A timely flight by L’Epée 1839
Time Flies is an 8-day clock in the form of a stylised 1930s plane, offering just enough structure to provide form, and just enough empty space to inspire our imaginations
Time Flies is a partnership between L’ECAL and L’Epée 1839, embodying the adventurer’s airplane of our childhood dreams, its minimalist form evocative rather than definitive. Hours and minutes are displayed on large diameter stainless steel disks with black PVD-coating on a circular-brushed satin finish and stamped numerals.
A quick glance is enough to read the time thanks to its excellent legibility. The spectacular, skeletonised movement, built specifically for this Time Flies, allows the escapement, which regulates precision, to be displayed in the cockpit.
The architecture of the 8-day movement, developed in-house by L’Epée 1839, follows the form of a real airplane. As in a plane, power comes from the front where the engine is located, and is generated by a fully openworked crown reminiscent of engine cooling radiators just behind the propeller. When fully wound, Time Flies can soar for a full eight days before “refuelling.”
The clock has a horizontal precision regulator in its cockpit, just above the wings. The constantly oscillating balance-wheel of the regulator draws the eye, and is protected from curious fingers by a series of small panels forming the cockpit’s cage. The propeller spins freely at a simple push of the finger. The timepiece weighs 3kg, its three-wheel landing train providing excellent stability, and is perched on a mounting stand, while an innovative latch beneath the movement clips it securely in place.
