Maison Alcée x MB&F: Nostromo, a Mechanical Creature to Assemble Yourself
At the latest Time to Watches show in Geneva, I spent some time at the Maison Alcée stand. There, I discovered in greater detail a concept I already knew and found particularly appealing: offering watch enthusiasts the chance to build a genuine mechanical clock themselves.
During our conversation, Benoît Montfort let slip that a rather interesting collaboration was in the works, although he obviously could not tell me any more. One detail went over my head at the time: he had noticed the M.A.D.1 Red on my wrist, and we had talked about MB&F and M.A.D.Editions.
A few months later, I have a better understanding of why my wrist had caught his attention.
Maison Alcée and MB&F are unveiling Nostromo today, a mechanical clock kit designed by Maximilian Maertens, a designer at MB&F, and manufactured by Maison Alcée. It is an intriguing three-legged creature inspired by the world of Alien, which its owner receives not as a finished object, but as 222 components to assemble themselves.
Maison Alcée: becoming a clockmaker for the duration of a build
Founded in 2021 by Alcée and Benoît Montfort, Maison Alcée began with a rather unusual idea in the world of horology: instead of delivering a finished clock, the maison gives its owner the means to build it.
Its first creation, Persée, consists of 233 components. Wheels, pinions, plates, hands… The customer gradually assembles the clock by following a substantial 250-page book.
Having had the opportunity to discover the complete experience in Geneva, I can say that the care devoted to the concept goes far beyond simply putting parts in a pretty box. The case is beautiful, the tools are supplied, and the manual almost merits attention in its own right. It is richly illustrated and breaks down each stage with enough precision to enable someone who has never worked on a movement to get started.
QR codes provide access to additional videos, and Maison Alcée also offers assistance when an owner gets stuck.
This is important, because Persée is not Lego for watch enthusiasts. You handle genuine watch components, and the construction requires patience and precision.
Alcée Montfort sums it up particularly well: “We did not want to create a toy for adults.”
The idea, rather, is to make an experience normally reserved for watchmakers accessible: gradually understanding how a movement works because you have built it yourself.
The concept earned Maison Alcée the Audacity Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2023.
A meeting with MB&F that ultimately makes perfect sense
The collaboration behind Nostromo did not emerge entirely out of nowhere. M.A.D.Gallery was the first retailer to support Maison Alcée’s concept.
And when you know a little about both worlds, it is easy to understand what may have brought them together.
MB&F has never been particularly interested in viewing watchmaking through a traditional lens. Its Horological Machines sometimes look more like spacecraft, animals or fantastical machines than watches. The creations presented at M.A.D.Gallery take this fascination with mechanical, kinetic and often frankly playful objects even further.
Maison Alcée approaches things differently, but the same pleasure in mechanics is present. The difference is that its customer does not merely watch it operate: they get their hands inside it.
To mark M.A.D.Gallery’s 15th anniversary, the two maisons therefore conceived a new kit.
Rather than simply changing a few colours on Persée and adding an MB&F logo, they created a completely different creature.
Nostromo: a little Maison Alcée, a lot of Alien
The mechanical foundation remains close to that of Persée. But Maximilian Maertens has quite literally changed the viewpoint.
The clock has been tipped onto its side and then mounted on three organically shaped legs. Its body can pivot on these legs, while the dial rises slightly so that it remains legible when viewed on a desk.
The overall effect immediately brings to mind a small mechanical creature.
That is no coincidence.
Maximilian Maertens openly acknowledges his appreciation for the work of H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist who created the visual world of Alien. The chosen name dispels any remaining doubt: the Nostromo is the spaceship aboard which much of Ridley Scott’s first film takes place.
The inspiration nevertheless remains sufficiently subtle for the object to retain Maison Alcée’s identity. This is not about making an Alien figurine equipped with a mechanical movement, but about giving an entirely different personality to the existing architecture.
The dial has also been extensively reworked. Its former ring-shaped construction has given way to several distinct elements, opening up the view of the movement.
The M.A.D.Gallery’s emblematic peacock blue also makes an appearance, while the blackened hands heighten the contrast with the gears.
The result works particularly well: Nostromo looks like an MB&F object without Maison Alcée disappearing behind the collaboration.
An alien delivered in 222 pieces
It is, of course, when you open the box that Nostromo truly reveals its purpose.
The clock arrives in the form of 222 components. Only the regulating organ has already been assembled.
Maison Alcée estimates that completing the assembly takes around ten hours, even for an enthusiast with no previous experience of watchmaking.
The movement displays the hours, minutes and seconds and also features an alarm that can be switched on or off. Its power reserve extends to 14 days.
The purchaser receives the same support system developed for Persée, notably the 250-page manual and video content accessible via QR codes. The book has, naturally, been adapted to the particularities of this new architecture.
At MB&F, one is accustomed to discovering mechanical machines that are as spectacular as they are improbable. But this time, part of the work falls to the collector.
Before Nostromo can be placed on a desk, it must first be built.
Building an object rather than simply owning it
That was what I particularly liked about Maison Alcée when I discovered its products at Time to Watches.
You can, of course, buy a very fine mechanical clock that is already finished. But spending several hours handling its components, understanding where a wheel belongs, fitting a bridge and then watching the movement gradually come to life inevitably changes the relationship you subsequently have with the object.
Maison Alcée is not trying to simplify the experience to the point of making it artificial. Rather, it is seeking to make something previously inaccessible accessible.
With Nostromo, this idea finds a perfect match in the MB&F universe.
The finished object is amusing, strange and thoroughly mechanical. But to obtain it, you will first have to spend several hours with your hands among the gears.
And following this announcement, one thing is now certain: the next time Benoît Montfort looks intently at the watch I am wearing at Time to Watches, I will probably ask him a few more questions.
Maison Alcée x MB&F Nostromo: specifications
Edition: 50 pieces
Components: 222
Stated assembly time: approximately 10 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds and alarm, switchable on or off
Power reserve: 14 days
Dimensions: 160 × 135 × 123 mm
Weight: 760 g
Materials: 316 stainless steel, brass and German silver
