Maison Alcée and MB&F Present the Nostromo

Maison Alcée and MB&F continue their exploration of a watchmaking that is lived as much as it is looked at with the Nostromo, a table clock designed as a true mechanical experience. Created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the M.A.D.Gallery, this edition limited to 50 pieces takes up Maison Alcée’s founding principle: inviting the collector to become a watchmaker themselves by assembling, piece by piece, a high precision mechanism.

Founded in 2021 by Alcée and Benoît Montfort, Maison Alcée has chosen a singular path. Here, acquiring a clock does not mark the end of the story, but its beginning. The owner receives a complete kit, from mechanical components to tools, along with an instructional book designed to guide each step of the assembly.

With Persée, its first creation, the French maison had laid the foundations of this approach. The Nostromo now goes further by combining this concept with MB&F’s creative universe and the work of designer Maximilian Maertens.

Becoming a watchmaker for the time of an assembly

Persée comes as a set of 233 components to assemble. The box also includes watchmaker’s tools specially adapted for amateurs, some of which use beryllium copper elements to limit the risk of scratches.

The experience comes with a richly illustrated 250-page book. QR codes give access to additional videos and also allow joining a private discussion group for extra support.

The goal, however, is not to turn high watchmaking into a mere recreational activity. Alcée Montfort insists on the genuinely horological dimension of the project: assembly requires patience, precision and concentration. Satisfaction comes precisely from this personal involvement, when the mechanism comes to life after being built with one’s own hands.

This philosophy was also rewarded in 2023 with the Audacity Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

A mechanical creature by Maximilian Maertens

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the M.A.D.Gallery, Maison Alcée teamed up with MB&F to bring the Nostromo to life. The creation was conceived by Maximilian Maertens, a designer at MB&F, who gave it an aesthetic directly inspired by the world of science fiction.

The Nostromo thus takes on the appearance of an alien creature resting on three organic legs. Its body can pivot on them, adding a playful dimension to the object once assembly is complete. The dial, for its part, is tilted upward to make reading the time easier.

The name Nostromo is no coincidence. It refers to the spaceship from the first Alien film, a universe for which Maximilian Maertens has a particular fondness. His self-declared inspiration from the work of H.R. Giger shows through in the organic, almost biomechanical shapes of this astonishing clock.

But behind this spectacular appearance, the mechanism remains at the heart of the project.

A true fine watchmaking mechanism to build

Like Persée, the Nostromo uses a mechanical architecture close to that of a wristwatch movement, but scaled up. It displays hours, minutes and seconds, and also features an alarm function that can be switched on or off.

Its movement offers an impressive 14-day power reserve. It brings together 222 components and was designed to be assembled by a fine watchmaking enthusiast, even a beginner, in about ten hours. Only the regulating organ is delivered pre-assembled.

The challenge, however, was particularly delicate for Maximilian Maertens: to profoundly change Persée’s appearance without compromising the ease of assembly and use that is one of Maison Alcée’s founding principles.

The mechanism thus remains largely visible. The new dial design, now made up of several elements, opens up the view of the gears further and allows the movements of the mechanism to be appreciated. The hands have also been redesigned and then blackened to enhance their contrast with the movement.

The peacock blue of the M.A.D.Gallery

The Nostromo does not merely adopt an alien silhouette. It also takes up one of the most identifiable chromatic signatures of the M.A.D.Gallery: peacock blue.

This shade appears on the dial and echoes the color of the decorative wall lens characteristic of MB&F spaces. The choice contributes to the identity of this anniversary edition while adding a touch of color to an architecture dominated by metallic surfaces.

The dial’s construction, deliberately split into several elements, also further opens up the view of the gears. The object thus becomes at once a timekeeping instrument, a mechanical sculpture and an interactive experience.

A mechanism with astonishing dimensions

Made of steel, brass and nickel silver, the Nostromo has dimensions that reinforce its sculptural character. It measures 160 mm in width, 123 mm in height and 135 mm in depth, for a weight of 760 grams.

The gears are made of brass while the main plate, the dial, the axles, the wheels and the base are made of 316 stainless steel. Nickel silver caps complete this construction.

The mechanism thus becomes almost entirely part of the design. Nothing is truly hidden: the creature’s forms serve as a frame for a horological architecture whose workings can be observed over time.

An anniversary edition limited to 50 pieces

The Maison Alcée x MB&F Nostromo is offered in a limited edition of just 50 pieces. Each piece comes with the 250-page instruction book already created for Persée, enriched with video content accessible via QR codes and dedicated to the particularities of this new mechanism.

This collaboration is part of the celebrations for the 15th anniversary of the M.A.D.Gallery, founded in Geneva and now present in various forms around the world, notably in Dubai, Taipei, Singapore, Paris, Beverly Hills, Menlo Park and New York.

After Frank Buchwald, Martin Smith of Laikingland and Maison Alcée, other artists are set to join this anniversary program during 2026.

With Nostromo, Maison Alcée and MB&F ultimately offer much more than a clock. The object becomes a personal adventure: that of a collector who no longer merely admires a mechanism, but takes the time to understand it, assemble it and bring it to life. A particularly contemporary way of giving time back its most precious value: the value of time spent creating.

Maison Alcée x MB&F Nostromo, Technical Specifications

Limited edition: 50 pieces

Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, alarm that can be switched on and off

Power reserve: 14 days

Number of components: 222

Dimensions: 160 mm width × 135 mm depth × 123 mm height

Weight: 760 g

Materials: brass gears; main plate, dial, axles, wheels and base in 316 stainless steel; nickel silver caps.

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