MB & F / L ’ Epée TriPod
Display : Hours and minutes are indicated on two concentric dials visible from each of the three optical mineral glass spheres . Dials make one full rotation in 36 hours .
Body : Approximately 10 inches high by 12 inches in diameter . Weight : 2.8kg ( about 6 pounds ) Number of parts : 95
Materials : Plated brass , optical mineral glass , fluorescent acrylic shields
Movement : L ’ Epée 1839 in-house designed and manufactured movement
Balance frequency : 18,000 vph / 2.5Hz , one barrel , power reserve of eight days , 182 components , Incabloc shock protection system
Manual-winding : double-ended key to set time and wind the movement
THREE OPTICAL “ EYEBALLS ” AND THREE LEGS DOMINATE THE INSECT- LIKE PROFILE OF TRIPOD , the latest MB & F desk clock co-creation with L ’ Epée . The rule of threes is further demonstrated by the clock ’ s three movement levels , an unusual three-day clock dial and by the fact that the clock is actually the result of a three-way collaboration between MB & F , L ’ Epée 1839 and designer Maximilian Maertens .
The new clock , which both makers debuted during Geneva Watch Days , arrives about a year after the debut of T-Rex , another cooperative venture that was the first of a trilogy of half animal / half robot creations that MB & F calls Robocreatures .
The TriPod performs its time-telling duties with more user interaction than is required by most clocks . To see the time , the user can either peer into a smallish dial placed atop the colorful insect-like clock body , or – preferably – look directly into one of the three glass orbs ( TriPod ’ s ‘ eyes ’) that magnify the dial to make it more legible than it appears using the naked eye .
With either method , the user sees a dial composed two concentric , rotating disks and three sets of hour numerals placed around the perimeter of the dial , each numbered from 1 to 12 . Making one full revolution in thirty-six hours means the dial indicates three sets of hours and minutes , each of which can be spied individually through one of the glass ‘ eyes .’
SCULPTURAL MOVEMENT TriPod is about ten inches high and is framed in plated brass . Three legs support a colorful body that houses a 182-component three-dimensional sculptural movement by L ’ Épée 1839 . Like most L ’ Epee movements , when fully wound ( by key ) TriPod offers a full eight-day power reserve .
This ‘ insect ’ body is made from cast acrylic , which provides strong shock resistance and also means the clock is relatively light , weighing about six pounds . The body ’ s neon green , blue or red translucent shields allow a view of the clock movement , which is seen directly in the center of the body to mimic an insect torso .
TriPod launches in three limited editions of fifty pieces each in neon blue , neon green and neon red . Price : CHF 22,500 , or about $ 25,000 .
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