MB&F‘s M.A.D.Gallery marks its 15th anniversary with a fittingly hands-on collaboration: the Nostromo, a self-assembly table clock designed by MB&F Creative Designer Maximilian Maertens and crafted by Maison Alcée. Think mechanical atelier at your kitchen table, with fewer coffee stains and more patience.
Maison Alcée, founded in 2021 by Alcée and Benoît Montfort, built its reputation on Persée, a kit that arrives with more than 200 components, proper tools and a 250-page illustrated book. The idea is simple and rather brave – sell the experience of building a mechanical object, not just the object.
Nostromo continues that ethos with 222 components. Apart from the pre-assembled regulating organ, you put the rest together yourself in roughly 10 hours, even without prior watchmaking experience. The result displays hours, minutes and seconds, adds an hour chime and stores a 14-day power reserve. When finished, the clock rotates on its three legs, an indulgent flourish that feels more playful than proud.
Maertens turns the architecture on its side and opens the dial to reveal more of the mechanism. Three organic-looking legs support a form that nods to its namesake from the original Alien film. The aesthetic reads as industrial curiosity rather than desk sculpture, which is precisely the point – it invites interaction.
Each kit includes the necessary tools, the same 250-page illustrated instruction book, plus video guidance and access to a private discussion group for support. The edition is limited to 50 pieces, priced at CHF 12,000 + VAT. It is not a shortcut to owning a clock. It is an education wrapped in parts trays.
There will be a 51st Nostromo, assembled collectively during Geneva Watch Days from Wednesday, September 2 to Saturday, September 5 at the M.A.D.Gallery. Visitors will be invited to fit a few components. One participant will take the completed piece home by raffle. A communal build for a solitary object – a neat contradiction that suits this project.
Leave a Reply