Octopod continues MB&F’s exploration of aquatic themes with an eight-leg, eight-day clock inspired by cephalopods, marine chronometers and The Abyss – blending contemporary design with kinetic sculpture and a transparent sphere filled with precision horology.
Conceived by MB&F and built by L’Epée 1839, Octopod stands or crouches thanks to its eight articulated legs. However, the real horological magic and mystery take place in Octopod’s completely transparent spherical ‘head’.
The first thing to notice is that Octopod’s transparent sphere is gimballed in a similar way to traditional ship chronometers. The second thing is the pulsating escapement, regulating the clock’s precision, located on its minute hand rather than the more usual position attached to stationary movement plates.
Last but not least, there’s the mystery of how Octopod’s clockwork is suspended inside its crystalline sphere, so that it appears to be floating in space or water. Like an octopus concealing parts of itself with camouflage, Octopod conceals parts of itself with visual tricks of its own.
