February 1, 2019: In its tenth collaboration with Switzerland clockmaker, L’Epée 1839, MB&F takes inspiration from the beautiful jellyfish to create Medusa, a dual-configuration clock, housed in hand-blown Murano glass, that can be ceiling mounted or stood upon a desk.
Introduced for the first time during SIHH 2019, the central mass of Medusa includes two rotating rings, one displaying the hours and the other displaying the minutes, which are visible through the dome, and the time is read off a single fixed indicator that extends over the rings. Like a jellyfish glowing in the abyss, Medusa glows in the dark thanks to Super-LumiNova.
The movement of Medusa required over two years of development by L’Epée 1839. Whereas the other co-creations had separate points of winding and setting, Medusa required a combined system for winding and setting, since the glass dome limits access to the movement. Furthermore, in order to maximise the visual impact of the clock and reinforce the source of its design inspiration, the movement was engineered around a central axis, mimicking the radial symmetry of a jellyfish’s neural column.
Perfecting the glass exterior of Medusa – available in blue, green or pink – was as challenging as any aspect of its movement creation. The pink edition, in particular, required multiple stages of layering red and clear glasses to achieve exactly the right shade desired.
The dome and tentacles have been crafted from the same glass to give them the same optical qualities. The Murano glass dome, though appearing to be extremely light and delicate, it can yet withstand the weight of a clock movement.
Medusa comes in three limited editions of 50 pieces, each in a different colour – blue, green and pink – chosen to reflect the natural hues of a jellyfish.
