In 2009, MB&F had called on Silberstein to create its very first piece of ‘Performance Art’; the result was the HM2.2 ‘Black Box’, followed by a long list of collaborations with other creators.
For this new Performance Art series, Silberstein has taken our classic Legacy Machine No.1 and imbued it with his unique flair for the unconventional. His use of his signature three bright colours and shapes: red, blue and yellow; triangle, rectangle and circle for the hands and dial markers; and three-dimensionally translated as a cone, cube and sphere for the power reserve, catch the eye as they contrast against the more subdued movement plate below.
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The three primary colours found on the concave subdials – red and blue hands, yellow index markers – are echoed in the three shapes of the three-dimensional power reserve indicator. Blue cone, red cube and yellow sphere.
The original dual arches of LM1's balance bridge are replaced with a single, transparent bridge in sapphire crystal. Two years of development were required to create the balance bridge.
A discreet inscription on the side of the case reveals Silberstein’s motto: “Le vrai bonheur est d’avoir sa passion pour métier” (“True happiness is making a profession of your passion”).
For more live pics, wristshots and other cool images, check out our Instagram account.
Silberstein’s use of his signature three bright colours and shapes may catch the eye first, but it is the concave curve of the subdials that highlights the artist's philosophical approach most. While the convex sapphire crystal dome and balance bridge offer protection from outside forces, the concave subdials attract and welcome the "eternal time" of the universe into the movement, where it is transformed and displayed as two completely independent time zones. Silberstein felt strongly that, as the balance is the "beating heart" of the timepiece, nothing should break the view of the dial side regulator or block "eternal time" from reaching the time indications.
Maximilian Büsser and Alain SilbersteinAlain Silberstein was born in 1950 in Paris, France. After graduating with a diploma in interior architecture and model making, he worked first as an interior designer in Paris, then continued in that field after moving to Besançon in 1979 − the centre of France's watchmaking industry. Silberstein fell in love with watchmaking and in 1990 founded his own brand, Alain Silberstein Créations, which ceased operations in 2012.
Silberstein's watches are known for the signature use of three bright primary colours (red, blue and yellow), three simple geometric shapes (triangle, square and circle), and sophisticated juxtaposition of materials and finishes:
Silberstein was the first to create a watch with a sapphire crystal case, and he was a pioneer in making haute horlogerie playful with his use of bright colours and non-traditional materials. "Colour is important, but you have to always keep in mind that you cannot disassociate colour from the material. Finishes can also convey a sense of colour… In all my creations I search for the radical, which is finding the very essence of what should be highlighted”.
The LM1 Silberstein is available in three limited editions of 12 pieces each.
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