Rich Report Recommends: A Miniaturized T-Rex Clock For Your Desk
L'Epee 1839, MB&F, and Massena LAB collaborated on this limited edition timepiece.
As you might expect, it is fairly common for high-end watch brands to collaborate with other brands on their flagship models, such as Hublot, which has produced a number of splashy timepieces in collaboration with big names, such as Big Bank and Garage Italia's Lapo Elkann, for example.
Collaborations between three parties, however, are less likely to succeed.
There has been no shortage of inspiration when it comes to the creation of a three-way timepiece, spearheaded by MB&F founder and CEO Maximilian Büsser, along with the clockmakers at L'Epee 1839, which was the result of the work of Massena LAB founder William Massena, MB&F founder and CEO Maximilian Büsser and the clockmakers at L'Epee 1839. As a follow-up to the unique piece they created for the Only Watch auction last year, Tom & T-Rex, they unveiled last fall.
Büsser, as he keeps on his desk for years, was inspired by a whimsical Christmas ornament he kept on his desk for many years, a bright blue ball sitting on top of a pair of scrawny chicken legs. Like the two previous versions, this latest version of the whimsical creation, the MB&F x L'Epee x Massena LAB T-Rex Bronze, owes its inspiration to that kooky creation.
By using the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex to create the legs and feet of the clock, Maximilian Maertens has turned the goofy ornament into a terrifyingly realistic object, with taloned feet and legs molded after the actual bones of the dinosaur, and a Murano glass dial suspended between the two.
It was Massena LAB, a two-year-old watchmaking firm that specializes in high-end watchmaking collaborations, that was approached by Büsser when he asked him to design a timepiece using bronze rather than stainless steel as a subtle nod to the timepiece's ancient heritage. Massena, the former managing director of the online watch forum TimeZone, suggested using bronze instead of stainless steel.
According to Massena, bronze oxidation and age can be influenced by two factors: geography, whether or not it is near the sea, as well as climate, whether or not it is humid or dry. The T-Rex Bronze clock should be enjoyed by all T-Rex Bronze owners the same way and as long as possible. By letting it age naturally, we were exposing it to the possibility of premature oxidation and corrosion. We did not wish for this to occur. In comparison to cleaning a water-resistant watch and preventing the case from aging too much, cleaning a clock is much more delicate and requires a lot more care.
It is available for purchase at massenalab.com, the Hodinkee Shop, as well as Watches of Switzerland. The clock retails for $27,000 and comes in a limited edition of just 15 pieces.
