MB&F the brand, which produces music boxes shaped like spacecraft in their Music Machines collection, came up with an interesting automaton that was designed in collaboration with music box specialist Reuge and automata specialist Nicolas Court. Unveiled a limited-edition turtle automaton that hides a singing mechanical bird.
Kelys comes in a rhodium-plated brass shell with 12 leather inlays on and black onyx for its eyes. Kelys originates from the Greek chelys or chelone meaning turtle or tortoise, is composed of a whopping 480 components, measuring 24cm long and 16cm wide, with a shell that’s 8cm high, the automaton weighs 1.4kg and is entirely assembled by hand. Pressing on the turtle’s tail activates the adorably animated little creature.
Kelys begins to walk, and Chirp the singing bird bursts free from its nest, flaps its wings, opens its beak, and fills the room with a soft bird-like song for roughly 10 to 12 seconds. Once Chirp retreats into the turtle’s shell, Kelys moves its head and takes a few more steps to finish the journey. The singing bird figure is made of 18K white gold with sapphire eyes.
Each turtle shell is inlaid with 12 leather “scales” in one of four colors: green, yellow, ochre, and blue. Each color will be limited to 18 pieces; pricing begins at $49,300.