I sometimes like to think of MB&F like a rocket ship, with captain Max on the bridge, navigating through ever greater horizons of his own imagination and that of the incredible people he’s chosen to surround himself with.
But before I launch into likening MB&F to the Starship Enterprise and Max to Captain Kirk, which would make Serge the intelligence officer on deck — or Spock — here’s a slice of reality according to Max. In a recent encounter with him, Max reminded that it is never the interest of his of own or that of the people around him to create the next best, most complicated timepiece. His purpose, rather, is to create objects that best convey the story that MB&F is trying to tell.
In the case of the recent Horological Machine No. 7 Aquapod, the intention there was to create the best looking jellyfish possible along with its time telling functions. Max explained that his team and him have always held this as a fundamental guiding principle in everything that the brand has created in its twelve-year lifetime.
When I wrote about the Aquapod, however, back in January, it was somewhat puzzling that while MB&F were calling it the jellyfish watch, every other person in the office who saw pictures of the watch seemed to think it to be something else. Some said space ship and others said it looked like some fancy diving bell ready to explore the deepest seas.
I made my case then, and I’ll say it again. The reason why people see so many things in the Aquapod rather than just the jellyfish, is because MB&F is in a state of its lifetime where it’s reflecting itself in its creations.
But what about this new table clock created with their longtime partner, L’Epée 1839? What about the Destination Moon? This clearly looks like a rocket and nothing else. How then does it tell the story of MB&F and where the brand is in its lifetime. Allow me to, again, make my case.
Yes, it is a rocket and I believe it quite poignantly represents the brand — the vehicle through with which Max explores imagination; the final frontier. And just like MB&F, which has always remained transparent in giving due credit to everyone who works alongside them to realize a creation, the Destination Moon, too, is a see-through craft.
The last thing I’ll point out is the solid, polished silver figurine that the clock comes with. The figurine, which MB&F have lovingly named, Neil. Now, Neil is able to magnetically attach to anywhere along the boarding ladder. Take a stab in the dark — a 1960s styled astronaut figurine named, Neil — we’re probably both right that this is, no doubt, an homage to real-life NASA astronaut and commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong. The same man responsible for the immortal words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
In this regard, I say that Neil is really a pseudonym meant to point at the founder of MB&F, who from the day he established his brand has constantly taken steps unimagined in the watch world. As the captain of MB&F, he’s boldly gone where no watchmaker or watch brand has gone before.
Sorry, I know I said I wouldn’t go into likening MB&F to Star Trek, but it was hard!
Technical Specifications
Movement by L’Epée 1839
Mechanically wound movement with 8-day power reserve; hours and minutes by stainless steel discs
Rocket
41.4cm (h) × 23.3cm (d), satin- finished stainless steel frame with palladium-plated brass landing pods, PVD coated for the blue, green and black editions; solid polished silver astronaut figurine with stainless steel helmet
Destination Moon is available in 4 limited editions of 50 pieces each in black, green, and blue PVD, plus palladium (silver).
