MB&F - MoonMachine NEW
MoonMachin by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva is both the first of
the MB&F Performance Art pieces by a watchmaker and the first to
endow a Machine with a new complication. With MoonMachin, Stepan has
taken a specially configured HM3 Frog and transformed it with his iconic
moon-face moon-phase indicator set in a scintillating firmament of
northern stars.
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The
MOON: Around 4.5 billion years ago when the young Earth was still
forming, Theia, a proto-planet the size of Mars, is thought to have
struck our planet and disintegrated in a ‘Giant Impact’. Some of the
debris was attracted by the Earth’s gravity and the rest – consisting of
material from both Earth and Theia – went into orbit around the Earth.
Within 12 months this orbiting debris coalesced to form the
Moon.
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Over the next 4.4 billion years, the Earth’s tilt in relation to the sun
was stabilised by the gravitational pull of the
Moon, which provided
regular relatively mild seasons over much of the planet’s surface –
ideal conditions for life to form and evolve.
Without that cataclysmic event, we would not be here. You might say we are all Children of the Moon.
And no sooner did modern man start walking the earth than he stared up
at the night sky in wonder and awe at the biggest and brightest orb in
the heavens. Perhaps none more so than the inhabitants of Finland –
including Stepan Sarpaneva – because the less romantic and less
well-known counterpoise to the summertime Land of the Midnight Sun are
extremely long nights in winter, which gives the population more time
than most to study the moon and stars.
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MOONMACHINE:
While considerably less cataclysmic than the
formation of our
Moon,
MOONMACHINE was also forged from the creative
collision of two worlds:
MB&F's
HM3 Frog and independent watchmaker
Stepan Sarpaneva.
Before launching his own brand Sarpaneva Watches in 2003, Stepan
Sarpaneva worked with some of the most prestigious Swiss brands
including Piaget, Parmigiani – where he worked alongside Kari
Voutilainen – Vianney Halter and Christophe Claret.
"Stepan has an incredible sense of design and a real sense of detail.
His work and everything he surrounds himself with is extremely
coherent." Maximilian Büsser
Stepan Sarpaneva: Stepan’s three signature themes are all
celestial: his very distinctive moon face; the northern stars and
constellations; and the crenellated form of his Korona case – the
korona/corona is the plasma atmosphere of the Sun – and all three have
been incorporated in
MOONMACHINE. Sarpaneva's two moon faces indicate
the phase of the moon through a Korona shaped aperture, while the
mystery winding rotor is actually a blued 22k gold disc with
laser-pierced stars forming stars and constellations visible in the
northern sky.
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“The visible movement at the top of HM3 Frog added a technical aspect
that provided a serious counterpoint to the playfulness of the bulging
frog-eyed indications. In covering the movement, the moon phase and sky
hides this and makes the timepiece more poetic. With MOONMACHINE, HM3 is
transformed into a fairy tale.” Stepan Sarpaneva
HM3 Frog: The Frog was chosen as the
MOONMACHINE platform because the
large visible movement opening in the dial side provides space for the
watchmaker to play and the bulbous indication domes of the Frog are
reminiscent of how science fiction buffs have long imagined habitable
domes on the
Moon. The Frog differs substantially from
HM3 in that it is
the aluminium domes that rotate under the sapphire crystals in the
Frog, whereas it is the hour and minute hands that rotate around their
respective stationary cones on
HM3. And this is no ordinary
HM3 Frog –
if such a thing can be said to exist – the domes of the
MOONMACHINE are
unique in that they are perpendicular, rather than parallel, to the
wrist.
Rotating the large indicator domes posed a number of technical
challenges. The domes are machined from solid aluminium to a paper-thin
wall thickness of just 0.28 mm to reduce energy requirements to an
absolute minimum. The semi-spherical sapphire crystal domes have to be
meticulously machined and polished as the slightest imperfection might
create disconcerting magnification effects. And the Frog's unusual
method of indicating time necessitated the development of a new gear
train for the
HM3 engine as the aluminium hour dome of the Frog rotates
in 12 hours compared to the 24-hour revolution of the
HM3 hour hand.
MOONMACHINE may portray the time in a playful manner, but there is
nothing but serious and meticulous attention to detail and care
regarding the fine hand-finishing of the high-tuned engine purring
within.
Northern Sky Rotor: The multi-layered northern sky rotor adds a
stunning background to the twin hand-finished moon faces. It also both
disguises the potentially distracting
HM3 gold winding rotor and makes
use of its motion to add vivacity to the moving stars. The stars are
laser-pierced allowing light to reflect from the movement underneath and
are not simply placed at random: They form the seven brightest stars in
Ursa Major, more commonly known as the Big Dipper/Big Plough/Big Bear,
plus the seven brightest stars of Ursa Minor, more commonly known as the
Little Dipper/Little Bear, which includes Polaris, the North star.
And in a detail watchmakers will appreciate, one of the stars is strategically positioned to allow access for a servicing tool.
The turning star-filled night sky of the rotor not only brings
metaphoric life to the
MOONMACHINE, but also literally provides life as
it generates the power for both the functioning of the moon complication
and the movement. The iconic
MB&F battle-axe sits in pride-of-place
between the two moon faces at the axis of the rotor.
"With MOONMACHINE, HM3 doesn't just look like it travels through
space, it is now a part of space. It becomes a participant not just an
observer." Stepan Sarpaneva.
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While a man’s face formed by craters on the Moon’s surface is the result
of over-active imaginations, Stepan Sarpaneva has based
MOONMACHINE’s
moon faces on his own. It doesn’t get much more personal than that!
MOONMACHINE is available in three limited editions of 18 pieces each:
titanium case with white gold moon faces in a light blue sky, black
titanium case with white gold moon faces in a dark blue sky and red gold
case with red gold moon faces in an anthracite sky.
The Moon:
Technical Specifications
While other planets have more moons – Jupiter has 62 – and larger moons –
Saturn’s moon Titan is twice the size of ours – the Earth’s moon is
unique in our solar system because at ¼ the size of Earth, it is very
large in relation to its planet, which is why it is so influential.
Average distance from Earth: 390,000km
Travelling time from Earth: three days
Gravity: 1/6th Earth gravity
Length of lunar day: 27.3 Earth days
The moon does not rotate in relation to the Earth
Influences on Earth: Causes two tidal cycles per day; often provides
light at night; lunar cycle was one of the very first units of time; its
gravity attracts many meteors and stops them hitting Earth; stabilises
the tilt of the Earth in relation to the sun.
MOONMACHINE
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Technical Specifications
MOONMACHINE is based on a specially configured
HM3 Frog and the moon
complication was imagined, designed and created by Stepan Sarpaneva. It
is available in three limited editions of 18 pieces each.
Movement
Three-dimensional horological engine designed by
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht/Agenhor;
Powered by a
Girard-Perregaux base, modified by Stepan Sarpaneva
Balance oscillating at 28,800 bph.
PVD coated and star-pieced 22k gold automatic winding rotor
Hour and minutes information transmitted via ceramic ball bearings to rotating domes.
Number of jewels: 36 (all functional)
Number of components: 319
Functions
Hour on one dome (aluminium dome rotating in 12 hours)
Minutes on second dome (aluminium dome rotating in 60 minutes)
Moon phase displayed by dual moons rotating under a Korona ring
Case
Natural titanium case, white gold moon faces, light blue sky, limited
edition of 18 pieces Black titanium case, white gold moon faces, dark
blue sky, limited edition of 18 pieces
Red gold case, red gold moon faces, anthracite sky, limited edition of 18 pieces
Indication domes configured perpendicular to wrist.
Screwed-down crown
Dimensions (exclusive of crown and lugs): 47mm x 50mm x 19mm
Number of case components: 55
Sapphire crystals:
Domes and both display backs with anti-reflective treatment on both faces.
Dials:
Rotating aluminium domes – 0.58g,
Strap & Buckle:
Black hand-stitched alligator with 18K gold & titanium custom designed deployment buckle
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