Balthazar

Overview

Balthazar is a sophisticated and imposing high-precision robot clock displaying jumping hours, retrograde seconds and a 35-day power reserve.

Weighing in at over eight kilograms (18 pounds) and standing nearly 40 centimetres tall (16 inches), Balthazar is composed of 618 beautifully finished, micro-engineered components.

But beware . . . there is also a dark side to Balthazar, as there is in all of us.

Balthazar

About Balthazar

Rotate his torso 180 degrees and discover a terrifying Balthazar, along with a dual hemisphere moon phase indicator that should help you anticipate the evolutions of your mood. To quote Darth Vader in Star Wars, “If you only knew the power of the dark side.”

Light side: boasting a month-busting 35 days of power reserve, Balthazar's clockwork displays "slow" jumping hours and trailing minutes via two discs on the chest, while the power reserve indicator is located on his belly. This side of Balthazar may be serene, but he is still always on guard: his red eyes, which continually scan the surroundings, are actually 20-second retrograde displays.

Balthazar

The duality of Man and Machine

Moving higher still to Balthazar's "brain" under the polished glass dome, we find the precision regulator of the clockwork. The animated balance constantly oscillates to let you know that while he may be standing still, Balthazar is always calculating.

Balthazar rotates around the hips like the high-precision machine that he is; you can feel the miniscule bumps of each micro-roller as he turns, and each distinct notch when he rotates the full 180°. Then everything changes: smiling Balthazar becomes very dark, or vice versa.

Dark side: The absolute nature of Balthazar's darkness is revealed by the cold hard skull with menacing teeth and deep-set ruby-red eyes. But it's not all threat here as Balthazar's chest also contains a moon phase display accurate for 122 years. You can adjust the moon phase manually, providing one of many of Balthazar's tactile pleasures.

Balthazar does more than display horological events: as well as rotating around the hips, his arms articulate at both the shoulders and the elbows, and his hands can clasp and hold objects.

Balthazar

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Balthazar

L'Epée x MB&F

4 Limited editions

Balthazar is available in limited editions of only 50 pieces per colour in black, silver, blue or green armour.

"Slow" jumping hours and sweeping minutes
20-second retrograde second displays in eyes
35-day power reserve indicator
Double hemisphere moon phase indicator

L’Epée 1839 movement, designed and manufactured in-house
Incabloc shock protection system
Power reserve: 35 days
Balance frequency: 18,000 bph / 2.5Hz
405 components and 62 jewels
Manual-winding: a double-depth square socket key sets time and winds movement

Movement main plate in palladium-plated polished brass

Dimensions: 39.4 cm high x 23.8 cm wide (depending on position of the arms) x 12.4 cm (boot size)
Weight: 8.2 kg

Rotate on precision ball bearings with spring click to indicate and hold at resting positions
Balthazar's centre of gravity is low around the hips to minimise any risk of being knocked over

Pivot at arms/shoulders, rotation at the elbows, pivot lower arms with spring locking system. On each hand, two fingers cross into the other three so that the hands can clasp.

Balthazar

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Balthazar

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Balthazar

Inspiration

Fictional robots often possess monikers sounding like acronyms or reference numbers – think of HAL 9000, C-3PO or Dr. Who’s K-9 – but, interestingly, Maximilian Büsser christened this 21st-century robot with the old world name ‘Balthazar’.

Balthazar – along with Melchior and Caspar – was one of the names of the three wise men, or magi, from biblical lore. But this robot clock was named Balthazar for another reason. Maximilian Büsser explains: “In the Büsser family, for over five centuries from the 1400s onwards, every eldest Büsser son was either called Melchior or Balthazar. It alternated. My grandfather was called Melchior and hated it, so he had everybody call him Max, which is how I became a Max. My grandfather hated the Melchior-Balthazar thing so much that he put an end to this 500-year-old tradition by calling my father Mario… Now, a century later, I happen to love the names Melchior and Balthazar!”