VENTURA SPARC MGS - World's First True Mechanical Automatic Digital Watch at Watchismo
Published: April 20,
2012 | 19:36
After years of research and development, the world's first mechanical automatic digital watch is a reality!
Ventura SPARC MGS
No batteries included, no batteries required
Ventura invented the Automatic Digital Watch in 2000. The movements
of the wrist activate a rotary mass which relays the momentum to a
micro-generator; the electric energy gained in the process continuously
feeds an optoelectronic time-module. The Micro-Generator-System of the
new SPARC MGS was developed to achieve maximum performance. Placing the
MGS side-by-side next to the time-device enabled a larger and heavier
oscillating mass. This array also permits the viewing of the mechanism
from the top, giving the SPARC MGS its characteristic appearance. The
miniature power-station sustains a state-of-the-art micro-processor and a
250-segments 12-digit liquid-crystal display. The latest operating
system EasySkroll v.2.0 allows later upgrades, another first in
wristwatches. The multiple functions of the SPARC MGS are intuitively
operated by a single scroller.
Watch is supplied in "V-Winder" automatic winding wood box
Specifications:
Pat. pending. dimensions: 60.00 mm x w 38.00 mm Powered by MGS®-11 (Micro Generator System), no battery. Heavy duty Tungsten oscillating mass Digital Model Mvt. VEN_10 with EasySkroll® operating system v2.0. Energy management with sleep mode and movement detector. LED back light. T1/date, T2/date, alarm for T1+T2 100 Year perpetual calendar, chronograph, count down, user-selectable 12 or 24h time 3 date formats, Durinox® (tempered steel) black case 2 sapphire crystals water resistant 3 bar (30m/100ft)
1. MGS®-11 - The owner’s wrist movements cause an oscillating mass to turn approximately 4’000 times per day on average. 2. Gear Train - The oscillating force is transferred to a precision gear with an attached Barillet 3. Barillet - The Gear Train tensions the spring of a Barillet about 17’000 times per day; each time the spring is fully tensioned, it releases its force to a micro-generator 4. Micro-Generator - The Micro-Generator transforms mechanical momentum into electric energy and sends a spark (SPARC®) to an accumulator 5. Accumulator - The accumulator stores the electric energy and powers the Cal. VEN_10 movement 6. Cal. VEN_10 - Ventura’s exclusive caliber with its EasySkroll® operating and scrolling system is entirely operated by the wrist-movements of its owner
Automatic Digital
Wristwatch, case and bracelet, two
sapphire crystals, water resistant 3 bar, with exclusive deluxe wooden
gift casket in piano-lacquer finish. with v-winder included
2nd gen Micro-Generating-System (MGS), EasySkroll® v.2.0 OS, VEN_10 digital module, LC display backlight by LED
Time1 + date1, time2 + date2, alarm, chronograph, countdown,
100 years perpetual calendar with day (5 languages), date, month, year, 12/24h format, 3 date-formats
MGS® power management, manual power off, automatic sleep mode (LC
display "off", functions "on"), motion-sensor to monitor watch
movements, automatic backlight control to prevent over-use
Power reserve: ~ 45 days , > 5 years (manual switch-off mode)
H (6 ~ 12h) 56.30 mm x W (9 ~ 3h) 38.00 mm x T 8.90 / 12.20 mm
Weight: ca. 200 gr.
Time in Six Parts - Che-Wei Wang's 3.16 Billion Cycles, In a Lifetime, Cinematic Timepiece, One Hour Sprocket, Thermal Clock and Counting to a Billion
Published: May 13,
2009 | 10:41
Time in Six Parts
Time in Six Parts is a series of attempts to unravel and re-present time through alternative perspectives. The hope is to demystify scales of time that are out of our immediate reach and explore new approaches to marking time.
Six timekeeping devices were built as part of Che-Wei Wang's thesis project at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at TISCH, NYU.
3.16 Billion Cycles is a clock that unravels a century through a series of pulleys.
3.16 BILLION CYCLES CLOCK Can we watch decay? Can we see glass as a fluid slowly slumping and deforming over time?
Everything is in constant flux, yet we consider many things around us static and fixed. 3.16 Billion Cycles is an attempt to unravel a seemingly unchanging 100 years into a set of relationships in digestible increments.
A 60 rpm (revolutions per minute) motor drives the entire mechanism. It rotates once every second. The following pulley rotates once every 5 seconds (1:5 ratio). The next rotates once every 60 seconds or 1 minute. Then 5 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 month, 1 year, and 1 decade. The decade wheel carries the load of the large arc. The large arc rotates once every century. The final ratio between the 60 rpm motor and the large arc is approximately 1:31.6 billion.
Each wheel is marked with a black nut to highlight a position that could be tracked over time. Along the arc, 100 lines mark the divisions of each passing year. When the clock finally reaches the end of a 100 year cycle, the arc falls off its track onto the floor.
ONE HOUR SPROCKET CLOCK
How accurate does a clock need to be? Most household clocks display time with 3 mechanical movements; the hour, on a 12 hour cycle; minutes past the hour; and seconds past the minute. How crucial is it for us to know how many seconds are past the minute? Do we need to know the exact number of minutes past the hour? One Hour Sprocket is a wall-mounted 12 hour clock with a 60 tooth sprocket attached to a motor, completing one revolution every hour. From the sprocket hangs a chain that consists of 720 links. Each link accounts for every minute of a 12 hour cycle. Among the black chain links is one polished stainless steel link to identify the position of the hour past 12 o’clock. To tell time one can estimate the position of the “hour hand” or count the number of links from the polished link to the top of the clock for a more accurate reading.
Between two 1/4” steel plates, sits a stepper motor, which ticks every 18 seconds. The hanging chain juggles with each tick reassuring the clock’s functionality.
We rely heavily on our vision to identify change. We see sand accumulating at the bottom of the hourglass. We see the minute hand rotate clockwise. How would our sense of time change if we cast time to another sense?
Thermal Clock is a timepiece that positions heat along a bar over a 24 hour cycle to tell time.
Using an array of peltier junctions, heat is emitted from a focused area moving from left to right along the bar over the course of a day.
As a child, I remember challenging myself to count to 1000, 1 million, or 1 billion. I don’t think I ever made it. Why do we aimlessly count? How long would it take to count to a billion?
Counting to a Billion is a device created to fulfill the desire to count. The electronics consists of a microcontroller, a speech module, and a speaker powered by a rechargeable battery. There is no/off switch. The voice begins counting at one, two, three and continues counting up until it reaches one billion at which point in time it will stop.
Counting to a Billion Clock
If it took a second to utter each string of numbers, it would take 1 billion seconds or 31.7 years for the device to reach its end. But since it takes more than a second to vocalize many of the numbers in the sequence, it may take upwards of 60 years to complete.
The unit is housed in a solid block of aluminum, cnc milled into a vessel that was designed to withstand substantial abuse over many years.
Time is our measure of a constant beat. We use seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, etc. But what if we measured time against rituals, chores, tasks, stories, and narratives? How can we use our memory, prediction, familiar and unfamiliar narratives to tell time?
As a child, I remember using the length of songs as a way to measure how much time was left during a trip. A song was an appropriate period to easily multiply to get a grasp of any larger measure like the time left until we arrived to our grandmother’s place. The length of a song was also a measure I could digest and understand in an instant.
The first iteration of Cinematic Timepiece consists of 5 video loops playing at 5 different speeds on a single screen. The video is of a person coloring in a large circle on a wall.
The frame furthest to the right is a video loop that completes a cycle in one minute. The video to the left of the minute loop completes its cycle in one hour. The next completes in a day, then a month, then a year.
Through various iterations, we intend to experiment with various narratives and rituals captured in a video loop to be read as measures of time.
The software was written in OpenFrameworks for a single screen to be expanded in the future for multiple screens as a piece of hardware.
We often compare ourselves to friends, colleagues, relatives, idols, etc. on a scale of time that’s beyond our comprehension. Full of hope and objectives that are far into the future, we strive to achieve as much as our parents, friends, and heroes. What do you plan to achieve in the next 5 years? 10 years? 20? How long will you live?
Though there are many unknowns, we share one lifetime as a common measure.
In a Lifetime is a website that visualizes individual achievements and milestones along the scale of one lifetime. Each point along the arc represents a milestone where the top (12th hour) is their moment of birth, the right quadrant (3rd hour) is a quarter through their life, the bottom (6th hour) is half way through their life, and so on. The mapping strips age as a parameter from individuals and scales lifespans to compare achievements of one life with another.
The website collects information about each individual through a publicly accessible interface. Input parameters are, author, date of birth, lifespan, milestone or note, and significance (0-100). Anyone who visits the site can enter information about an individual to be mapped. If one so desires, you can enter your predicted lifespan to compare personal milestones to others.
Some patterns emerge. Significant achievements are made between the half way point and the 3/4 point of their lives. Beyond the 3/4 point, nearly all individuals stop accruing achievements . Around the half way point in their individual lives, Albert Einstein wrote the General Theory of Relativity, Constantin Brancusi completed the Kiss, Le Corbusier completed Villa Savoye, Leonardo Da Vinci drew the proportions of human figure after Vitruvious.
Young British designer Duncan Shotten has created this inventive mechanical digital prototype clock. For those of you that appreciate Harry Winston Opus 9 reinterpretation of a digital watch as a mechanical timepiece, then you gotta dig this kid's clock.
Numbers are printed on vertical sliders and only reveal themselves when shifted into perfect alignment with the 'display box'. when not aligned they look like random, alien forms and represent the negative of the number that is required.
The sliders are gradually cranked up using motors coupled to intricate mechanics in accurate time. upon reaching the last number (e.g. the 9th minute) the same motor disengages the ratchet’s 'stopper' and the slider then falls to the first number again.’
Jaquet Droz 'La Machine à Ecrire le Temps' (The Machine that Writes the Time)
by Maximilian Büsser via MB&F's Parallel World "Baselworld 2009 has just finished and, amongst the flurry of new horological creations, the timepiece that really impressed and amazed me wasn't a wristwatch at all, but an incredible horological machine in its own right.
Jaquet Droz's 'La Machine à Ecrire le Temps' - The Machine that Writes the Time.
Manuel Emch, president and head of artistic creation at Montres Jaquet Droz, has done a superb job in reinventing the brand over the last 8 years.
18th century automates from Jaquet Droz: the Draftsman, the Musician and the Writer
Jaquet Droz was one of the most celebrated creators of automatons in the past and in developing this modern time writing machine, they have created one of the most amazing "horological sculptures" to date, as well as added to the brand's rich heritage.
The project was the brainchild of Manuel Emch who had, amongst other objectives, the idea to create an automaton that relates to the 21st century. The result is as impressive as it is poetic. La Machine à Ecrire le Temps is an incredible blend of tradition, kinetic art, high-tech horology . . . and magic.
The development and construction of La Machine à Ecrire le Temps took the best part of a decade. It contains more than 1,200 components, including 84 ball bearings, 50 cams and 9 belts, and took thousands of hours to construct and regulate.
The masterpiece is housed in an unusual cage, whose aluminium frame is fitted with a liquid crystal glass, allowing the owner to mask or unveil the whole movement at will. A light touch activates the mechanism and a stylus writes the time in hours and minutes."
Some antique Jaquet Droz Automaton videos "The Writer" & "The Artist";
"This is the XXI Century Sundial, created by Alessandro using an Arduino microcontroller, a wall, and a laser.
This is a simple project of a sundial wherein the pinion is replaced by a line LASER I took from a LASER level. The LASER is mounted on a RC servo which in turn is driven by a micro controller. The micro controller keeps the time and turns the RC servo accordingly. ... Shorting pins 1-2 adds some life to the sundial and makes it count just the seconds. Hypnotic initially, then pointless.
Originally put together using an Atmel controller, it is "very basic in design it does exactly what I wanted," Alessandro writes."
How Much Time Do You Have Left? - New Special Edition Black PVD Coated Accurate and Decider Watches by Mr. Jones
Published: March 11,
2009 | 12:17
Mr Jones Watches have produced two new special edition watches. Both models feature black PVD coating which gives a hard-wearing, elegant finish.
These are serious watches for the serious times we find ourselves in. The black coating on the watch case is matched on the buckle and completed with a black leather strap and (what else!) black stitching.
Mr Jones Watches is the new cult watch brand from London. They believe that a watch should do more than just tell the time.
All the Mr Jones Watches are designed by Crispin Jones, they are genuine indie products entirely conceived and executed following a singular vision.
These models will be available for a limited period only.
This is a special edition of the most accurate wristwatch you can buy - the hour hand reads "remember", the minute hand "you will die".
The dial and rim of the glass are mirrored, so the wearer is reflected in the watch face.The Accurate is a link to the tradition of the memento mori - an object designed to remind us that life is brief and that we should seize the moment while we are here.
The Accurate is our best selling model and we're very pleased with how well this special edition looks on the wrist.
This watch eschews the conventional division of a day into 24 hours, instead it divides into units of median daily routine.
The dial shows a breakdown of what average people do on an average day, so you’re able to see what you yourself should - on average - be doing at any time.
The Mantra alternates a very positive statement (e.g. "you are amazing") with a very negative one (e.g. "nobody likes you"). Every hour the watch displays one positive message and one negative message (the wedge that you read the statement through is also the hour hand).
Over time The Mantra makes the arrogant person more humble and makes the humble more confident.
The Decider is a watch that helps you make decisions: as the seconds tick round you see either the word "YES" or "NO" displayed on the watch face; when you need to make a decision you simply look at your watch for your answer.
The Future is now! This watch displays a carpe diem message along with the time. The hour and minute hand make up the words “the future”, whilst the face alternately displays “is” and “now”. This watch is a handy reminder to the wearer to live in the present.
Two characters on the watch enact a tiny choreographed play. They look all around, but never rest on the other’s gaze. The faces keep their tiny vigil on your wrist and are always ready to share a moment of micro-poetry whenever you look at your watch.
The two faces each have a small magnifying dome over them to aid visibility.
The design of this watch is inspired by the game of effeuiller la marguerite in which “loves me, loves me not” is spoken while plucking the petals of a flower.
Loves Me acts as a never-ending, animated flower that answers love dilemmas: pulling up the winding crown stops the mechanism and reveals cupid’s verdict.
This watch offers you two ways of looking at the passing of time - around the circumference of the dial the words "one more, one less" slowly revolve. This presents a balanced way of viewing the passing of time in our lives.
Retrowerk Watches Riveted Piston Pumping Portholed Multi-Level Jump Hour Retrograde Watches of Germany - Affordable and High Quality Steampunk Watches
Published: February 26,
2009 | 12:53
In the past, I've written about high end masterpieces like Vianney Halter's Antiqua (starting at $50,000 and up) and the artistic horology concept watches of Haruo Suekichi, but it was only a matter of time before affordable Jules Vernesque timepieces were made for those who want to actually own a high quality Steampunk wristwatch. Yes, the term has worn out its welcome but the look is timeless nevertheless -- and how can a riveted porthole watch not be cool?
The brand is Retrowerk of Germany and below, I photographed their off-the-wall collection wristwatches with elements of brass and steel pistons, portholes, rivets, compasses, revolving jump hour discs, screwcap crown covers, chains, automatic rotor mechanisms, and of course, many cogs and gears. The prices range from $429 to $1098 USD.
The first is the Compass Jump Hour, an extreme multi-leveled timepiece with a partial dial with three discs for hours, minutes and seconds. Protruding up like a periscope is the compass under thick "coke bottle" type glass, almost as if there is a submarine cruising inside your wrist. The automatic winding version utilizes a Swiss ETA 2824 mechanical movement.
Protrusions are a reoccuring theme with Retrowerk - the Piston (above), with namesake piston mechanism-screwcap crown cover and riveted watch case. As I attempt to showcase in my photos far below, each angle of the watch is mechanically sculptural and borders on satisfyingly absurd. Automatic version also features a Swiss ETA 2824 movement.
Side-view of Retrowerk Compass Watch
Full-frontal view
Jump Hour display and raised compass
Sideways
Screw-cap detatched exposing crown
Extreme view
The Retrowerk Piston
Piston Crown Cap
Riveted Piston Case
Piston mechanism
Additional views of the Piston
Rivets Rivets Rivets!
A third model features a retrograde display for 24 hour GMT time zone.
First Look at the HM3 - Horological Machine No 3 Starcruiser & Sidewinder!
Published: October 14,
2008 | 21:01
I was lucky enough to be one of the first people in the world to see the latest from Maximilian Büsser & Friends this morning. Max and Stephen Hallock of MB&F met me for breakfast at NYC's Brasserie to unveil the coolest Horological Machines yet. I hate to use one word to describe the HM3 Sidewinder and Starcruiser, but here it is... WOW.
Summed up, this watch has two variations. The red gold Starcruiser (above) and white gold Sidewinder (below) with two sapphire cones rising up from the case to reveal hours and day/night indicator and the other cone for minutes - transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to laser-cut hands and visible as a drivers style watch, on the side. Each watch shown here displays 10:45 am.
But what really sets it apart is the fact the movement with automatic rotor is upside down! No more turning your watch over to show off its most essential element. The signature Grendizer battle axe rotor swings wildly under each dome adding to the many layers of the most dimensionally effective Horological Machine to date.
The date wheel surrounds the movement through each dome and indicated by an arrow cut into the case.
Two styles are available in both red gold and white gold. The Starcruiser has both cones on the inside of your wrist and the Sidewinder with cones vertically next to your hand. Both are read easily without turning your wrist. Great when you're driving so fast you can't take your eyes off the road...or sky.
See Also; All Max Busser & MB&F Posts-->Link Press release; Horological Machine No3
Warning! Horological Machine No3 (HM3) is so far outside existing timekeeping references that it may cause sensory overload. The mind first attempts to take in the kinetically active movement, paradoxically seen in all its glory on the top of the watch and partially circumscribed by a ring of large numerals. However before that information can be processed it is assailed yet again, this time by twin cones rising majestically from the sculptured three-dimensional case. No wonder many struggle to reconcile the reality that this dynamic sculpture is actually a highly technical wristwatch that tells the time and date.
Welcome to the world of MB&F! Individualists demand choice, so HM3 is available in two versions: ‘Sidewinder’, with cones lined perpendicular to the arm and ‘Starcruiser’, with cones in line with the arm. Each version has its own very distinct visual characteristics and each offers its own angle on telling the time.
The twin cones respectively indicate hours and minutes, with the hour cone capped by a day/night indicator. An over-sized date wheel allows for large, legible numbers with the date indicated by a neatly engraved triangle on its perimeter. However, it is the spectacular open-air theatre presented by the finely finished movement, with its swinging battle-axe shaped automatic rotor and fast oscillating balance wheel, which mesmerises the eye and astounds the senses. Turning the watch over reveals the technical secret behind HM3’s inverted movement: two large high-tech ceramic bearings efficiently transmitting power up to the cones and date wheel.
About MB&F
After decades learning and conforming to the corporate rules of watchmaking, Maximilian Büsser broke the chains and started a rebellion - a rebellion called MB&F. MB&F is an artistic and micro-engineering concept laboratory in which collectives of independent horological professionals are assembled each year to design and craft radical Horological Machines. The ramifications of these audacious projects are profound. Respecting tradition but not shackled by it, MB&F fuses traditional high-quality watchmaking with cutting-edge technology to create three-dimensional kinetic sculptures.
Horological Machine No3 is the third chapter in the story of MB&F’s horological revolution; it is a story of adventure, of excitement and of passion.
“The Earth is a cradle of the mind, but we cannot live forever in a cradle.” -Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, Father of Russian Astronautics, 1896.
Inspiration and Realization: Horological Machine No3 was developed to display the machine’s beautifully finished movement in operation. Harmoniously crafted bridges, rapidly oscillating balance wheel, gearing and distinctive battle-axe shaped automatic winding rotor are all open to view. This allows the wearer to fully appreciate the art and craft that makes up HM3 and draws the viewer’s gaze inside the highly complex machine; a machine comprising more than 300 fine-finished, high-precision components.
The movement of HM3 has been literally turned upside down to allow for an uninterrupted panorama of the solid gold winding rotor’s graceful arcs and the high-speed oscillations of the balance wheel. Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, winner of the inaugural award for Best Watchmaker at the 2007 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, was entrusted with turning the drawings and designs of Max Büsser and designer Eric Giroud into horological reality and, with his team at Agenhor, he not only met but surpassed the challenge.
White gold Starcruiser
Starcruiser and Sidewinder: MB&F’s Horological Machines are for individualists who demand art, craft, excellence, exclusivity . . . and choice. To cater to these demanding aficionados, Horological Machine No3 is available in two versions: ‘Sidewinder’, with its cones lined perpendicular to the arm and ‘Starcruiser’, with its cones in line with the arm. Just like their potential owners, each is very special, each is very different.
Red Gold Sidewinder
Indications: The three-dimensional time-indicating cones allow for telling the time at a glance, whether driving or typing; however, the fact that nothing like them had ever been attempted before in horology posed considerable challenges. The top caps of the truncated cones are brazed (not glued) to ensure maximum water-resistance and the red ‘hands’ of the hour and minute indicators had to be cut by laser to obtain the incredibly high precision with minimum mass that the design necessitated.
The over-sized date wheel is actually a larger diameter than the movement, a fact that allows for very legible and well spaced 2.5mm high numbers. A neat triangle engraved into the top of the case marks the date.
Exposed automatic rotor, domes and hands
Mystery Rotor: the prominence of the 22K solid gold battle-axe shaped rotor on the dial of HM3 is certain to increase the recognition of this already iconic MB&F symbol. The rotor is a ‘mystery’ because it appears to defy the laws of physics in being symmetrically balanced instead of having a visibly off-centred mass. This is achieved by machining the underside of one arm to a razor-thin edge so reducing its mass.
“The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” -Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Horological Machine No3 Technical Innovations:
Ceramic Bearings: Time indications are usually located on the top, or dial side, of a movement. As the movement of HM3 is inverted to display its operation, an efficient solution was needed to bring power from the bottom of the movement to the timekeeping cones and date wheel at the top. Standard pinions set in jewels would have required complex, friction-generating gearing, and would require support top and bottom – a factor which would increase the height of the movement, and thus the watch. So instead of standard jewelled pinions, HM3 features two large-diameter (15mm) high-tech ceramic bearings. These minimize the number of gear-wheels (and thus friction) because of their large diameter and, as they only require support at one end (the base) due to the rigidity resulting from their ultra-high precision design and manufacture, they allow for a thinner movement.
Large Date: The over-sized date ring has a diameter larger than the movement. While the design allows for large (2.5mm high) easy-to-read numbers, the considerable distance between each number, while aiding legibility, required great ingenuity in enabling the date to be adjusted. Technical constraints in using the crown to operate the date meant that a pusher was called for; however, a pusher has an approximate travel of only 1mm – far short of the 4mm needed to move the date wheel from one day to the next. An ingenious system of amplifying the pusher’s travel was developed using efficient gearing to multiply by four the distance travelled by the pusher.
2:35
Sapphire cones: Three-dimensional cones have never been used to display time before, and no wonder as their manufacture was said to be impossible. Fortunately the impossible just took a little longer. The difficulty lay not in actually fabricating the cones, but in polishing the interior of their (originally) translucent surface until transparent. The caps of the truncated cones are brazed (a high temperature soldering technique) to their gold rims, a technique which is aesthetically pleasing and ensures a solid and waterproof construction.
Screw heads: Perfection lies in the details, form follows function. Those two statements explain both the reason MB&F has gone to the effort of redesigning the slots of the case screws and their unusual cloverleaf shape. Sharp-edge shaped screw slots require sharp-edge shaped screwdrivers, a tool tailor-made for scratching polished gold screws. The rounded cloverleaf pattern in the head of HM3 screws is not only pleasing to the eye, it reduces the chances of damage to the screw. Horological Machines are micro-mechanical works of art and demand that each and every component both looks superb and functions impeccably.
Case and finish: Though totally original in design, the double indications, idiosyncratic play of matt and polished finished surfaces, iconic mystery rotor and slope-sided case ensure that HM3 is unmistakeably, 100 per cent pure Horological Machine.
"Traveling through hyper-space ain't like dustin' crops, boy." Han Solo in Star Wars
Three-dimensional horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor; Girard-Perregaux oscillator and gear Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph. 22k rose gold battle-axe shaped ‘mystery’ automatic winding rotor Hour and minutes information transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to laser-cut hands.
Number of jewels: 36 (all functional) Number of components: 304 Functions:
Hour and day/night indicator on one cone Minutes on second cone Date around the movement
Case:
2 versions: Starcruiser (cones in line with arm) Sidewinder (cones perpendicular to arm)
Both versions available in 18k white gold/ titanium or 18k red gold/titanium. Screwed-down crown Dimensions (exclusive of crown and lugs): 47mm x 50mm x 16mm Number of case components: 53 - Starcruiser , 57 - Sidewinder
Sapphire crystals:
Cones and both display backs with anti-reflective treatment on both faces. Strap & Buckle:
Black hand-stitched alligator with 18k gold and titanium custom designed deployment buckle.
MB&F Team
'Friends' responsible for Horological Machine No3
Concept: Maximilian Büsser/MB&F
Product Design: Eric Giroud – Eric Giroud Design Studio
Technical and Production Management: Serge Kriknoff/MB&F
Movement Development: Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor, Nicolas Stalder/Agenhor
Movement manufacturing: Georges Auer/Mecawatch, Salvatore Ferrarotto/APR Quality
Ceramic ball bearings: Patrice Parietti/MPS
Movement assemblage: Didier Dumas/MB&F, Gilles Dalloz/Agenhor
Case and buckle construction and production: Philippe Marti, Dominique Mainier and Stéphane Lhomme of G.F.Châtelain
Sapphire cones: Sébastien Sangsue and Grégory Esseric/Sebal, Peter Bloesch/Bloesch
Dials: François Bernhard and Denis Parel of Nateber
Hands: Pierre Chillier, Isabelle Chillier and Félix Celetta of Fiedler
Graphic Design - Alban Thomas and Gérald Moulière of GVA Studio Product Photography - Maarten van der Ende Display Architecture - Frédéric Legendre/Lekoni Portrait Photography - Régis Golay/Federal Webmasters - Stéphane Balet and Guillaume Schmitz of Sumo Interactive Texts - Ian Skellern Project Manager - Estelle Tonelli/MB&F
MB&F - The Genesis of a Concept Laboratory
The projects that gave Maximilian Büsser the most pleasure and personal satisfaction during his seven year tenure as head of Harry Winston Timepieces, were those working with talented independent watchmakers on the exciting Opus series watches. An idea for his own personal utopia emerged; that of creating a company dedicated solely to designing and crafting small series of radical concept watches in collaboration with talented professionals he both respected and enjoyed working with. The entrepreneur in Büsser brought the idea to reality.
MB&F is not a watch brand, it is an artistic and micro-engineering concept laboratory in which collectives of independent horological professionals are assembled each year to design and craft radical Horological Machines. Respecting tradition without being shackled by it enables MB&F to act as a catalyst in fusing traditional high-quality watchmaking with cutting-edge technology and avant-garde three-dimensional sculpture.
MB&F is independent people creating for independent people.
Biography– Maximilian Büsser
Maximilian Büsser was born in Milan, Italy, before moving at an early age to Lausanne, Switzerland where he spent his youth. Growing up in a multi-cultural environment and family - his father was a Swiss diplomat who met his mother, an Indian national, in Bombay - led Büsser to develop a cross-cultural broad-based approach to his life and to business.
In July 2005, at the age of 38, Maximilian created the world’s first horological Concept Brand: MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends) in which he is now partnered with Serge Kriknoff. Büsser's dream with MB&F is to have his own brand dedicated to developing radical horological concepts by working in small hyper-creative groups composed of people he enjoys working with. MB&F presented its first timepiece, Horological Machine No. 1 (HM1), in 2006and followed that up with HM2 in 2007 and HM3 in 2008, and Büsser has more radical machines in the development pipeline.
Entrepreneurship is Maximilian Büsser's forte. In 1998 and only 31 years old, he was appointed managing director of Harry Winston Rare Timepieces in Geneva. During his seven years there Büsser developed the company into a fully-fledged and well respected haute horlogerie brand by developing the strategy, products, marketing and worldwide distribution, whilst integrating design, R&D and manufacturing in house. The results were a 900% increase in turnover and the positioning of Harry Winston as one of the leaders in this very competitive segment.
Prior to Harry Winston, Maximilian Büsser's love for high-end horology was strongly imprinted by his first employer, Jaeger-LeCoultre. During his seven years in the senior management team during the 1990s, JLC strongly increased its profile and multiplied its turnover by a factor of ten. Büsser's responsibilities at Jaeger-LeCoultre ranged from Product Management & Development to Sales & Marketing for Europe.
Maximilian graduated in 1991 with a Masters in Micro technology Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne.
Ignatz Flying Pendulum Clocks of 1883 and 1965 - Powered by a Tetherball Escapement
Published: September 03,
2008 | 16:53
Watch the video above to see the unusual way this watch powers itself (or this->link)
The original flying pendulum clock (shown above) was invented, and patented, by Christian Clausen of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1883. Clausen described it as "the craziest clock in the world" due to the motion of the tetherball style escapement with a ball and string. It was originally sold by the New Haven Clock Company (under the Jerome & Co. name) for about a year (1884-1885). It is reported that these clocks were sold to Jewelry stores to display in their windows to attract the attention of passing shoppers.
It got the name "Ignatz" from Dr. Rowell (a noted clock collector) in 1935. Dr. Rowell felt this clock had the personality of Ignatz, the mouse in the old Krazy Kat comic strip. The name stuck as it is still called this today. The original New Haven Flying Pendulum clocks are quite rare. This reproduction was manufactured by the Horolovar Company between 1965 and 1975. The movement was made in Germany and was cased at Horolovar in Bronxville, NY.
Shots of the Horolvar reproductions of 1965-1975 (some of these can be found online for around $200-300)
The tetherball escapement
Videos of other flying pendulum clocks (above; an Italian reproduction - below; a homemade wood clock)
