Medusa

L’Épée 1839 × MB&F

Overview

In its tenth collaboration with Switzerland’s premier clockmaker, L’Epée 1839, MB&F plunges into warm ocean waters where the beautiful and ancient jellyfish proliferate. Medusa is a dual-configuration clock, housed in hand-blown Murano glass, that can be ceiling mounted or stood upon a desk.

The central mass of Medusa is formed by a large transparent dome of hand-blown Murano glass that evokes the bell-shaped body of a mature jellyfish. Two rotating rings, one displaying the hours and the other displaying the minutes, 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. A movement beats underneath the time indication, forming the pulsating heart of this mechanical creature.

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.

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the machine

Display

  • Hours and minutes

Engine

  • L’Epée suspended movement, designed and manufactured in-house
  • Power reserve: 7 days
  • Balance frequency: 2.5 Hz / 18,000 bph
  • 155 components and 23 jewels
  • Incabloc shock protection system
  • Integrated winding key to both set the time and wind the movement (propeller at the bottom of the movement).

BODY / FRAME

  • Dome/tentacles: Murano hand-blown glass
  • Movement and standing base: stainless steel and brass
  • Indexes with Super-LumiNova

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

  • Hanging position: 286 mm (tall) x 250 mm (diameter)
  • Standing position: 323 mm (tall) x 250 mm (diameter)
  • Components total: 231
  • Weight: approximately 6kg (the exact weight of the hand-blown glass dome varies)
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Dual configuration

Dual configuration

Medusa is a dual-configuration clock: it can be hung to the ceiling with its glass tentacles thanks to the special mounting system, or stood upon a desk thanks to a metal frame with curved legs.

Murano glass

Murano glass

The central mass of Medusa is formed by a large transparent dome of hand-blown Murano glass. The glass dome appears light and delicate but has to withstand the weight of a clock movement; out of the 40 companies that L’Épée 1839 approached, only one Murano glassblower was able to accomplish the task.

Suspended Movement

Suspended Movement

The movement is suspended by its central axis, which is usually a simple axis to transmit the time and not a structural element. For Medusa the movement has been modified to bear the weight of the movement (around 2kg).

inspiration

inspiration

Independent designer Fabrice Gonet first proposed Medusa in 2016 to MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, who immediately saw the appeal of Gonet’s sketch and recognised the essential spirit of an MB&F creation in its lines. Says Büsser, “I’ve known Fabrice for some years but we never had the chance to work together before. When he wanted to show me one of his designs, I accepted, even though I don’t normally say yes to this kind of thing — also because I saw that his design was of a clock and not a watch. The vision was so clear that, in the end, the final clock turned out to be very close to the initial sketch!”