MB&F, in partnership with The Hour Glass, has opened the doors to the world's first MB&F Lab in Singapore.
Located at the iconic Raffles Hotel on the ground floor of the Raffles Hotel Arcade, the boutique is the first of its kind for the new MB&F Lab Concept, which is soon to open next in Paris and Los Angeles.
That Singapore was chosen to be the inaugural location is indeed a testament to the buying power of the watch community in Singapore.
“Singapore, even though a small country, has garnered the largest community of MB&F collectors in the world.” Max Büsser, Founder and Creative Director of MB&F explains.
“This is as much due to the sophistication and passion for artisanal watches from the Singaporean public as to the incredible energy The Hour Glass Group has put into educating collectors about high-end independent artisanal watchmaking.”
The MB&F Lab in Singapore follows the recently revamped architectural identity of the M.A.D.Galleries. MB&F created the first M.A.D.Gallery in 2011 in Geneva as a platform to showcase MB&F Machines, MB&F Co-creations, along with carefully curated kinetic and mechanical art pieces by various artists from around the world.
In collaboration with Swiss-based agency Voltige Design & Architecture, MB&F has redefined the interior design and architectural identity for its M.A.D.Galleries and the new MB&F Lab spaces. These will showcase MB&F Machines with a curated selection of kinetic art pieces, in more intimate spaces than a full-fledged M.A.D.Gallery.
Key design features of the MB&F Lab include a giant reflective lens in blue, bespoke domed glass display cases for watches, accompanied by custom-made mid-century-inspired tables and matching furniture.
Where the vast majority of showcases are usually square glass boxes on four legs, the domed showcases at the MB&F Lab break away from this usual industrial geometry to create something unexpected, echoing MB&F creations. The glass domes, by Czech-based bespoke glass designer and manufacturer Lasvit, are completed with a cast aluminium tripod-like stand.
On display are the latest MB&F horological creations, including the Legacy Machine Split Escapement EVO and the ground-breaking LM Sequential EVO, as well as MB&F Co-Creations, including the Octopod, Medusa, and Balthazar clocks created with L’Epée 1839, and the MusicMachine 1 Reloaded with Reuge.
There is opportunity to peruse specially curated works of art, such as the KB2 Utinam x Alain Silberstein clock, Frank Buchwald’s Nixie Machine III, ‘World Skies’ by BREAKFAST, and the Singapore edition of Marc Ninghetto’s ‘Solitude of a Machine’.
MB&F Lab Singapore
328 North Bridge Road
#01-19, Raffles Hotel Arcade
Singapore 188719
Tel: 6550 2688
Opening Hours Monday to Saturday: 11.00am to 8.00pm
Sunday & Public Holiday: 11.00am to 6.00pm
