Some people collect stamps. Others collect watches. Luckier ones collect Rolexes. Then there’s M***SHAKES, a Spanish streetwear brand who decided a swarm of flies and their vomit was the finishing touch for an Oyster Perpetual. Ever done watches? Nope. Ever broken the internet before? Also nope. Before this, of course.
They didn’t just customize an Oyster Perpetual. They weaponized biology, stripped it of its dial, and a tiny luxury fly resort was born, complete with Mozart, spring water, and protein galore for the guests. Flies have a weird way of handling meals, they eat, they vomit, and in the process, they paint. Literally. Add plant-based dyes to their meals and voilà, an abstract, chaotic artwork emerges under the microscope. Disgusting, kind of horrifying, truly brilliant, as viral as it gets. Part of the project’s appeal, titled ‘Time Flies,’ (epic), comes from the fact that it was always a giveaway. 3€ bought you an entry and a digital screensaver. That being said, Gabriel, we’ll keep an eye on you, man.
Sure, hygiene freaks will gag. But the real crime, according to the most uptight collectors, is the disrespect toward traditional watchmaking, the classics that should never be touched. And to that I say, touch them, always. Let people mess with them, the classics won’t go anywhere. But let’s be real, if your heart breaks over fly vomit making something this beautiful, maybe your own wrist isn’t that thrilling either.
