WORDS
Eleanor Pryor
MB&F takes its name from its pioneering founder Maximilian Büsser, with the ‘& F’ standing for ‘and friends’. He has long enlisted the help of some of the best and brightest in the watch world and beyond to create his own fascinating horological machines and timepieces, and the MB&F MA.D Gallery is an extension of this collaborative spirit. Now with locations in Geneva, Dubai, Hong Kong and Taipei, these creative spaces showcase the diverse universe of kinetic art and some of the most innovative talents behind them.
One of the latest and most intriguing pieces available exclusively from the galleries is the Nixie Machine by Frank Buchwald, the third and final of this series. Produced in a collection of 18 pieces, this clock is centred on its distinctive Nixie tubes, also known as cold cathode displays. Introduced in the 1950s, these were often used for computers, clocks or frequency counters before being supplanted by more practical and less costly alternatives. Today they bring a unique retro quality, which, when seen through Buchwald’s contemporary eye, results in a modern creation with a distinctly sci-fi feel.
The six tubes are filled with a low-pressure neon-based gas and fitted with a wire-mesh anode and layered cathodes shaped like numerals. When power is applied, these light up with an ethereal orange glow. Each is supported by a metal structure, conceived to represent the handing over of time to the viewer.
The design necessitated a restructuring of the circuit board at the heart of the clock, and Buchwald collaborated with engineer Dalibor Farny to achieve this technical feat. The machine is WiFi enabled, not only ensuring accuracy of time but allowing all settings and special features, including scroll effects, day/night mode and digital light dimming, to be set online.
