are calling “hélices au passage” or “propeller au passage”: an automaton composed of 32 propellers that launch into action every hour.
Two separate movements and two winding systems power the time and striking hour. A third barrel provides the energy for the propellers, which in turn power the automaton.
The complex mechanisms inside the Albatross allow you to turn the action on or off, as desired, to preserve the power reserve. The clock can run for an average of eight days whether the chiming function is turned on or off and the automaton activated for one day.
More Than a Timekeeper: A Work of Art
Since we’re delving into the supernatural, let’s address the Albatross in the room. In the wild, these giant sea birds are captivating, able to gracefully glide above the waves for miles on a single flap of their enormous wings (seriously, they’re gargantuan birds).
Also, thanks to lore and poems like Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” sailors thought that spotting an albatross at sea was a sign that winds would soon fill a ship’s sails.
For fans of Verne’s literature, MB&F and L’Epée’s unique approach to horology (and bird-related lore), the Albatross features Easter Eggs galore! So, while most automatons reflect the kinetic aspects of various natural phenomena, this machine goes a step further.
In typical MB&F fashion, the Albatross suggests the possibility of the future (albeit one that was imagined in the 19th century). Merely peer through a porthole on the top of the 17kg, 60cm long x 60cm high x 36cm wide airship, and you’ll spy a miniature cockpit, complete with a dashboard and ship’s wheel.
Pricing & Availability
The Albatross is priced at CHF 129,000 and comes in five limited editions of only eight pieces each in either blue, red, green, black, or champagne. The timekeeper is available through MB&F's retail network or online via the brand’s M.A.D.Gallery.