The Fifth Element
L'Epée 1839 x MB&F
The Fifth Element is an intergalactic horological weather station enabling accurate weather forecasting even when the power goes down.
Overview
Four (UFO) elements: clock, barometer, hygrometer, and thermometer combine in a mothership (with Ross, the alien pilot) to create an entity much larger than the sum of its parts: The Fifth Element.
An analogue weather station might at first glance appear anachronistic; however, when the storm hits and the power goes down, the Fifth Element will still work perfectly. And, in the worst-case scenario, you can hitch a ride off planet Earth with Ross.
MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser long admired desktop weather stations of the last century, but frustrated in not finding the right vintage model for himself decided to create his own.
About the Fifth Element
Four removable and interchangeable instrument Elements make up the Fifth Element.
Clock Element
Because weather forecasting is based on the speed of changes over time, the accurate time is required for meteorological observations. For the Fifth Element, L’Epée 1839 reengineered and skeletonised their 8-day clock movement to maximize transparency and visual access.
Barometer Element
The barometer, which measures air pressure, is the mainstay of weather forecasting: as a general rule, increasing air pressure foretells good clear weather, decreasing air pressure portends inclement weather. The faster the change, the more extreme the coming weather.
Hygrometer Element
The hygrometer measures the percentage of water vapour in the air; it displays this as a percentage of the maximum amount of moisture that might be held at a given temperature.
Thermometer Element
Thermometers don’t simply measure temperature, but the average kinetic energy of a substance: the higher the temperature, the higher the energy. A thermometer is essentially a power reserve indication of the energy in the atmosphere around us.
Forecasting sunny weather ahead with a chance of (alien) visitors
While the Fifth Element attends to the serious side of weather forecasting with joyful fantasy, this space-age weather station was only made possible thanks to L'Epée 1839, which mastered the precision manufacturing of the intricate series of curves and circles within circles that make up the large structure. Over 500 individual components form the mother ship and its interchangeable Elements; more than many Grand Complications!
And there’s one more function that MB&F surreptitiously integrates into all of its machines: the ability to make you smile. For the Fifth Element, that role goes to Ross: thanks to his own manually-wound, air-regulated movement, the alien pilot rotates around the UFO’s cockpit checking that the skies are clear of both clouds and hostile invaders.
L'Epée x MB&F
Black, Silver & Blue
The Fifth Element is available in 3 limited editions of 18 pieces each in Black, Silver and Blue.
- Clock (hours and minutes), barometer (air pressure), thermometer (air temperature), hygrometer (air humidity)
- Dimensions: 376 mm (diameter) x 209 mm (height)
- Base clockwork: no escapement, minute repeater-type governor
- Material: stainless steel, brass, glass and bronze (alien)
- 531 components
- Total weight: 15 kg
- L’Epée 1839 vertical architecture eight-day movement, designed and manufactured in-house
- Dimensions: 124 mm (diameter) x 92 mm (height)
- Power reserve: 8 days
- 161 components / 11 jewels
- Movement finishing: polishing, bead-blasting, and satin finishing
- Atmospheric pressure: 960 / 1060 hPa (28.4 / 31.6 in Hg)
- Dimensions: 124 mm (diameter) x 92 mm (height)
- Temperature: -30° / +70° Celsius (-20° / +156° Fahrenheit)
- Dimensions: 124 mm (diameter) x 92 mm (height)
- Hygrometer: 0 - 100% humidity
- Dimensions: 124 mm (diameter) x 92 mm (height)
Discover the models available
Inspiration
MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser had long looked for a beautiful vintage desktop weather station for himself, but could never find exactly what he was after; so with then intern-designer Stefano Panterotto he set about developing his own. The Fifth Element is a confluence of fantasies from classic UFO films, books, and comics of the 1950-60s with the desktop weather stations that were popular before weather forecasts were available on our phones.
The team researched weather stations across the last 100 years as well as the concepts of transparency, biomorphism, and both “inclusion” and “swarm” in animal/insect worlds.
While the Fifth Element was to be larger than its individual elements, each element had to be a strong standalone feature in itself: the team identified and came to understand each element, their stories, and how to feature them in a highly original way without concealing mechanical features.
After defining the four elements, the next step was the design of the Fifth Element, the hub in which the pods are housed. The challenge was to create an archetypical UFO of the 1950-60s, but without concealing any of the four elements.
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Starfleet Explorer
