There is something rather special about a grandfather clock, beating the time in your grandparents’ hallway. As a child, I was slightly intimidated by my grandparent’s clock with its dark wood and looming height, but it also fascinated me as I would stand there patiently waiting for it to strike the hour. The rhythmic tick-tock became part of my childhood as I eventually grew old enough and tall enough to read the time.
The new Lebru X Silbertstein KB2 Clock looks nothing like a grandfather clock, but its concept is the same, and that is to become part of the family, keeping everyone on time, but also bearing witness to a family that grows and evolves over the years.
In France, between the 17th and 20th centuries, a grandfather clock was a popular choice of gift when a couple got married. Several family members or friends would contribute to its purchase and their names would be engraved into the clock as a reminder of their friendship and the important day.
The Lebru X Silberstein Kontwaz Bauhaus 2 (or KB2 for short) is a co-creation between two French watchmaking legends – Alain Silberstein and Philippe Lebru – who have joined forces in the creation of a fun and colourful timekeeper that is set to bring the grandfather clock back into our lives.
Alain Silberstein
Alain Silberstein is a renowned watch designer who came from an interior design and architecture background before becoming fascinated with watches. He reached horological stardom in the 1990s with his avant-garde geometric wristwatches in red, blue and yellow that were a world away from the traditional horology of the day.
Following the closure of his eponymous brand a few years ago, he has since put his energies into different collaborations, such as MB&F – with the LM1 Silberstein and the HM2.2 Black Box Performance Art – and Louis Erard with Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Alan Silberstein, and now the KB2 with Philippe Lebru and Utinam.
Philippe Lebru, Utinam
Philippe Lebru is the founder of Utinam in Besançon, a clock manufacture in this UNESCO heritage region, and is the name behind many award-winning contemporary pendulum clocks, such as Hortence, Lala, and Pop Up. Lebru received the Grand Prix at the Lépine competition in Paris, as well as the gold medal in clockmaking at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions in 2005. He has also created several monumental clocks for public spaces in Switzerland and Japan.
The KB2
The KB2 is a standing pendulum clock with an eight-day power reserve that stands at two metres high, but can also be mounted on a wall. It combines Silberstein’s iconic, colourful and geometric design with Lebru’s Pop Up clock. Silberstein didn’t change the architecture of the movement, but he paid attention to the overall aesthetic with different finishings and shapes that result in a highly contemporary object.
The KB2 is wound with a key that has a free-wheel system and works much like with an old pocket watch. It also has a safety function so even the kids can wind it (with adult supervision, of course). And the bright red pendulum has also been designed to be just out of the reach of cats, who apparently caused havoc with the prototypes!
The KB2 is available at the M.A.D Art Galleries in Geneva, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Taipei, so wherever you live, there is a KB2 waiting to be welcomed into your home!
