Project LpX, a Co-Creation Between MB&F and Loupe System
A piece of advice that I was given when I first got into watch collecting was that the first watch accessory that should be purchased is a loupe. I always thought a loupe was something a jeweler of watchmaker wore and was not really necessary for a collector who just wore the pieces. But of course, being new to collecting I took the advice of a much more experienced collector and started to look for a loupe. As everyone does, google was the first stop but boy was there just so many options. There was also such varying price ranges for loupes that I was pretty lost. Luckily, the seasoned collector who gave me the advice pointed me in the right direction and I got one.
The loupe opened up an entire world for me I did not yet understand. Magnifying any part of the watch allows the user to see the extreme detail that goes into finishing a watch. You can see texture to a dial you have never seen before. You can be astounded by the hand finishing on movements that only watchmakers used to be able to enjoy.
Now, as mentioned previously, there is great variety in the loupes available on the market today. A manufacture who has become the gold standard for quality loupes for watch enthusiasts is Loupe System. Loupe System was born out of our quest to find a very high quality portable loupe to use to admire our watch collection, as well as the watches we were being shown in stores and watch fairs. The loupes they produce are of incredible quality, and their clients include the likes of Philippe Dufour, Laurent Ferrier, Romain Gauthier, Bart & Tim Grönefeld, Stepan Sarpaneva, Roger Smith, Andreas Strehler and Kari Voutilainen. Their Loupes have become so well respected that they have been honoured with being the official loupe of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
Of course, Life on the Wrist is on the look out for incredible creations that MB&F, a favourite watch company, is thinking up. MB&F partnered with Loupe system for Project LpX, an intergalactic magnification station enabling accurate viewing of watch movement details, while simultaneously reminding you of the immensity of our galaxy. Five elements combine to make a rocket entity much larger than the sum of its parts. Project LpX was designed by MB&F’s intern designer Maximilian Maertens, responsible for the clock T-Rex. Maertens was loosely inspired by both past MB&F projects and the SpaceX Falcon, a partially reusable two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle.
The system is a rocket ship that has three compartments, each that offer a dust-free storage unit for an object. The rocket ship is sold with two Loupe System loupes that can be nicely stored in the units. The rocket is made of five modular parts - the base, three modular body parts, and the nose cone, made of anodized aluminum. The rocket stand 33cm in height and is around 0.85kg with the loupes inside the storage units. The loupes Loupe System added to the project were of 3x and 6x magnification. They also have two portable cases that fit really nicely in a jacket pocket in case you want to take the loupes with you to a watch event.
Even cooler is the loupe system universal clip. It allows the owner to attach a loupe to any phone of tablet so that they can take macro photos or videos of their watches. It gives the owner an ability to dive into a watch even more, and see the details that so many people miss, like I did when I first got into watches. Project LpX came in four colours; red, blue, green and black. Only 99 pieces were made of each colour, making the LpX collectable.
Enjoy!
