Orb
Closed:
Height: approx. 17cm
Diameter: approx. 17cm
Opened (complete opening):
Height: approx. 24cm
Diameter: approx. 30cm
1,9Kg
165 Parts
Dimensions
i. Type
Clock
ii. Date
2021
iii. Client
iv. Materials
Clockwork in palladium-plated brass and stainless steel
Elytra in aluminium and covered with handmade lacquer
v. Display
Hours and minutes
Striking hour, repeated on demand via a button on the side of the clock, or turned on and off if required.
vi. Dimensions
Closed:
Height: approx. 17cm
Diameter: approx. 17cm
Opened (complete opening):
Height: approx. 24cm
Diameter: approx. 30cm
1,9Kg
165 Parts
vii. Project Info
At first glance, the Orb looks like a futuristic model of an eye with its perfectly formed shiny sphere, and its dial taking the place of the iris and the pupil. But nothing is ever quite what it seems with the collaborative clocks of MB&F x Studio Maertens.
The minimalistic structure is composed of four elytra (that’s the technical word for a beetle’s protective wing covers, in case you were wondering) that not only open up, but can also swivel like a transformer to display the Orb in a variety of different positions. The shiny-white version is reminiscent of the first iPods with their lustrous curved cases, a surface that is particularly pleasing to the eye and the touch.
The idea behind the Orb is the brainchild of German designer Maximilian Maertens, who started his artistic career at MB&F as an intern before setting up his own design studio in Berlin. Maertens worked with MB&F and L’Epée on the T-Rex clock, before being given free rein to create the TriPod and now the Orb.
See the piece here MB&F.
