INTRO
If you could choose, would you travel into the future or the past?
In an era when scientific minds continue to ponder the question of whether time travels in one direction only, L’Epée 1839 takes advantage of the present to take off and explore the future.
The Time Machine is nothing less than a mechanical sculpture that tells time. The entire upper part revolves. A single press sets the entire time capsule – the glass tube, the carriage, the time display, and the whole mechanical movement – rotating and transporting you through time. The two propellers at either end of the carriage are also mobile: the first winds the movement, while the second adjusts the time.
THE STORY
Inspired by the most famous time machines and created with meticulous attention to detail, the Time Machine is the combined result of three minds from very different backgrounds: engineer and creator Nicolas Bringuet, designer Martin Bolo, and artistic director and general manager of L’Epée 1839, Arnaud Nicolas. Together they have created a mobile and truly dynamic scientific instrument that offers some subtle nods to the worlds of industry and cinema, while shining a light on mechanical clockmaking.
From the 1960s MGM movie, "The Time Machine", itself inspired by H.G.Wells’ 1895 science fiction novel "The Time Machine: An Invention", to the television series of the 2000s and the legendary "Back to the Future" trilogy of movies, they all had one thing in common: a machine capable of traveling through time. Whether in a DeLorean or a telephone booth, they all involved human manipulation, as does the Time Machine itself, which is based on the codes of the most beautiful mechanical devices of recent centuries.
Each element of the Time Machine has been conceived and designed to evoke a memory. The capsule consists of a glass tube with a propeller at each end, symbolizing movement, the vortex, and science. The technically indispensable part required to lock the tube's rotation is inspired by the very first machine featured in the film "The Time Machine". Finally, the tripod reflects the temporal convector of one of the most famous American cars of the 1980s, the DeLorean. Every detail is significant.
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INSIGHTS
The first striking feature is the 360-degree rotation of the time capsule and the entire gear train of the watchmaking movement visible within it. Every rotating device also needs a locking system: and this one has been designed as a wing-nut that is turned to block the rotation, thus making the owner the key player in its usage.
The Time Machine displays the hour and minutes by means of two black metal cylinders inside a glass cylinder (the time capsule) which is framed by a propeller at each end. Each cylinder is machined and decorated by hand. The numbers, notably, are manually filled with white lacquer for maximum visibility. The time sequence and reading is made possible by a central indicator placed between the hour and minute cylinder.
The propellers are not simply a significant secondary design element, they are the two key elements of the timekeeping mechanism. The left propeller sets the time, while the right winds the barrel. These two propellers enable the owner to adjust their machine, and thus control their journey through time.
Time display on two cylinders
The propeller enabling the adjustment of the clock
The escapement
Wing-nut locking system
SPECIFICATIONS
EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION
Time Machine is produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces per colour
DESIGN & DISPLAY
Hours and minutes displayed on two cylinders
Fixed tripod
Glass cylinder
208 components
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
25.7 x 22 x 21 cm
Weight: 5.2 kg
MOVEMENT
Horizontal L’Epée 1839 movement designed and manufactured in-house
Caliber 1855 – Vertical escapement
Balance wheel frequency: 18,000 A/h / 2.5 Hz
Incabloc protection system
Single barrel
Power reserve: 8 days
MATERIALS & FINISHING
Mineral glass crystal cylinder
Brass and stainless steel
Polishing, sandblasting, and satin-finishing.
Palladium brass and PVD depending on versions
FEATURES
Winding and time-setting via the turbine blade on either end of the tube
360° tube rotation and can be locked by means of a nut system
Reference
SILVER - Limited edition of 50 pieces
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32'970 CHF / excl. VAT - Made on demand
Reference
BLACK & GOLD - Limited edition of 50 pieces
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32'970 CHF / excl. VAT - Made on demand
Reference
BLACK & PALLADIUM - Limited edition of 50 pieces
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32'970 CHF / excl. VAT - Made on demand