For 15 years, the M.A.D.Gallery has championed mechanical creativity beyond the confines of traditional horology, showcasing extraordinary works that blur the boundaries between art, engineering and imagination. To mark this milestone, the gallery has invited a select group of its pioneering artists to create exclusive limited editions inspired by its remarkable journey.

Following Frank Buchwald’s sculptural ML15 Helios, British designer Martin Smith presents the Solar Orbiter Watch Winder, a captivating kinetic sculpture that pays tribute to the M.A.D.Gallery’s 15 years of mechanical artistry.

Mechanical Poetry in Motion

Martin Smith is no stranger to the M.A.D.Gallery. As co-founder of the celebrated creative studio Laikingland, alongside engineer Nick Regan, he was among the first artists to exhibit at the Geneva gallery, introducing collectors to whimsical kinetic sculptures that celebrated movement, precision and playful absurdity.

Works such as The Applause Machine and Fingers became defining examples of Laikingland’s distinctive approach, where engineering meets humour and beautifully crafted mechanisms perform seemingly pointless, yet utterly mesmerising, tasks. That same philosophy lies at the heart of the Solar Orbiter.

Created entirely in Smith’s West Yorkshire studio, the kinetic sculpture was originally conceived simply as an object that reflected the M.A.D.Gallery’s fifteenth anniversary.

“My sister and brother-in-law have a screen-printing business so we decided to screen print a design of the Solar Orbiter on the outside of the crate. It turned out so well that you could almost hang it on your wall, which then made us worry that it might get damaged in transit. So now the crate is protected inside a cardboard box.” Martin Smith

A Watch Winder Unlike Any Other

Rather than disguising a conventional watch winder inside an artistic shell, Smith approached the project from the opposite direction. The result is an intricate mechanical sculpture that also happens to keep automatic watches perfectly wound.

Standing 60cm tall, the Solar Orbiter is composed of more than 300 individually handcrafted components in powder-coated steel, aluminium, brass, stainless steel and carved wood. Every element is assembled by hand, while custom electronics power the mechanism silently, offering multiple winding programmes without disturbing the sculpture’s hypnotic motion.

Smith deliberately avoided creating something that resembled a watch movement. The finished piece is both sophisticated and delightfully eccentric. Smith describes it simply as “chaotic, mesmerising, sophisticated in its construction and a little quirky.”

Celebrating Mechanical Heritage

Collectors familiar with Laikingland’s work will discover subtle references hidden throughout the Solar Orbiter. Interchangeable motifs, including a heart, a clapping hand and a star, echo earlier creations produced for the M.A.D.Gallery, while the overall composition recalls vintage construction toys with interchangeable parts.

The sculpture also acknowledges an important source of inspiration, namely Charles and Ray Eames’ Solar Do-Nothing Machine, an aluminium sculpture created during the 1950s to demonstrate the possibilities of solar energy decades before renewable power became mainstream. The result feels simultaneously nostalgic, contemporary and unmistakably Martin Smith.

Crafted Inside and Out

Only ten numbered examples of the Solar Orbiter will be produced. Each sculpture is supplied inside a bespoke wooden crate designed as carefully as the artwork itself. The exterior features a screen-printed illustration of the Solar Orbiter, produced by Smith’s family-run print workshop.

Inside, collectors will also find a signed and numbered A2 screen print serving as the official certificate of authenticity.

Mechanical Art Without Boundaries

The Solar Orbiter perfectly embodies the philosophy that has defined the M.A.D.Gallery since its opening in Geneva in 2011.

Originally conceived by MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser as a way of placing his radical Horological Machines within a wider artistic context, the gallery quickly evolved into something far greater, a destination dedicated to mechanical creativity in every imaginable form.

From kinetic sculptures and mechanical lighting to extraordinary automata and one-off engineering marvels, the M.A.D.Gallery has become home to artists whose work sits comfortably between contemporary art and precision engineering. Martin Smith’s Solar Orbiter continues that tradition beautifully.

Part kinetic sculpture, part functional watch accessory and entirely captivating, it demonstrates that the finest mechanical creations are often those that make us smile while simultaneously reminding us of the remarkable ingenuity behind every moving part.

About Martin Smith

Based in West Yorkshire, Martin Smith is a British artist whose work explores how mechanical movement influences our perception of space and objects. Alongside large-scale architectural commissions, he creates intricate kinetic sculptures examining repetition, precision and playful mechanical interaction. His work combines technical craftsmanship with conceptual thinking, transforming everyday mechanisms into thought-provoking works of art.

The M.A.D.Gallery Story

When the M.A.D.Gallery first opened in Geneva’s Old Town in 2011, its purpose extended far beyond retail.

Maximilian Büsser recognised that MB&F’s unconventional Horological Machines challenged traditional watch presentation. Rather than displaying them inside conventional boutiques, he envisioned a gallery where mechanical watches could exist alongside equally imaginative works of kinetic art.

The concept proved inspired. Artists including Chicara Nagata, Frank Buchwald, Laikingland and many others helped establish the gallery as one of the world’s most distinctive destinations for collectors fascinated by mechanical creativity.

Today, alongside its Geneva flagship, the M.A.D.Gallery family includes locations in Dubai, MB&F Labs in Taipei, Singapore, Paris, Beverly Hills and Silicon Valley, as well as the recently opened MB&F Lounge in New York.

To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary, the gallery has invited several of its long-standing artists to create exclusive commemorative editions, with Martin Smith’s Solar Orbiter representing one of the highlights of this unique anniversary collection.

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Technical Specifications

Solar Orbiter Watch Winder

Edition
Limited edition of 10 pieces

Construction
Nearly 300 individually handcrafted components

Dimensions
Height: 60cm
Width: 40cm
Depth: 40cm

Materials
Powder-coated steel, stainless steel, aluminium, brass, carved wood, motor and custom electronics

Power
12V DC universal plug-in transformer

Presentation
Supplied in a bespoke wooden crate with precision-cut foam interior. Includes a signed and numbered A2 screen-printed Certificate of Authenticity.

For more information please visit M.A.D.Gallery