Massena LAB MB&F X L’Epée X Massena LAB T-Rex Bronze 76.6008/760

Massena LAB , the collaboration studio founded by watch industry veteran William Massena, has teamed up with horological concept laboratory MB&F, and renowned Swiss clock maker L’Epée 1839 , to release a new limited edition of the the fabled T-Rex Art Clock that was first created for Only Watch, the MB&F X L’Epée X Massena LAB T-Rex Bronze. Limited to just 15 examples, this collaboration captures the fun and child-like inspiration of the original but is done up in a material invoking an object more rugged, organic and with a keen sense of history.

The inspiration for the T-Rex derived from a quirky ornament on the desk of MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, composed of a Christmas bauble perched atop two chicken legs. Designer Maximilian Maertens took that form and drew upon his strong childhood memory of watching the 1993 classic Jurassic Park, designing a clock worthy of having the same name as the king of all dinosaurs.

The original T-Rex was a minimalist clock-face of Murano glass and steel, suspended between two jointed legs that end in taloned feet, bearing a resemblance to the T-Rex. In fact, the T-Rex is closely modelled on the actual skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with Maertens studying 3D scans of dinosaur fossils to inject authenticity into the proportions and positioning of T-Rex's legs. A literal time capsule, its spherical and skeletonized body is a reminder of the fossilized bones that contain the information that inform our understanding of a prehistoric era.

The M B&F X L’Epée X Massena LAB T-Rex Bronze creates a harmonious balance between mechanical and organic forms. Playing off the original design, the T-Rex Bronze switches out the use of steel for bronze, an alloy used by the early humans that ushered in a new era in history and acts as a nod to the clock's more ancient influence. The feet of the T-Rex Bronze are aged and stabilized creating a dark brown color, reminiscent of the sculptures fashioned by the founder of modern sculpture, Rodin. In addition, the T-Rex is specially treated to "lock in time" its color and material characteristics. This hand-done oxidation and patina process makes no two clocks alike.

Its translucent green "eyeball" dial, made of hand-blown Murano glass, complements the overall bronze tone of the clock. Furthermore, the green eye invokes one of the most famous scenes in Jurassic Park, when the movie's protagonists encounter the Tyrannosaurus Rex on a stormy night in the park, peering into their jeep.

Two slim steel hands arch outwards from the center of the hand blown Murano glass dial, indicating the hours and minutes. Behind the dial is a 138-component movement by L’Epée 1839, crowned by a balance beating at the rate of 2.5Hz (18,000vph). The clock is wound with a key at the back of the movement for a maximum power reserve of eight days, while time-setting is accomplished at the center of the dial with the same key.

Technical Specifications

Display
● Function: Hours and minutes
● Size: Dimensions: 265 mm tall Å~ 258 mm Å~ 178 mm
● Total components (movement + body): 201
● Weight: approximately 4.5lbs.

Body/frame
● Dial: Green Murano hand-blown glass
● Materials: Bronze
● Finishing: By hand chemical oxidation to achieve the brown color of the bronze; handmade patination.
● Body components: 63

Engine
● L’Epée 1839 movement, designed and manufactured in-house
● Balance frequency: 2.5 Hz / 18,000 vph
● Power reserve: 8 days
● Movement components: 138
● Jewels: 17
● Time setting: winding key to both set the time (in the center of the dial) and wind the movement (on the barrel axis at the back).