MB&F and L’Epée 1839 present Grant, a triple-tracked, Mad-Max-cross-Transformer robot clock on a mission: to “transform time so that you can relax and enjoy it.“
Maximilian Büsser & Friends or MB&F was founded by Maximilian Büsser in 2005 is an artistic and micro-engineering laboratory dedicated to designing and crafting small series of radical concept watches by bringing together talented horological professionals that Büsser both respects and enjoys working with. L’Epée, founded in 1839 by Auguste L’Epée, today is the premier manufacturer in Switzerland dedicated to making high-end clocks.
The two distinguished entities have come together to create Grant: a robot with a time display on his shield and a mission to slow things down when time runs too fast.
There are no incessantly flashing digital numerals on Grant’s shield, no continually spinning second hand. Grant transforms frantic chaos into relaxing hours and minutes.
Grant can travel quickly over the messiest desk on his three operational rubber tracks. He can also transform into one of the three different modes: lying horizontally over his chassis for a low profile, crouching at 45 degrees, and sitting up 90 degrees.
Whatever the angle, Grant’s highly polished clockwork is on full display, where every click and turn of the gears can be observed. The mainspring barrel click near his ‘belly button’ is particularly mesmerising in operation. The isochronal oscillations of the regulator keeping time in Grant’s glass-domed ‘brain’ are evidence of the clockwork’s high precision.
Grant’s 8-day, in-line manufacture movement features the same superlative fine finishing as found on the finest wristwatches: Geneva waves, anglage, polishing, sandblasting, plus circular and vertical satin finishing. Hand finishing a clock movement is significantly more challenging than that of a wristwatch due to the larger surface areas of the clock components.
Grant’s left arm holds a “you-really-don’t-want-to-mess-with-me” spinning disk, while his right arm clasps a removable grenade launcher which doubles as a removable winding and time-setting key for his 8-day clockwork.
Grant is available in three limited editions of 50 pieces each in Nickel, Black, and Blue.
