MB&F makes some of the most elegant time pieces and functional pieces of home decor on the market. And here at Toys, we’re always big fans of intricate accessories to complete your desk or workspace, so the company’s latest has definitely caught our eye. The Fifth Element is a desktop weather station that sports a clock and barometer alongside other measurement instruments and is piloted a tiny little alien.
Stemming from a collaboration between MB&F and L’Epée 1839, The Fifth Element draws inspiration from mid-century desktop weather stations in just about all aspects aside from its design. Deemed an “intergalactic horological weather station”, this functional home decor boasts an intricate, spaceship-themed design that gives it the appearance of being straight out of science fiction.
Measuring just under 15-inches across and over 8-inches tall, the weather station is by no means small. It’s comprised of over 500 different components which add up to the mothership’s intricate series of curves and interconnected circles. The Fifth Element’s solid brass frame is complemented by 4 different ‘UFO pods’ that each contain one of its measurement instruments and can be removed from the main structure.
Aside from sporting one of the most unique and futuristic designs I’ve seen, The Fifth Element managed to pack in a considerable amount of functionality into its artisan form-factor.
At the forefront of the weather station’s design is an elegant clock module which was developed and manufactured in-house by L’Epée. Working your way down the spaceship you’ll find 3 different UFO elements in the form of a barometer, thermometer and hygrometer. These allow the station to measure everything from temperature, atmospheric pressure and more.
In what may just be the silliest feature, and coincidently my favorite, The Fifth Element is complete with a miniature alien pilot named Ross, who rotates around the mothership’s cockpit.
Now the real question is, for just under $55,000, does anyone actually need MB&F’s latest piece of functional home decor? No matter how you look at it, the answer is probably going to be, well, a flat-out no.
But I still want to get my hands one of the 54 available units. And sure, its $54,775 price tag makes it inaccessible for the vast majority of people, but for those with an eye for the finer things and that kind of cash lying around, this will surely be a piece to impress.
The Fifth Element is an intergalactic horological weather station enabling accurate weather forecasting even when the power goes down. Four (UFO) elements: clock, barometer, hygrometer, and thermometer combine in a mother ship (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.
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!
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