Robot by MB&F doubles as mechanical clock

This little robot by MB&F was the talk of Baselworld 2015. Perhaps unsurprisingly, since all of the watchmaker's creations are fun, enigmatic and wonderfully technical.

The Geneva-based horological lab, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is presenting a number of anniversary pieces to mark this milestone. The first is the little robot mentioned, named Melchior.

Created in collaboration with L'Epée 1839, the kinetic robot also doubles as a 480-component mechanical table clock. The movement is made up of 334 components, while the remaining 146 parts were used to create Melchior's bodywork and amour.

Besides being aesthetically pleasing, it boasts a highly visible movement. A new skeletonised mainplate - which forms the ribcage, breastplate, cheekbones and backbones of Melchior - had to be created. L'Epée also developed a "slow" jumping hour to enable clear reading of the clock. The hour disc remains static for 55 minutes, and slowly begins to turn five minutes before the new hour to allow for a smooth and subtle change of hour indication. Thanks to five main spring barrels, the clock's power lasts up to 40 days.