subject: MB&F and Boucheron JwlryMachine Watch [print this page] MB&F and Boucheron JwlryMachine Watch MB&F and Boucheron JwlryMachine Watch
What could possibly bring together the 152-year-old House of Boucheron, that most venerable of France's high-jewellery Houses, and MB&F Watch, the young, cutting-edge Swiss creative laboratory whose Horological Machines first invaded our planet only five years ago?
The answer is the JwlryMachine, an astonishing haute-joaillerie version of MB&F Horological Machine No 3 (HM3).
The original HM3, in gold and titanium, sent tremors through the fine-watchmaking world when it was launched in 2009. It pushes the technical and aesthetic limits of horological architecture and design further than even the most open-minded observers could have imagined.
With the HM3 as unsettling as ever, the House of Boucheron is poised to create its own seductive shock waves with the JwlryMachine, an haute-joaillerie version of Horological Machine No 3. In a spectacular flight of fancy, the House's peerless artisans have conceived the watch as a splendid three-dimensional jewelled owl, presented either in 18k white gold, with amethyst, diamonds and blue and violet sapphires, or in 18k red gold, with pink tourmaline, rose quartz, diamonds and pink sapphires.
The owl's eyes are large glowing cabochons, set over the twin cones, and its sparkling wings, wrapped protectively around the precious HM3 engine, are entirely pav-set with brilliant-cut stones. Its feathered breast is sculpted and engraved from a single block of amethyst or rose quartz. The glowing eyes, sparkling wings and softly gleaming breast create a carefully choreographed play of light. But most mesmerising of all: beneath the owl's breast, its heart appears to be beating. The visual illusion is created by the faintly perceived swings of MB&F's solid-gold battle-axe-shaped rotor beneath the translucent stone.
This effect typifies the hint of secretiveness that Boucheron's artisans instil into some of their best-loved jewels; as does the fact that the uninitiated will need to search for the time indications on the sides of the cones among the owl's sparkling plumage.
True to the original HM3, the JwlryMachine is not for the faint hearted. It is an imposing piece, made all the more so by its sheer beauty. The extreme refinement that radiates from the proportions, the choice of stones and the quality of craftsmanship makes this creation "very Boucheron".
MB&F Horological Machines certainly tell the time, but they are light years away from classic haute horology. They are daringly engineered works of performance art that owe their power to the tension between their radical concepts and the meticulous traditional watchmaking skills that bring them to life. Each new avant-garde, three-dimensional Horological Machine takes us further into an alternative reality and out of our horological comfort zone.
The young creative laboratory and the 152-year-old jeweller have created a perfect fit. Boucheron's artisans conceived the owl's splendid jewelled body as a complex framework of solid gold that fits snugly onto Horological Machine No 3, transforming it into the JwlryMachine. The framework is cast as five separate segments, which are then sent to MB&F to be assembled on the watch. MB&F's engineers had selected five points on the upper face of the watch where there was enough substance for the segments to be screwed down without disturbing the watch's complex timekeeping functions. Screws are used so that the segments can be removed when the watch requires service.
For the segments to be anchored correctly, Boucheron has to work to tolerances expressed in microns - demonstrating the extreme precision that its lapidaries, gem-setters, engravers and goldsmiths bring to their work.
In a piece where every detail is perfect, the owl's most striking feature is nevertheless its translucent breast. It is formed from a single block of amethyst or rose quartz, which must be sufficiently large and exceptionally pure. As amethyst and quartz are both very hard stones, the artisan must have a very delicate touch when carving out the breast's irregular contours and sculpting the feathers, so as not to shatter his handiwork. Compounding the risk, the stone is also shaped in cross-section to achieve a gradation in the depth of the colour over the breast from the owl's beak to its feet, just enough for the shadowy movement of the rotor to be perceived.
"Even Maximilian Bsser thought we were mad to suggest the beating heart," says one of the Boucheron designers on the project gleefully. The final effect works on two levels: it is hypnotic, and it hints at the mysteries of the engine inside.
The JwlryMachine will be made to order, and other colour combinations are possible.
JwlryMachine by MB&F and Boucheron Technical Specifications
Case
JwlryMachine Purple: 18K White Gold/Titanium and Amethyst
Breast made of an engraved amethyst: 35.27K
Eyes made of two cabochon amethysts: 6.34K
Diamonds: approx. 0.96K
Blue and purple sapphires: approx. 5.17K
Screwed-down crown with cabochon amethyst: 0.33K
JwlryMachine Pink: 18K Pink Gold/Titanium and Quartz
Breast made of an engraved quartz: 32.71K
Eyes made of two cabochon rubellite: 7.88K
Diamonds: approx. 0.96K
Pink, purple and blue and purple sapphires: approx. 5.17K
Screwed-down crown with cabochon rubellite: 0.33K
Movement
Three-dimensional horological engine designed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor;
Girard-Perregaux oscillator and gear
Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph.
22K rose gold battle-axe shaped mystery' automatic winding rotor
Hour and minutes information transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to laser-cut hands.
Number of jewels: 36 (all functional)
Number of components: 304
Functions
Hour and day/night indicator on one cone
Minutes on second cone
Date around the movement
Sapphire crystals
Cones and both display backs with anti-reflective treatment on both faces.
Strap & Buckle
Hand-stitched alligator or lizard strap with 18K Gold and Titanium custom designed deployment buckle.
