Horological Meandering

So I've been spending way too much time lately on IG but it's better for my wallet than going to watch boutiques. Yesterday, there was a little brouhaha that brewed up over a turtle automaton series released by Max Busser & Friends (MB&F). The pro...  

Would make a good title. If they had given a nod to Mr. Pages, then that would have drawn interest to his work, making it a win for all, since they are not competing at price points, etc.

In my opinion, it’s not our problem to solve or our place to provoke. Pages made one, MB&F made ten, the designs are different, the legs are different, the singing bird animation ... etc. Cazalea

We hear about this scenario so often: (1) you see a watch you like and it’s made in a small qty and you buy it for various reasons; (2) another brand subsequently releases a similar style watch with a slight difference and it’s cheaper but more are made. ... 

It is the reason why we are on Purists and not somewhere else. You are rising good questions. I have a lot of respect for Max and his team, I have a lot of respect for Raul. I know them both. I saw Raul's tortoise in March for the first time, I hope to se... 

For sure I hope that Raul Pages finds a good outcome through this MB&F event. 👍 I like to root for the little guys more often than not.

Nobody did anything wrong. Nobody stifled anyone else's creativity. Nobody infringed. If nobody infringed, we have no victim to protect. If we accuse MB&F for making something too close to Raul Pages' tortue, then we need to complain to Patek Philippe the... 

What is different in this scenario is that MB&F have a stated mission and well-known history of working with independent watchmakers and honoring them and showing that it is all one big extended loose “family”. It is the MB&F unique marketing story that M... 

Seeing your OP. After my initial gut reaction, though, my more lasting feeling is more similar to Patrick, Alex, and others... In brief - I take nothing away from Max and MB&F for doing what they did and how they did it. I would have given them brownie po... 

and agree that MB&F officially does not owe Raul Pages anything. It is really just my hope for a very generous spirit from one small firm to another even smaller guy and the opportunity has already been lost.

The Turtles/Tortoises want to say, we don't all move slowly... I'm use every excuse to share this funny YouTube video!

Overall, I can say that the employees at MB&F have among the highest ethics within the watch industry I've seen. Their commitment and loyalty to their customers is one of the reasons why they have such a loyal cult following. Obviously, the innovative... 

That is what I'm specifically advocating in theory. In this case, I think Raul Pages may be the only one. Not asking MB&F to go through the exhaustive list of dead artists/watchmakers or previous firms because they're not actively making the same type... 

Jaquet Droz and Raul Pages. ... 😉 Seriously, did Pages advance the art or craft (besides using white metal and blue "shell") that MB&F should acknowledge it or him? (Serious, not ironic or loaded question, I really dont know.) Jaquet Droz was a significan... 

Raul Pages appears to be a talented guy, but of course he is not in the league of the long-gone Jaquet Droz. I think Raul Pages piece is very strikingly modern and extremely different from the jewel-encrusted turtle automatons of the past. I don't think h... 

yeah, I thought that comparo was a bit of a stretch... 😂 " too much to ask?" imho to ask that of someone else? yes. but to ask of oneself? absolutely not! 👍👏 cheers, TM

As a fan of automatons and having studied the history of automatons, I know that there are turtle/tortoise "tortue" automatons that date far back both of these. The example by Asprey is a fairly recent but beautiful example as I've personally seen some to... 

horological history and not just one person/brand. Furthermore the Pages turtle opened up to show the mechanism whereas the MB&F Turtle features a singing bird so I think that makes them different enough. Just my 2c and I didn't see this much talk when Ne...