Maison Alcée and MB&F Issue a 50-Piece Nostromo Clock Kit

Maison Alcée has released a 50-piece table clock kit inspired by the Nostromo from Alien, tied to M.A.D.Gallery’s 15th anniversary and the MB&F orbit. The kit has 222 components, is said to take about 10 hours to assemble, offers a 14-day power reserve and an hour chime, measures 160×123×135mm, weighs 760g, and is priced at CHF 12,000 excluding VAT.

This is not a wristwatch. It is a boxed mechanical object that the owner builds. According to the project brief, the Nostromo silhouette is the graphic hook; the chime and fortnight of reserve are the horological hook. People who already assemble Seiko-based watches at a desk will recognise the satisfaction and the dust problem. A clean-build habit still starts with the right tools; see the Seiko mod starter toolkit guide for the wristwatch version of that discipline.

Kit, not a finished clock in a crate

Ten hours is a weekend, not a profession. Two hundred and twenty-two parts is enough to lose a screw. Fifty pieces is a collector allocation for a gallery anniversary, not a classroom set. CHF 12,000 excluding VAT is kit pricing in the MB&F neighbourhood: you are paying for the object and the story, not for a quartz desk clock.

Why a kit for an anniversary

M.A.D.Gallery has always sold machines that look like they escaped a film set. A Nostromo clock kit on the 15th anniversary is on-brand. Maison Alcée’s kit format lets the owner claim assembly without claiming they designed a striking train. The hour chime is the moment the object stops being sculpture.

Wristwatch builders should not confuse this with a first NH assembly. A 760g clock does not need a 20mm spring bar. What transfers is patience and a parts map. If your next project is actually a watch, keep the order of operations boring and correct: the first Seiko mod build order of operations exists so you do not invent a 222-step process for a 40-part build.

Practical notes

Fourteen days of reserve means the clock can sit on a shelf between weekends. The chime will annoy someone in a small apartment; that is a feature for some buyers. Dimensions of 160×123×135mm need a square of desk that is not already full of movement holders.

Quality of the supplied parts will decide whether those 10 hours are pleasant. The same rule applies when ordering aftermarket watch parts from mixed vendors. A sceptic’s checklist is in the AliExpress Seiko mod parts quality guide. Compatibility still matters even when the “case” is a spaceship hull; for watches, use the Seiko mod compatibility checklist.

FAQ

How many Nostromo clock kits are there?
Fifty pieces, for M.A.D.Gallery’s 15th anniversary.

What do you get mechanically?
A 222-component table clock with about 10 hours of assembly, a 14-day power reserve and an hour chime.

What does it cost and how big is it?
CHF 12,000 excluding VAT; 160×123×135mm and 760g.

Maison Alcée’s Nostromo kit is an anniversary object you build yourself: 50 pieces, 222 parts, a chime, and a two-week reserve. It will live on a desk, not a wrist, which is exactly the point of a gallery clock.