The L’Epée 1839 Gekko and Belly Tank Racer: Two Very Different but Equally Fun Clocks

This may surprise you, but L’Epée 1839 is the only manufacture in Switzerland that specializes in making high-end clocks. Like their luxury watchmaking brothers and sisters that create exquisite haute horology timepieces for the wrist, L’Epée is equally invested in the emotion of its clocks.

For its latest introductions – The Gekko and Belly Tank Racer – the emotion is wonder. More specifically, it is that sensation of excitement, amazement, or astonishment at something mysterious or new to one’s experience. Of course, as we get older, we hope we never lose the ability to see things in a new light. However, when we are children, the world is full of awesome discoveries.

These two timepieces capture that feeling of wonder, with each doing double duty as a metaphor for transformation. Let’s take a look.

First up is The Gekko – a sculptural timepiece shaped after one of the natural world’s most famous transformers.

In many cultures, the reptilian gecko represents fortune, re-growth, and overall life. There are also symbolic representations of the loss and the quick regeneration of the gecko's tail. It is a resilient little lizard that can be found on every continent except for Antarctica.
 

Moreover, thanks to their unique toe pads, geckos can walk as easily on walls and ceilings as on the ground. And speaking of staying power, the first modern geckos appeared around 100 million years ago.

Like a kid doing a class project on the gecko, L’Epée 1839 is awestruck by this curious creature. Thus, its mechanical tribute – The Gekko (conceived in-house by designer Marie Siebenborn) – is an exploration of the critter’s adaptive nature.For example, the gecko effortlessly clings to vertical surfaces thanks to millions of microscopic hairs on its toe pads. To mirror this skill, The Gekko can serve as both a table and a wall clock.
 

The complete structure measures 66mm high, 290mm long, and 180mm wide, weighing 1.4 kg. Thanks to its unique attachment system, the piece can be fixed in 11 different positions, allowing the creature to climb, stretch, or rest, be it up, down, or sideways. Furthermore, the dial features an adjustable rotating ring so you can easily read the time no matter which pose you put it in.

The time on this interactive timepiece is displayed on an open dial set upon the creature’s back. Two hands indicate the hours and minutes. A delicate, openworked architecture lets light flow freely throughout the structure, echoing the intricate patterns found on the lizard’s skin.
 

Even when The Gekko is not in motion, it remains ready to go thanks to its L’Epée 1839 in-house movement with a balance frequency: 18,000 bph (2.5Hz) and an eight-day power reserve.

Another amazing feature of The Gekko is that the clock is wound by wagging its tail from side to side (more symbolism, as the gecko can jettison its tail in moments of danger, but don’t worry, it can easily grow a new one back).
 

L’Epée 1839 has also given careful consideration to the finishing of the creature’s body. Each element has been meticulously crafted and finished by hand using In-house techniques such as anglage, mirror polishing, satin finishing, circular satin finishing, sandblasting, and polishing, all of which bring depth and contrast to the surfaces. Such techniques reinforce the sculptural nature of The Gekko’s form.

If The Gecko is a mechanical manifestation of the natural world, the L’Epée 1839’s Belly Tank Racer is a tribute to the ingenuity of humankind.
 

The belly tank racer, a.k.a. the “Lakester,” was a specific race car that emerged from post-WWII hot rod culture. During the late 1940s, Bill Burke saw surplus drop tanks (external, cigar-shaped aluminum fuel tanks carried by aircraft to extend their operational range and endurance) being unloaded and thought, “My god, what a beautiful piece of streamlining that is!” And soon, these ready-made race car bodies were found racing across the vast salt flats of Southern California, piloted by people who wanted to overcome challenges and break limits.

(Fun Fact: Bill Burke would go on to be the president of the Southern California Timing Association, which is the sanctioning body that confers Land Speed Racing titles.)
 

The same sense of curiosity and adventure is shared by L’Epée 1839’s design team and their collectors. Even though the belly tank racers originated in the 1940s, one can sense the awe the L’Epée team must have felt upon rediscovering these racing machines.

The elongated teardrop shape of the clock recalls the unmistakable profile of the 1940s belly tank racers: low, narrow, and engineered with purpose. And like the ingenious car itself, every component of the Belly Tank Racer clock serves a purpose.

For instance, the clock is wound through the rear wheels. Just like a self-revving mechanical toy car of our childhoods, simply pull the car backward, except instead of racing forward when you let go, the L’Epée 1839 movement inside is wound. This playful action connects motion and emotion to time.
 

To set the clock, one gently rotates the transparent minute disc upward with your fingers until the correct time is clearly displayed between the two opposing markers.

Designed by Eric Meyer, the Belly Tank Racer is all about radical simplicity. The time display wraps around its streamlined form, becoming one with the mini (420 x 212 x 123mm) machine. Hours and minutes are shown on two transparent rotating discs, allowing time to flow across the visible mechanism like wind across an aerodynamic shape.
 

The escapement – the beating heart of the movement – is positioned at the nose of the body, symbolizing the forward thrust and velocity that defined the original Belly Tank racers. On the side, a powerful sculpted V6 engine sits beside the driver’s seat. Its lightweight aluminum also echoes the efficiency of the historic belly tank racers.

The L’Epée 1839 Belly Tank Racer is available in five colorways – blue, green, metallic grey, red, and black – each in a limited edition of 99 pieces.

Meanwhile, The Gekko is available in three finishes – full gold-plated, black and silver, and champagne - and is also a limited edition of 99 pieces per finish. For more information, including pricing, check out the L’Epée 1839 website.