Luxury watch brand MB&F has teamed up with Switzerland’s only remaining specialized high-end clock manufacturer L’Epeé 1839 to launch Arachnophobia, a limited edition, time-telling spider inspired by the famous Louise Bourgeois sculpture.
The Arachnophobia Clock
Conceived by MB&F and manufactured by L’Epée 1839 – Arachnophobia is the result of MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser’s overactive imagination blending with his appreciation of art. The luxury clock can be displayed on either a table or the wall and is available in black ($15,000) or 18k yellow gold-plate ($17,000).
Arachnophobia was inspired by a giant spider sculpture called Maman (mother in French), created by Louise Bourgeois (1911 – 2010) in bronze, stainless steel and marble. Measuring 9.27 x 8.91 x 10.24 metres, the monumental sculpture has been installed in a variety of locations around the world.
MB&F developed the highly unusual concept with L’Epée, selecting a high-end L’Epée clock movement and re-imagining it as the mechanical head and torso of a spider. The body is outfitted with a black dome with white numerals depicting the hours and minutes. The araneae’s self-sufficiency is to be admired, for the finely-finished, highly-visible movement boasts a power reserve of eight days.
At either end of Arachnophobia’s time-displaying abdomen, important mechanical processes take place: the head houses the regulator with its oscillating balance wheel, while the other end contains the mainspring barrel, which powers the movement.
Attached to the abdomen are eight visually enticing legs which can be rotated so that Arachnophobia can stand tall on a desk or on a wall.
You can even reposition the legs for different effects:
Arachnophobia is available in black or 18k yellow gold-plated editions:
ARACHNOPHOBIA BLACK, PALLADIUM-PLATED BRASS, LIMITED EDITION
Price:$14,857.83 / 15’300.00 CHF / 14074.47 €
ARACHNOPHOBIA GOLD, 18K YELLOW GOLD PLATED BRASS, LIMITED EDITION
Price: $16,994.25 / 17’500.00CHF / 16098.25 € / (subject to change)
SPECIFICATIONS:
DISPLAY
• Hours and minutes: curved hands rotate to indicate hours and minutes on a polished, central dome featuring MB&F’s signature numerals.
MOVEMENT
• L’Epée in-house designed and manufactured movement
• Balance frequency: 18,000 bph / 2.5Hz
• Power reserve of 8 days
• 218 components and 11 jewels
• Incabloc shock protection system
• Mechanism in palladium-plated brass or gold-plated brass
• Winding: key winding and time setting on underside of clock
• Movement finishing: includes Côtes de Genève, anglage, polishing, sand-blasting, circular and vertical satin finishing
ARACHNOPHOBIA’S BODY
• Dimensions: 203 mm in height (legs extended); clock diameter (legs flat) 405 mm; movement dimensions 75.3 x 134.9 x 63.8 mm
• Weight: gold-plated version 1.96 kg; black version 0.98 kg
This is not the first time the two have teamed up to bring a clock concept to life. Together the two created the $31,000 The Starfleet Machine, an otherworldly table clock.
