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Watch Drop

Introducing Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade Limited Edition

By Neha S. Bajpai
16 Mar 2023
4 min read

Designed as a reminder of the fleeting nature of time, this technical masterpiece exemplifies L’Epée’s wildly futuristic ideas and aesthetic innovation

One of the very few Swiss manufactures dedicated to high-end clocks, L’Epée 1839 is best known for its retro modern design language expressed through kinetic sculptures in all shapes and sizes – rockets, robots, starships and more. The company’s history dates back to over 180 years when its founder, Auguste L’Epée, set shop in France and started manufacturing music boxes, escapements and regulators for clocks – all entirely made by hand.

Now based in Delémont, the brand still makes all its movements in-house – be it for its range of classic carriage clocks or exceptionally modern timepieces equipped with striking mechanisms, retrograde seconds, perpetual calendars and tourbillons. Over the last few years, L’Epée 1839 has amazed the watch industry with the most exceptional horological objects brought out in collaboration with other leading luxury watch brands.

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Limited to 88 pieces, the Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade is a technical masterpiece modeled on the original MKII grenade

Offering an irresistible blend of technology and art, L’Epée’s unconventional creations have always pushed the boundaries of innovation and that’s what our newest collaboration is all about. Limited to 88 pieces, the Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade is a technical masterpiece modeled on the original MKII grenade. Designed as a reminder of the fleeting nature of time, this desk clock features a pin – just like the one found on the MKII – that doubles as the key, which when pulled, allows one to set time and also wind the eight-day movement. 

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This desk clock features a pin – just like the one found on the MKII – that doubles as the key, which when pulled, allows one to set time and also wind the eight-day movement

Given the fact that L’Epée’s artistic director and CEO, Arnaud Nicolas, is an engineer and scientist himself, it’s no surprise the brand’s timepieces exemplify his wildly futuristic ideas and aesthetic innovation. For the Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade, for instance, Nicolas and team have conceptualized the entire clock’s mechanism in a way that it doesn’t weigh more than 620 gms – just like an actual MKII grenade, which is anywhere between 600-630 gms. The clock’s frame is made of five plates and six vertical supports that are interlocked in a way to resemble the grooved shell of an original grenade.

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While the hours and minutes on the clock are displayed on two aluminium disks rotating directly over the movement, the key pin – which happens to be the most attractive part of this mantle piece – is stowed away in the fuse-shaped frame atop the structure. It can be removed and inserted onto a post in the center of the top plate to set the time.

The Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade comes in a sleek tone-on-tone colorway with the Wristcheck logo engraved on its aluminum cage, as well as numerals in Wristcheck’s signature azure blue. The movement’s going train is mounted in the center of the piece, while the escapement assembly is positioned on the front. The mainspring barrel can be wound from the bottom of the clock and it promises to deliver a power reserve of eight days. Ticking away at 18,000 vibrations per hour, the Grenade seeks to evoke a sense of the passing hours and the need to ‘seize the day’.

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The clock’s frame is made of five plates and six vertical supports that are interlocked in a way to resemble the grooved shell of an original grenade

SPECIFICATIONS

Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade Limited Edition

Dimensions: 120.5 mm (height) x 77.6 mm (width) x 66.6 mm (depth)
Weight: 620 grams (a real MKII grenade of the same shape weighs 600 - 630g)
Number of components: 255

Functions: Hours and minutes displayed on two black aluminum disks with engraved numerals.
How to set the time: The time is set by winding the Grenade pin on top of the frame, while the mainspring can be wound on the bottom of the clock.
Movement: L’Épée 1839 movement designed and manufactured in-house, frequency of 2.5 Hz / 18,000 vibrations/h, 11 jewels
Power reserve: 8 days
Materials and Finishing: The Grenade's structure and discs are made out of aluminum, the movement is made of palladium-plated brass and stainless steel. It features a range of polished, satin brushed, sandblasted finishings
Limited to: 88 pieces
Price: HKD $97,500/USD $12,500

The Wristcheck x L’Epée 1839 Grenade Limited Edition is now available at wristcheck.com 

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