Seeing your childhood in a desk clock

Original timepieces often incorporate "playfulness" into their design, perhaps because they express a childlike purity of spirit. Looking at the creations from MB&F, founded in 2005, one can feel this sentiment. The new "Melchior" is one such piece.

After all, it is a desk clock that looks exactly like a robot, as if it has stepped right out of a science fiction movie.

MB&F's full name is "Maximilian Büsser & Friends." Maximilian Büsser, the producer who built an immense reputation in the watchmaking world with Harry Winston's limited "Opus" complication series, collaborates with his watchmaker and workshop friends to create original timepieces.

The "Melchior Only Watch 2015" is one such unique creation, embodying the spirit of "creative adults are children who have lived a long time," and is a fitting "clock" to celebrate MB&F's 10th anniversary.

Its form is that of a bipedal robot. As a fan of "Star Wars," Maximilian Büsser spent his youth enthralled by C-3PO and R2-D2. The "Melchior" he has crafted is brimming with that inspiration. It is sure to capture the hearts of those who grew up with robot anime and tokusatsu from the 1970s and 1980s.

The robot's limbs and joints are fully articulated, allowing for various poses. The body is made of palladium-plated brass plates, which secure the equally palladium-plated brass movement. Its mechanical movements lend a realistic, machine-like quality. The surface finishing is meticulous, enhancing not only beauty but also a sense of three-dimensionality through various treatments.

The time is displayed on two discs in the chest area, featuring a special jumping hour mechanism that begins advancing the hour from 55 minutes. The eye-like elements indicate the passing seconds with a red, undulating line that moves back and forth every 20 seconds. The escapement, which regulates the clock's precise movements, is housed under a glass dome on the head, allowing for constant admiration of its intricate operation.

L'Epée 1839, the manufacturer of the clock, is renowned as a specialist in high-end clocks. Their collaborations with MB&F have garnered significant attention, including the "Starfleet Machine," modeled after a giant spaceship, and "Arachnophobia," shaped like a spider.

The "Melchior Only Watch 2015," featuring red plates on its shoulders, is a unique piece and a one-of-a-kind treasure, as well as the final installment in the "Melchior" series. It would be wonderful to adorn one's desk with this precious creation that brings out the inner child in "long-lived adults."