Doing Good - MB&F and Only Watch

Courtesy of MB&F

This year's Only Watch auction promises to be something special.  And although I am not in their demographic in terms of disposable income (educators are in it for the love, not the money), I am a fan for sur!

But beyond technical prowess, this year's effort solidified my belief in the power of fun!

Courtesy of MB&F

Now usually, when the designer gets revealed, it is a crusty old guy (not unlike this writer) in a heroic pose in front of impossibly complicated devices and machinery.  Allow me to introduce you to the artist behind this collaborative piece -

Courtesy of MB&F

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Cassandra Legendre is a 15-year-old student in Madrid, Spain with mixed French and Swiss parentage. Since the age of five, she has been trained in classical ballet and is currently enrolled in Victor Ullate Escuela, founded by the dancer that Maurice Béjart called one of the most complete ballet dancers of the 20^th century.

Although Legendre’s ultimate aim is to become a professional ballet dancer, her art is also a strong part of her life. Her drawings form the main part of her work, and are done completely freehand in black felt pen.

Apart from drawing and ballet, Legendre is also passionate about a wide range of film genres and is particularly interested in the dialogue aspects of screenwriting.

And because I think that MB&F went way above and beyond with this effort, here is the rest of the release in their own words -

HOROLOGICAL MACHINE N°8 “ONLY WATCH”

DRIVING SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN LIVING WITH DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

The biennial Only Watch auction, widely recognised as the world’s most high-profile charity watch event, returns in 2017. For the fourth time, MB&F is contributing a unique edition of one of their Machines to Only Watch, to be sold in aid of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration primarily affecting young boys.

The base of this pièce unique is Horological Machine N°8, an automotive-inspired creation that takes design cues from the legendary high-octane Can-Am race. Engraved and metallised on the sapphire crystal pane that surmounts the HM8 engine is a whimsical drawing created by 15-year-old Cassandra Legendre. A student currently living in Madrid, Legendre’s primary method of artistic expression is ballet, but she also produces remarkable drawings in her spare time. As an exception for MB&F’s contribution to Only Watch, Legendre and her family agreed to this one-off participation to strengthen the message of HM8 Only Watch — a child creating something to help children who have been denied many of the dreams and opportunities of childhood.

Both intricate and simple, an approach that perfectly matches MB&F’s sophisticated yet direct approach to watchmaking, the illustration captures childhood objects of joy in a continuously drawn frame. Despite being in her mid-teens, Legendre possesses the rare touch of communicating the perspectives of someone much younger, perspectives that still retain much of the innocence and whimsy that we lose as we grow up. Look closely at the drawing and you can spot a robot, a jet plane, a toy car and a jellyfish, visual touchstones that originate in the life and creations of MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, and resonate with children everywhere. There are also elements of pure childlike delight, such as the ice-cream cone, football, sunglasses and video game controller.

These are items that evoke histories both personal and universal, which every MB&F creation taps into with its design and message. The motif of unity and connectedness is further brought out in the journey of Cassandra Legendre’s art from initial sketch to its final form on HM8 Only Watch. According to Legendre, the drawing started out as something to keep her occupied during a dull mathematics lesson — a familiar youthful experience for many of us! — and was later discovered through social media by Maximilian Büsser after her parents encouraged her to upload her art to Facebook.

One of the elements in Legendre’s drawing is given particular prominence in the HM8 Only Watch. The elephant, situated under the racing-inspired roll bar closest to the minutes disc, is reproduced in three dimensions between the optical prisms. Positioned on a tiny white-gold plinth, the micro-sculpture hand-crafted by Oliver Kuhn is a striking allusion to the majestic beast that occupies large swathes of children’s literature from Kipling to Disney. For those suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or indeed any serious health condition, the elephant’s status as an endangered animal under siege and facing an uncertain future holds particular significance and relevance. The elephant is made of white gold and took 120 hours to complete, with its trunk tucked in and ears pulled back in a peaceful pose. Particular care and attention was paid to details such as the tusks, which measure 0.2mm in diameter at their finest point, and the eyes, measuring 0.18mm in diameter.

Where previously there was a double-screwed plate engraved with the MB&F logo, the HM8 Only Watch has a white-gold disc depicting a happy face, or smiley, with the two screws now forming its eyes. It is the ultimate symbol of the childlike perspective that Legendre brings to Horological Machine N°8 Only Watch, which is also found in all those who feel aligned with the creative drive of MB&F.

HM8 ONLY WATCH : TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Distinctive feature:

This pièce unique HM8 in white gold and titanium features a sapphire crystal engraved with a drawing created by 15-year old Cassandra Legendre, along with a miniature white gold elephant sculpture standing between the hours and minutes.

Engine

Three-dimensional engine conceived and developed by MB&F from a Girard-Perregaux base calibre

Automatic battle-axe winding rotor in 22k gold with purple PVD

Power reserve: 42 hours

Balance frequency: 28,800bph / 4Hz

Number of components: 251

Number of jewels: 30

Functions/indications

Bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes displayed by two optical prisms that both reflect and magnify

Case

Material: 18K white gold and grade 5 titanium

Dimensions: 49 mm x 51.5 mm x 19 mm

Number of components: 60 components

Water resistance: 30 m / 90' / 3 atm

Sapphire crystals

All sapphire crystals – front, back, top, bottom – treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Top plate metallised and laser engraved with a drawing.

Strap & buckle

Black hand-stitched alligator strap with white gold folding buckle.

Once Again - A Few Minutes With Peter Speake-Marin

This originally went out back in 2011, but given this weekend's news, it seemed appropriate to re-heat it -

A Few Minutes with Peter Speake-Marin

Peter Speake-Marin was kind enough to share some time with me this past week - and now - A Few Minutes with Peter Speake-Marin

James  Henderson -   What was your first watch – is there a the story behind it?

Peter Speake-Marin - My first watch was a “Steve Austin Bionic Man” watch, back in the seventies with an led push button display.  I can’t say this fired my desire to become a watchmaker but it will always hold a place in my heart.  If I remember correctly, my Uncle bought a small quantity of them from a dubious source and then proceeded to given them away to the children in the area. The first ‘real’ watch I owned was a Longines military watch from 1948 that I acquired in London, when I was working in the Piccadilly arcade.  I then (probably very wrongly) opened the case back up to view the movement, and redesigned the dial in a slightly more gothic fashion. I wore that watch religiously for around 5 years before giving it to a friend who had always coveted it.  He continues to wear it today. He now lives and works for Apple in California.

JH - Where were you born?

PSM  - St Margarets hospital, Epping, Essex in 1968

JH - When you were a boy, what did you "want to be when you grew up?”

PSM - Initially as a child, perhaps a bus driver like my father.  Following that I never had a clear view except that it had to be what I perceived to be practical and creative.  As an adolescent I had aspirations of going into architectural engineering.

JH -  It seems fair to say that perhaps you were an "accidental watch maker"?  Your first interest was jewelry, yes?

PSM - I left school half way through my A levels and initially tried for the engineering division of the RAF.  I was under-qualified for this, and began searching for something else, which I thought would suit my skill set.  Jewelry seemed to fit, however the lack of a foundation degree in art meant I was immediately rejected from this avenue. A careers teacher in Loughton Essex dug up an old prospectus on Horology (a word that at 17 years of age I had no understanding of).  After my first visit to the school in Hackney I started the course 2 weeks after it had begun. At 17 I found something that I was good at and held the promise of travel. My Brother and Father had traveled extensively and I had always wanted to do the same. I was told that watchmaking meant that I could find work in any city in the world.

JH - Are you more artistic, or more mechanical?

PSM - Both sides of my brain are fairly balanced which is a strength and enables me to advance projects very quickly, designing things which both are beautiful and work and can be made.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

J H -  There is a real history of notably famous English watchmakers - Graham, Harrison, and others.  Do you see yourself ever returning to the UK to set-up shop there?

PSM - Some times I play with the idea but it is already very complex producing the components I design in Switzerland, where I currently live and work. Switzerland is highly specialized in this domain. To make these types of components in the UK would be difficult. Returning to the UK to live for periods of time is a strong possibility, to set up a company making the type of watches I make today virtually impossible.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

JH -  Who else is making watches that interest you?

PSM - Nobody specifically but I am drawn to the independent world more than the larger companies because these guys feel far more authentic to me in their motivation.

 

JH - If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

PSM - Probably driving a bus.

 

JH -  Living and working in Switzerland - did you have any challenges/difficulties adapting culturally? How about with the language?

PSM - Language was the toughest element, I am not a natural linguist and although I work like a dog I am lazy at those things which I need but don’t really appreciate, French is one of them.

JH - I have to say, I love the Marin-1 with your SM2 self-winding movement.  How long did it take for you to develop this new caliber?

PSM - From original drawings through to delivering the first watches approx 3 years

JH - Any future SM calibers in the future?

PSM - There are already a number in development but all based in some way on the SM2

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

JH -   You seem to spend a lot of time "on the road" meeting your customers and fans - has it always been this way?

PSM - I spend less time than people perceive traveling, but when I do travel I try to make as much noise as possible since this is my way of reminding people that I am there and about my work. Like many independents I spend my cash on the watches and not marketing.  As a result the traveling becomes my marketing and as I meet my clients and visit different countries I share the experience on the Internet. It has not always been this way but will increase over the next 2 years as my business grows until a point comes when I can be more conventional in marketing my work. This does allow me to live a childhood dream of travel.  In September I leave for a world tour which will be for at least a month.

 

JH - You are one of the "Friends" in the MB&F "Friends" - what is that like?

PSM - Max has been a friend for many years and I am happy to have been able to help him start his business as he helped me and many other independents when he was with Harry Winston.

JH - It seems that you might have come into watchmaking at just about the right time with the renaissance of mechanical time pieces following the quartz crisis. What are some of the differences you see between when you started out and where things are now?

PSM - Essentially the increased size of the collectors market and education through social media, had the Internet not existed I doubt I would have been able to have the success I have had today.

JH - Where do you see Peter Speake-Marin in three years’ time?

PSM - In a different workshop with a larger team in a constant state of development.

JH - What do you like to do in your "down" time?

PSM - Family, food, wine.

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

                                       

JH - Was there ever a time when you asked yourself - "what was I thinking?"

PSM - Every other day

 

JH - Going out on your own was a big decision. Any regrets?

PSM - None

JH -  Finally, any advice to the future aspiring watchmakers/entrepreneurs out there?

PSM - Create a real business plan which will help you to plan every element of your business and work, and assure your self a financial cushion.  Believe actions and results not words.