MB&F has never treated horology as something that needs to stay on the wrist, and the new Nostromo makes that point with unusual clarity.
Created with Maison Alcée to mark the 15th anniversary of the M.A.D. Gallery, this mechanical desk clock is part kinetic sculpture, part horological lesson and part science-fiction object for the home.
It also asks something rare of its owner. Before it can tell the time, you have to build it.
At a glance
- MB&F and Maison Alcée have introduced Nostromo, a limited-edition build-it-yourself mechanical desk clock.
- The alien-like clock uses a horizontally arranged movement with hours, minutes, running seconds and an on-demand hour chime.
- Production is limited to 50 pieces, priced at CHF 12,000 excluding VAT, through M.A.D. Galleries and MB&F LABs.
A spacecraft for the desktop
Nostromo takes its name from the spaceship in the first Alien film, and the reference isn’t subtle in the best possible way.
The clock sits low and wide, with a central ring flanked by rounded mechanical forms and supported by three spidery legs.
It was envisioned by MB&F creative designer Maximilian Maertens and executed by Maison Alcée, whose speciality is the unusually niche art of mechanical clocks that arrive as serious assembly projects.
The result fits neatly into the world of MB&F’s M.A.D. Gallery, the Geneva space founded by Max Büsser in 2011 for kinetic art, mechanical curiosities and the brand’s more experimental co-creations.
The slow pleasure of building the machine yourself
Maison Alcée was founded in 2021 by Alcée and Benoît Montfort, and its work sits somewhere between traditional clockmaking and a very elevated form of hands-on education.
Nostromo is supplied as a kit with 222 components, with only the regulating organ pre-assembled.
That detail matters, because this isn’t meant to be a decorative puzzle pretending to be horology.
Owners assemble the movement themselves, guided by a 250-page instruction manual and video content accessed through QR codes.
The build is designed to take about 10 hours, which makes the clock as much an experience as an object.
Mechanical charm with a two-week reserve
The movement is arranged horizontally, with the hours and minutes displayed on a central ring finished in the peacock blue associated with M.A.D. Gallery.
Black hands indicate the time, while running seconds appear at 3 o’clock.
Nostromo also includes an on-demand hour-chiming function, a detail that gives the clock a more ceremonial presence on a desk, shelf or collector’s cabinet.
The power reserve is a substantial 14 days, reducing the need for constant winding while preserving the ritual of keeping a mechanical object alive.
Its construction brings together stainless steel, brass and German silver, with brass gears, a steel base plate and German silver bushes among the key materials.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Maison Alcée x MB&F |
|---|---|
| Model | Nostromo |
| Type | Build-it-yourself mechanical desk clock |
| Dimensions | 160mm length, 135mm width, 123mm height |
| Weight | 760 grams |
| Materials | Stainless steel, brass and German silver |
| Display | Hours and minutes on central peacock blue ring, running seconds at 3 o’clock |
| Additional function | On-demand hour chime |
| Components | 222 components, with only the regulating organ pre-assembled |
| Power reserve | 14 days |
| Assembly guidance | 250-page instruction manual with QR-code video content |
| Designer | Maximilian Maertens for MB&F |
| Production | Limited edition of 50 pieces |
| Availability | M.A.D. Galleries in Geneva and Dubai, plus MB&F LABs worldwide |
| Price | CHF 12,000 excluding VAT |
Nostromo will appeal to the collector who already understands MB&F’s mechanical language but wants a more tactile relationship with it.
It’s not simply a clock to admire from across the room, but a machine that asks for time before it gives time back.
