Albatross

After 10 years and 15 different clocks, the L’Epée 1839 X MB&F Albatross is by far the most technically audacious co-creation by the two companies. Totalling a whopping 1520 components, Albatross features a striking hour function – chiming both the specific hours on the hour and a single strike on the half-hour – and an automaton composed of 16 pairs of propellers that launch into action every hour.

The brainchild of designer Eric Meyer, Albatross was inspired by the “Albatross” airship in Jules Verne’s novel Robur the Conqueror, but also more generally by the rockets and hot air balloons imagined by the French author, who had a fascination for flying objects. The clock’s technical specifications are impressive: 1520 components, 17kg, 60cm long by 60cm high and 35cm wide. The aircraft springs into action as the clock strikes the hours and prepares for take-off with its 32 rotating propellers that whirl for about seven seconds.