THURSDAY MARCH 11 2010
Our movements are the high-performance Engines that power our three-dimensional Horological Machines and as such deserve their own place under the spotlight.
It is for that reason that we offer for your appreciation the latest Engine to come out of the MB&F garage, that for Horological Machine No. 4.
A lifetime of experience; three years of development; and untold blood, sweat & tears; however, we think that the results speak for themselves. Ladies & Gentlemen we give you the Engine of HM4.
Live Long & Prosper!
SUNDAY MARCH 07 2010
Having presented his portraits of women in Brazil, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, India, Belgium, Britain and other countries, young French artist, JR, is showing the whole of his «Women» exhibition for the first time.
The exhibition has been conceived as a journey through Paris in the open air. Visitors can see it on foot, on bicycle or by riverboat.
After «Portraits of a Generation», inspired by events in the suburbs of Paris, and «Face 2Face» (featured on A Parallel World), which was displayed in the Middle East, «Women» is the third phase of the 28 Millimetre project, taking its name from the wide-angle lens that requires the photographer to be only centimetres from the model in order to take the portrait.
WOMEN grew out of many pictures and few words. JR’s words were necessary, of course, to convince more than 70 women around the world to take part in the project. JR went to meet those living in the shadows, the real pillars of their societies despite daily violence, wars or simply discrimination. His desire to shift certain limits by using unusual places allows him to deal with subjects in the news in an innovative way. From 3 October to 2 November, through thiis exhibition and a book, people will learn all about this adventure that took JR to ten countries on four continents.
Trailer for the film, "Women are heroes"
For more information, please visit www.womenareheroes-paris.net
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28 2010
Standard Time is an video artwork concept of Mark Formanek, realized by Datenstrudel.
"Standard Time is a performance lasting exactly 24 hours and recorded on film. However, this film is much more than just the recording of an action, the recording of something that has taken place in the past; it is also a clock. A clock for use right now and in the future which, as each day goes by, extends further into the past, but is still up-to-date and punctual”. Mark Formanek
70 workers are building a wooden 4 x 12 m "digital" time display in real time: a work that involves 1611 changes within 24 hour period. The action was seamlessly documented and shot on HD video and a 24 hour movie or clock of the project was created.
The spectator looking at Standard Time does not only see the time, but also people constructing it. People who, with a stoic sense of duty, are wasting time on an apparently useless activity that fulfills only one function: to display time. Even though the workers are trying hard to construct every single minute, they are constantly on the verge of failing.
For more information www.standard-time.com
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24 2010
Dear Friends,
2010 is already in full swing and is shaping up to be a seminal year for MB&F. January began strongly with the launch of the amazing HM2-SV at our Geneva exhibition and we are busy preparing for our exhibition at Baselworld 2010 in March. In this newsletter we are very pleased to welcome Lussori as our 14th retail partner and Friend of MB&F; we introduce Horolobot, our new mascot; and our Blog - A Parallel World - features the incredible NASA Puffin.
Click to read the full newsletter
HM2-SV
During the Geneva Watch Fair we unveiled the incredible HM2-SV ! SV for Sapphire Vision. HM2-SV is a very limited edition of just 25 pieces, with a transparent sapphire case that allows the owner to discover the intricacies and subtleties of the hand-finished movement and the construction of the titanium case. Honestly, when you have the piece in your hand it is simply astounding. Revealed in its naked three dimensionality, the movement looks just like a futuristic city suspended in space.
Why did we take so long to develop HM2-SV, and why only 25 pieces? Well the major difficulty lay in creating the 3.6mm thick sapphire top plate. This was a true technical achievement and only one sapphire manufacturer, Stettler in Lyss (Switzerland), was brave enough to attempt the challenge … and actually managed to do it! Each sapphire base plate takes at least 55 hours to machine and polish . . . even then, three out of four pieces break during the process! The rejects are mainly due to the drilling of the holes for the screws (near the edge) which induces tension and cracks.
The bright blue water resistance gaskets were developed specifically for the HM2-SV and match the hue of the blue disks and the 22k winding rotor on the back.
New Retail Partner, Lussori
It is our great pleasure to have Lawrence Kosick and his store, Lussori, as Friends of MB&F. Our Horological Machines are currently available at their beautiful location on the main street of Carmel, California, and soon to be at their new store opening in Los Altos, Silicon Valley.
Horolobot
Might 2010 see the Rise of the Machines? At MB&F the answer is a resounding yes! Alban Thomas from GVA Studio in Geneva surprised us with this amazing Robot created with our first three Horological Machines. He immediately became our official mascot and was named HoroloBot! You can download him (yes he is a him) in high-resolution or as a wallpaper.
MB&F on Facebook and Twitter
To stay up-to-date with everything happening in the world of MB&F, we invite you to join our nearly 4,000 friends and become a Fan of MB&F on Facebook and you can also follow us on Twitter.
MB&F is pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at Baselworld 2010 March 18-25 with 'The Dream Factory' - a collaboration of MB&F, URWERK, Speake-Marin and Christophe Claret - at the Baselworld Palace (opposite the Ramada hotel). To arrange an appointment please contact Estelle Tonelli.
We hinted in the last newsletter that 2010 would be the most creatively exhilarating year to date. So please stay tuned as we will be unveiling one amazing project after the other.
Thank you so much for following us and till next time, all the very best,
With our warmest regards,
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 21 2010
It all started with an email from a reporter who was pursuing a story on electric aircraft propulsion for "a couple of websites associated with space.com." As the former manager of the former Vehicle System program's Personal Air Vehicle sector. Moore is a nationally recognized expert on that and other small aircraft systems.
"We're not trying to replace the car or the airplane," Moore said. "Cars are great at what they do, which is go a couple of miles at relatively slow speeds. Commercial air carriers are great at going long distances at faster speeds. But what happens when we want to go 100 or 200 or 300 miles? We have to take this very long drive."
If the Puffin gets off the ground, and it has to be admitted that is still a big IF, the theoretical technical details are very interesting.The Puffin would be small and very lightweight -- about 136kg/300 pounds empty weight, plus another 45kgs/100 pounds of battery and 91kgs/200pounds for the pilot or payload. The design would be powered by a total of 60 horsepower through electric motors, which are designed to be able to fail any two powertrain components on either side and still produce the required power to hover. It has a cruising speed of 241kms/hr or 150 mph, but cruises more efficiently at lower speeds The range with current battery technology would be about 80kms/50 miles.
"There is a huge gaping hole in our transportation system," Moore added. "We're trying to come up with another alternative."
NASA has spent about $500,000 on the Puffin, which was developed in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the National Institute of Aerospace and M-DOT Aerospace.
While there are no plans yet for the Puffin's first manned flight, NASA expects to finish a one-third size demonstrator by March and see how well it transitions from cruising to hovering.
"The intent is not to be a viable product. NASA doesn't develop products; we develop new technologies that can provide industry with the ability to generate new products," Moore said.
For more informatiuon, please visit www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/puffin
MB&F is proud to present the Engine of the HM4.
At MB&F we have always considered our movements to be much more than simply out-of-sight-out-of-mind mechanisms to be hidden away inside a case.Our movements are the high-performance Engines that power our three-dimensional Horological Machines and as such deserve their own place under the spotlight.
It is for that reason that we offer for your appreciation the latest Engine to come out of the MB&F garage, that for Horological Machine No. 4.
A lifetime of experience; three years of development; and untold blood, sweat & tears; however, we think that the results speak for themselves. Ladies & Gentlemen we give you the Engine of HM4.
Live Long & Prosper!
SUNDAY MARCH 07 2010
"Women are Heroes" exhibition in Paris
Women in Paris 3 October – 2 November 2009Having presented his portraits of women in Brazil, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, India, Belgium, Britain and other countries, young French artist, JR, is showing the whole of his «Women» exhibition for the first time.
The exhibition has been conceived as a journey through Paris in the open air. Visitors can see it on foot, on bicycle or by riverboat.
After «Portraits of a Generation», inspired by events in the suburbs of Paris, and «Face 2Face» (featured on A Parallel World), which was displayed in the Middle East, «Women» is the third phase of the 28 Millimetre project, taking its name from the wide-angle lens that requires the photographer to be only centimetres from the model in order to take the portrait.
WOMEN grew out of many pictures and few words. JR’s words were necessary, of course, to convince more than 70 women around the world to take part in the project. JR went to meet those living in the shadows, the real pillars of their societies despite daily violence, wars or simply discrimination. His desire to shift certain limits by using unusual places allows him to deal with subjects in the news in an innovative way. From 3 October to 2 November, through thiis exhibition and a book, people will learn all about this adventure that took JR to ten countries on four continents.
Trailer for the film, "Women are heroes"
For more information, please visit www.womenareheroes-paris.net
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28 2010
Standard Time - A very unusual way of displaying time.
At MB&F we love "Time" in all it's forms and we especially enjoy genuinely innovative ways to indicate time - after all that is what we do! But while we have seen time displayed using everything from the shadows cast by the sun to hands, cones and even satellites on watches and clocks, we have never heard of time displayed by men using planks of wood . . . until now that is.Standard Time is an video artwork concept of Mark Formanek, realized by Datenstrudel.
"Standard Time is a performance lasting exactly 24 hours and recorded on film. However, this film is much more than just the recording of an action, the recording of something that has taken place in the past; it is also a clock. A clock for use right now and in the future which, as each day goes by, extends further into the past, but is still up-to-date and punctual”. Mark Formanek
70 workers are building a wooden 4 x 12 m "digital" time display in real time: a work that involves 1611 changes within 24 hour period. The action was seamlessly documented and shot on HD video and a 24 hour movie or clock of the project was created.
The spectator looking at Standard Time does not only see the time, but also people constructing it. People who, with a stoic sense of duty, are wasting time on an apparently useless activity that fulfills only one function: to display time. Even though the workers are trying hard to construct every single minute, they are constantly on the verge of failing.
For more information www.standard-time.com
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24 2010
MB&F February 2010 Newsletter
Dear Friends,
2010 is already in full swing and is shaping up to be a seminal year for MB&F. January began strongly with the launch of the amazing HM2-SV at our Geneva exhibition and we are busy preparing for our exhibition at Baselworld 2010 in March. In this newsletter we are very pleased to welcome Lussori as our 14th retail partner and Friend of MB&F; we introduce Horolobot, our new mascot; and our Blog - A Parallel World - features the incredible NASA Puffin.
Click to read the full newsletter
HM2-SV
During the Geneva Watch Fair we unveiled the incredible HM2-SV ! SV for Sapphire Vision. HM2-SV is a very limited edition of just 25 pieces, with a transparent sapphire case that allows the owner to discover the intricacies and subtleties of the hand-finished movement and the construction of the titanium case. Honestly, when you have the piece in your hand it is simply astounding. Revealed in its naked three dimensionality, the movement looks just like a futuristic city suspended in space.
Why did we take so long to develop HM2-SV, and why only 25 pieces? Well the major difficulty lay in creating the 3.6mm thick sapphire top plate. This was a true technical achievement and only one sapphire manufacturer, Stettler in Lyss (Switzerland), was brave enough to attempt the challenge … and actually managed to do it! Each sapphire base plate takes at least 55 hours to machine and polish . . . even then, three out of four pieces break during the process! The rejects are mainly due to the drilling of the holes for the screws (near the edge) which induces tension and cracks.
The bright blue water resistance gaskets were developed specifically for the HM2-SV and match the hue of the blue disks and the 22k winding rotor on the back.
New Retail Partner, Lussori
It is our great pleasure to have Lawrence Kosick and his store, Lussori, as Friends of MB&F. Our Horological Machines are currently available at their beautiful location on the main street of Carmel, California, and soon to be at their new store opening in Los Altos, Silicon Valley.
Horolobot
Might 2010 see the Rise of the Machines? At MB&F the answer is a resounding yes! Alban Thomas from GVA Studio in Geneva surprised us with this amazing Robot created with our first three Horological Machines. He immediately became our official mascot and was named HoroloBot! You can download him (yes he is a him) in high-resolution or as a wallpaper.
MB&F on Facebook and Twitter
To stay up-to-date with everything happening in the world of MB&F, we invite you to join our nearly 4,000 friends and become a Fan of MB&F on Facebook and you can also follow us on Twitter.
MB&F is pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at Baselworld 2010 March 18-25 with 'The Dream Factory' - a collaboration of MB&F, URWERK, Speake-Marin and Christophe Claret - at the Baselworld Palace (opposite the Ramada hotel). To arrange an appointment please contact Estelle Tonelli.
We hinted in the last newsletter that 2010 would be the most creatively exhilarating year to date. So please stay tuned as we will be unveiling one amazing project after the other.
Thank you so much for following us and till next time, all the very best,
With our warmest regards,
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 21 2010
The NASA Puffin - Will rotors replace our dreams of jet packs?
The NASA Puffin is a one-man (or woman) tilt-rotor electric aircraft imagined by aerospace engineer Mark Moore. Moore came up with the design for the electric powered, 3.7m/12' long, 4.4m/14' wingspan personal air vehicle as part of the coursework for his doctoral degree.It all started with an email from a reporter who was pursuing a story on electric aircraft propulsion for "a couple of websites associated with space.com." As the former manager of the former Vehicle System program's Personal Air Vehicle sector. Moore is a nationally recognized expert on that and other small aircraft systems.
"We're not trying to replace the car or the airplane," Moore said. "Cars are great at what they do, which is go a couple of miles at relatively slow speeds. Commercial air carriers are great at going long distances at faster speeds. But what happens when we want to go 100 or 200 or 300 miles? We have to take this very long drive."
If the Puffin gets off the ground, and it has to be admitted that is still a big IF, the theoretical technical details are very interesting.The Puffin would be small and very lightweight -- about 136kg/300 pounds empty weight, plus another 45kgs/100 pounds of battery and 91kgs/200pounds for the pilot or payload. The design would be powered by a total of 60 horsepower through electric motors, which are designed to be able to fail any two powertrain components on either side and still produce the required power to hover. It has a cruising speed of 241kms/hr or 150 mph, but cruises more efficiently at lower speeds The range with current battery technology would be about 80kms/50 miles.
"There is a huge gaping hole in our transportation system," Moore added. "We're trying to come up with another alternative."
NASA has spent about $500,000 on the Puffin, which was developed in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the National Institute of Aerospace and M-DOT Aerospace.
While there are no plans yet for the Puffin's first manned flight, NASA expects to finish a one-third size demonstrator by March and see how well it transitions from cruising to hovering.
"The intent is not to be a viable product. NASA doesn't develop products; we develop new technologies that can provide industry with the ability to generate new products," Moore said.
For more informatiuon, please visit www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/puffin
