Three legs; three-sector dial; three insect-like eyes; three-layered movement; three protective shields; three limited editions in yet another amazing collaboration between MB&F and Switzerland’s oldest and most acclaimed clock maker L’Épée 1839. The new MB&F Tripod comprises a minimalist clock face suspended between three delicate insect-like legs. It follows the mighty T-Rex in what will become a trilogy of half-animal/half-robot creations that MB&F calls Robocreatures.
The MB&F Tripod features three delicate legs supporting a colorful body, three insect-eye spheres made of precision lens-quality glass, and a clock dial making one full revolution in 36 hours that indicates three sets of hours and minutes. Underneath the dial is a 182-component three-dimensional sculptural movement crafted on three levels by L’Épée 1839 with a vertical balance slowly beating at a traditional 2.5Hz —18,000vph. Time-setting and winding are by key, and when fully wound the movement offers a generous eight-day power reserve.
As a sculptural clock, an essential element of TriPod is indicating the time, which is done by looking down on the dial composed of two concentric, rotating disks.
The outer disk displays the hour while the inner disk displays the minutes in increments of 15. Reading the time requires interaction between Man and Machine: the observer reads the time thanks to three optical spheres, each magnifying the clock’s numerals and making them legible.
To allow all three of the “insect eyes” to show the time from any angle, the dial features three sets of numerals 1-12, meaning that the dial completes a full rotation in 36 hours instead of the customary 12 hours. The time is visible through one of the magnifying lenses at any time as well as the dial from above.
TriPod launches in three limited editions of 50 pieces each in neon blue, neon green, and neon red. The 26-centimeter tall —10 inches— TriPod is made of plated brass and weighs approximately 2.8kg —6 pounds—, its mass perfectly distributed over its delicately sculpted legs.
Sticker Price CHF 22,500 Swiss Francs —approximately $25,000 USD. For more info on MB&F click here.
