Recently, Audi invited CH to Ingolstadt, Germany, for a behind-the-scenes look at their extraordinarily advanced production facility. Additionally, we spent some time in Munich, where we were able to roam around Audi’s highly protected design…
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There’s no denying that the Lego Architecture series serves as an excellent excuse for big kids to get their hands on a classic children’s toy. Just like those days of Lego Star Fighters; you diligently follow each step, patiently trying not to…
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Marking the first kinetic machine made by MB&F that isn’t a timepiece, the MusicMachine confidently brings the innovative Swiss laboratory into new territory. While the spaceship-styled MusicMachine may not tell time and can’t be worn,…
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by Teymur Madjderey As general automotive enthusiasts we’re always on the lookout for the latest innovations and opportunities to experience them firsthand, whether it be speaking with the design team at Bentley or testing Mini’s new sport utility coupe in the Caribbean. So when Mercedes-Benz gave us a call to…
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Managing to both blend in and stand out at once, the Transparent Speaker from industrial design studio People People takes an unconventional approach to home sound systems—and we love it. Based in the undeniable design capital of Stockholm, Sweden, the creative crew of designers and strategists have dissected the…
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United by one-track minds focused on horological innovation, MB&F and URWERK recently teamed up on a new experimental project to bend the boundaries of timepiece engineering. Project C3H5N3O9—the molecular formula for nitroglycerine, so Nitro for short—introduces the first fruit of its labor, Experiment ZR012, a limited-edition watch unlike anything…
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Quality, tech specs and aesthetics come together perfectly in British-made timepieces
Admittedly eschewing fashion for quality, Schofield Watch Company founder Giles Ellis adheres to a clear and simple motto for his brand—”Make a watch I’d like to wear.” Entering the watchmaking game is a bold move to begin with, especially at the higher end of the market. Ellis, however, has not only succeeded in making a watch he likes, but one that others do as well.
The company launched in 2011 at the Saatchi Gallery Salon QP with the Signalman. The culmination of more than 4,000 man hours of work, the piece was made in a process meticulously controlled by Ellis. His pure attention to detail ranged from the watch strap to the creation of the brand’s website. Though as much as he might obsess over paperstock or typesetting, Ellis spent most of the time ensuring that the 30-plus suppliers of parts and details were perfect for the Signalman, emphasizing impeccable workmanship on the watch’s unique profile inspired by the British lighthouses of the 18th and 19th century.
“It’s my testament to the great British engineering which gave rise to these monolithic structures,” explains Ellis. He also notes that perhaps there’s an element of the English eccentricy and individuality which sits well with him and his appoach to the brand.
A self-proclaimed “breather of design”, the designer’s career path has been heavily informed by his father’s wood craftsmanship. This influence lead Ellis to found The Fifth Fret, a company specializing in the restoration of high-end musical instruments from around the world. He has also designed parts for performance bicycles, top-end hifi equipment and bespoke furniture.
The Signalman has generated a great deal of attention, and while the waiting list continues to grow, Schofield remains fiercly independent to ensure that only the very highest standards of quality can be upheld and the existing level of precision can be secured.
Technically, the Signalman reads particularly well, especially when combined with its unusually pronounced profile. The case itself is machined to a micro-thin 0.01mm, while the lugs wrap snugly around the wrist so it always sits well on the arm. The packaging is a nod to the early Aldis lamps used by the Royal Navy. The watches boast super high-end mechanical, automatic, Swiss-made Soprod 9335/A10 movement with a daily average deviation of plus or minus 4 seconds—or 99.98% accurate if you’re a numbers person.
Yet while technically Signalman’s credentials are as solid as a rock there’s no denying that its looks and craftsmanship lever it subtly onto a wish list without having to resort to garish exotic skins, blingy faces and overtly over the top, needless functions. It’s a piece of wrist art from a small English company about as far from the average luxury timepiece companies as you’re likely to find in this day and age.
The Signalman DLC and DLC GMT PR are available online for £2,465.00 and £2,785.00
Kinetic art and horological design at MB&F’s recently opened boutique in the heart of Geneva
The collective group of timepiece innovators and artisans at MB&F have created a new way to showcase their yearly masterpieces alongside some of the world’s most equally elaborate pieces of kinetic art in Geneva’s recently opened M.A.D. Gallery (M.A.D. stands for Mechanical Art Devices). Although each piece is for sale, they have styled the space as more of a gallery than a boutique, displaying items on pedestals and against stark walls.
The gallery, which has opened just in time for the upcoming Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, will stock MB&F’s complete line of Horological Machines, along with a carefully curated collection of some of the world’s more unconventional examples of engineering, each sharing a common thread of unconventional design. These represent some of the mechanical art devices sourced from around the world that give the gallery its name.
Resembling some kind of science fiction creature, Frank Buchwald’s Machine Lights are inspired by art, architecture and natural form. The designer draws on his artistic background as an illustrator and painter in the development of his lighting designs, each of which was chosen for its high-end finishing and unparalleled creativity—two important factors that draw a parallel with MB&F’s design ethos.
The UK-based design firm Laikingland created Fingers, an “eternally tapping” replication of the artist’s own hand in cold-cast aluminum. Limited to just 25 pieces, the curious, battery-powered device is made entirely of a motor, steel and aluminum.
Sculptures by Xia Hang buck the generally accepted “do not touch” rule by encouraging interaction with the works’ audience. The stainless steel sculptures can be disassembled and reassembled for an endless amount of extension possibilities.
MB&F’s latest Horological piece, the new Legacy Machine No. 1 is also on display at M.A.D. This extravagant timepiece features a three-dimensional movement consisting of 279 components (including 23 jewels). For an in-depth look at what the M.A.D. Gallery aims to achieve, watch their comprehensive video.
M.A.D. Gallery
Rue Verdaine 11
Geneva, Switzerland
A Brooklyn-based radio trio, the master of animatronics, precision art work, the history of Danish tattoos and a talk with a French fashion design icon make up our top video picks for 2011
All week we’ll be looking back on the past year of CH to resurface our favorite stories and moments. For starters, it was a great year of Cool Hunting Videos—we made some new friends in our native New York and around the globe—trekking long and far to produce our mini-documentaries about creativity, innovation and process. Below are our top five favorites from 2011:
Master music selectors Chances with Wolves gave us a look behind the scenes of their successful East Village Radio show. We spent some time with the dynamic trio—who are childhood friends—and learned about their methods and inspiration.
The godfather of Christmas, Lou Nasti is hands down the most intriguing character we met all year. We had a chance to check out his Brooklyn warehouse where he creates all kinds of magical animatronic installations for clients around the globe.
When talking to the iconic French fashion designer and founder of APC you never know what to expect. We had the unique opportunity to sit down with Jean Touitou in NYC and got some insight into his take on clothing, business and religion.
On a trip to Copenhagen we were welcomed into the city’s most famous tattoo parlor to get educated on the history and progression of the artform. Jon Nordstrøn, author of the book Danish Tattooing, broke down the long evolution of tattooing from its nautical roots to the more complex modern iterations.
We spent the afternoon with Kim Rugg in her London home and studio talking about her work re-imagining newspapers, comics, stamps and cereal boxes using their existing form while rearranging their content. The amount of precision and time her pieces take is truly mind-blowing.
The long-lasting engineering behind the Fourth Plinth project
For centuries model-makers and artists have played with the challenge of building a ship in a bottle, and in May 2010, British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE erected the largest to date for the Fourth Plinth commission in Trafalgar Square. On view for the past 18 months, the five-meter-long bottle is not only a historical tribute to the location it serves, but it is also a significant engineering feat, packing 37 large sails inside and featuring a beautifully robust glass exterior that has held up to the blustery London weather.
Looking back on the amount of time in which the 1:30-scale model spent on resting on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, David Segall, an engineer at Max Fordham LLP in London, explained some of the project’s challenges. The engineering firm, which usually works on large building projects like the expansion of the Tate Modern, treated Shonibare’s work no differently. Segall explained that engineering is about problem-solving, and the Shonibare project had some unique conditions to overcome. The team had to make sure that condensation wouldn’t form inside the bottle, the cork wouldn’t shout out, pressure wouldn’t break the bottle and that wood on the ship wouldn’t crack or grow mold. Plus, they had to design a special lighting system for proper nighttime viewing.
Segall showed us the mathematical equation that determined the “cork pressure” and a whole set of drawings outlining the mechanical systems managing the air temperature inside the bottle. The scaled-down sales on the HMS Victory appear to be flapping in the ocean breeze, but it’s actually from fans circulating air, and the portholes in the base of the structure serve as functional air vents.
A preprogrammed SIM card inside the base of the statue sends a message to a slew of mechanics and project managers if something does malfunction, but Segall said he didn’t think any problems had actually arisen over the last year and a half. When repairs or maintenance do have to be performed, the base opens to access the mechanics of the system, so you probably won’t ever see someone inside the bottle.
A trademark of Shonibare’s work has been his exploration of the colonial relationship between Europe and Africa, especially through the use of “African” fabric, which was introduced to Europe by Dutch sailors. Shonibare placed the batik fabric on his miniature version of the naval ship, perhaps the most important vehicle of Britain’s imperial expansion.
The Max Fordham team will relocate the structure to a permanent location in January—if the funds can be raised, it will go to the National Maritime Museum in London. “The whole brief changes,” says Segall. “We have more freedoms because we are working on locating the structure in a permanent location, but every location has its own problems that we’ll have to solve.” When asked if Shonibare knew about all of the engineering considerations that went into the project, Segall laughed. “He must have some idea of the challenges of his ideas, but he never worked directly with our team.” After all, why bother an artist with technicalities of the real world?
Photos by Aaron Kohn
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
