As if ported through a wormhole, MB&F’s Starfleet Explorer arrives to earth just as time itself seems to have stalled. The new desk-sized steel clock displays hours and minutes atop a skeletonized steel frame that supports an engaging, palladium-treated eight-day L’Epée 1839 movement.

Essentially a compact version of the 2014 Starfleet Machine (the first clock co-created by MB&F and L’Epée 1839), this new co-created skeletonized ‘space station’ utilizes its smaller frame wisely with a topside display showing the hours and minutes. Two darkened rotating discs at the top of the clock perform this task with clarity.

At the very peak you’ll see the minutes, shown digitally in five-minute intervals, as they rotate and appear within a curved, green, blue or red metallic window (or aperture, in tech speak). The Starfleet Explorer indicates the hours using a (matching) colorful hand along a ring just below the minutes.

But, as with so many of its creations, MB&F provides an extra treat within the clock’s steel skeleton. Below the two darkened time-telling discs MB&F has designed (and L’Epée has realized) three colorful ‘spacecraft’ that rotate around the center of the clock in a fanciful table-side five-minute ‘orbit.’

Eight-day movement

Just below all the time displays and fantastical spacecraft you’ll see that the L’Epée 1839 in-house eight-day movement is placed horizontally despite the vertically positioned escapement. This means viewers can easily eye the to-and-fro of the balance wheel, escape wheel and pallet-lever.

All the gearing (steel or palladium-treated brass) is also quite visible just beyond the regulation mechanism, in large part thanks to the C-shaped steel frame.  

MB&F was kind enough to design the Starfleet Explorer so that it can be displayed in two different poses: on its three massive curved steel legs or turned sideways with its open-end resting on the desk. Of course, the clock can also be turned upside down if desired, a feature that helps when winding or setting time on the clock.

MB&F is launching the Starfleet Explorer as three limited editions of 99 pieces each in blue, green and red.

Price: CHF 9,900 (approximately $ 10,200)

Specifications: MB&F/L’Epée Starfleet Explorer

Display:

–Minutes: indicated by a fixed curved aperture on the mobile upper dome, performing a complete rotation every 60 minutes. The minutes aperture and the hour hand are satin-brushed and anodized, in blue, green or red.

–Hours: indicated by a mobile hand, performing a complete rotation every 12 hours on a fixed disc. The hour dome and the minutes disc are satin-brushed and feature MB&F’s signature numerals.

Main structure: Height: approx. 11cm (4.3 inches) by 16.5cm (6.5 inches), 19 parts

Materials: stainless steel for the main structure, hand-lacquered polymer for the three ‘spacecraft.’

Movement: L’Epée 1839 in-house designed and manufactured movement, 18,000 vph frequency, one barrel, eight-day power reserve, Incabloc shock protection system, manual-winding: double-ended key to set time and wind the movement; Mechanism and mainplate in palladium-treated brass