Why LVMH acquiring L'Epée Means Clocks Are Cool

A few months ago, LVMH announced that they had acquired Swiza, the owner of L'Epée 1839, a heritage manufacturer that historically produced carriage clocks and musical boxes. While you might not recognise the name L'Epée, you've definitely seen their work. L'Epée has frequently partnered up with MB&F, having made over a dozen co-creations together, including the futuristic Starfleet Machine and the slightly terrifying Arachnophobia. 

It's fair to say that while L'Epée may have started in the world of carriage clocks and still have some traditional designs in their collection, they've moved well beyond old-school clocks, destined to look pretty while gathering dust on a mantlepiece. Today, L'Epée creates contemporary clocks — functional objet d'art like the winner of GPHGs Mechanical Clock price, the Time Fast II, shaped like an aerodynamic roadster from the golden age of car design. Or, there's the Grenade, a time bomb of a different type that takes as its design inspiration the iconic MKII grenade, with its 'pineapple' shape and prominent pin and lever, with a horizontal movement occupying the core of the design, with a disc-based time display and 8-day reserve. Already, the Grenade is offered in a range of creative executions, including one made in collaboration with The Dial Artist, a British artist known for his street-art-inspired micro artworks, which are typically found on watch dials but here take up a more sculptural canvas. 

Another especially exciting example of L'Epée's ingenuity is their work on Ulysse Nardin's UFO, an egg-like shape containing a triple time display with a massive one-year power reserve that always manages to remain upright, thanks to its heavily weighted base. It's an amazingly kinetic timekeeper and a joy to experience in real life. It's also a nice nod to Ulysse Nardin's heritage, as the brand bills it as the modern version of the Marine Chronometer, a device initially made to keep accurate time on a constantly moving sailing ship.

L'Epée is the main player in the emerging category of cool clocks, but they aren't alone. Urwerk, for example, produces the 'Spacetime Blade', a 1.7 meter tall, 20-kilogram timekeeping object that carefully doesn't infringe on any copyrights but is clearly inspired by one of the most iconic laser swords in the history of science fiction. This ultimate geek chic tells time through a series of nixie tubes that display the time in a warm orange glow. 

Clearly, the category of 'desk clock' isn't cutting it in 2024. From MB&F's cute timekeeping critters to grenades and not-quite-light-sabres, the market for high-end, unique timekeepers that aren't worn on your wrist is an exciting one, so it makes sense that LVMH, which has been focusing a lot on more specialized, high-end brands in horology would get involved. 

The question is, what will LVMH do with L'Epée? Well, it opens up a world of interesting possibilities. It's unlikely that the group will seek to raise the brand equity of L'Epée to that of its other properties but rather use its facilities and expertise to continue creating some exceptional collaborations. In fact, we're already seeing it happen. L'Epée and Tiffany & Co have been making objects together in that distinctive shade of blue for a little while. The Tiffany & Co New York Taxicab was a particularly on-brand collab. Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton debuted the Montgolfière clock, a balloon holding close to the house motifs and with a basket evoking an iconic trunk. Hublot's initial partnership, the Meca-10 clock, dates back even further to 2020 and was a relatively straightforward interpretation of a desk/dash clock. These examples are just scratching the surface of what is possible. TAG Heuer, with its rich automotive history, is ripe for clock-based offerings, perhaps a Monaco-inspired take on L'Epée's Time Fast or an Autavia-like dash clock. High jewellery creations are also possible, with Bvlgari perhaps being able to rival the scope and scale of Van Cleef & Arpels' extraordinary objects. 

L'Epée's particular skill set is perfectly placed to tap into a rich vein of creativity within LVMH group brands, but fans of MB&F, Ulysse Nardin and others don't need to worry too much, as L'Epée will continue working with non-LVMH brands. All this is good news, and the future of cool, creative and eminently covetable clocks is looking bright.