With over 180 years of history, the Swiss clockmaking brand L’Epée 1839 is renowned for its exquisite table clocks. Since its foundation in 1839, it started out by producing music boxes and movement components, evolving into the only Swiss manufacturer dedicated to high-end table clocks. Recently becoming part of the LVMH group, L’Epée 1839 has actively expanded into the realm of artistic timepieces. During LVMH Watch Week 2026, the brand unveiled its new La Regatta Métiers d’Art collection, featuring three one-of-a-kind creations that embody the brand’s philosophy of merging watchmaking, design, and art.
The design inspiration for the La Regatta series comes from competitive rowing. Its overall height is 518 millimeters, featuring a streamlined hull presented in a vertical structure, complemented by a 120-millimeter square base. All gears and escapement structures are aligned along the vertical axis, with the movement’s mainspring and escapement symmetrically distributed at the top and bottom, echoing the steady rhythm of rowing motions. This architectural design not only reflects the upright posture of the rowers but also creates a visual effect of balance, symmetry, and order.
This collection, created in collaboration between L’Epée 1839 and the renowned Georgian craftsmanship studio David Kakabadze Enamel, utilizes the ancient Grand Feu enamel technique to impart a unique texture to each piece. This artistry traces back to the decorative arts of the Byzantine and Georgian eighth century, requiring multiple firings at soaring temperatures of 700 to 750°C, layering colors with an extraordinary level of precision. Even when following the same process, the outcome of each piece remains unrepeatable.
The debut piece, La Regatta Umi, draws its name from The sea and is inspired by the powerful waves depicted by the Japanese ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai. Crafted using cloisonné enamel techniques, artisans meticulously outline the wave patterns with fine gold wires and infuse them with enamel colors mixed with metallic oxides. Each color is fired separately at different temperatures, with some pieces undergoing up to 12 to 15 firings—an incredibly disciplined process. To enhance depth, the artwork also employs the paillons technique, incorporating ultra-thin silver leaves into the transparent enamel layers, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that mirrors the rhythm of undulating waves.
The second piece, La Regatta Blue Horizon, is celebrated for its minimalist design, featuring a deep blue sea surface. It showcases the flinqué enamel technique, where a guilloché engraving creates the base pattern, layered beneath a transparent blue enamel, allowing the geometric designs underneath to remain distinct. As the light shifts, the enamel reveals intricate light and shadow variations, mimicking the visual dynamism of a boat slicing through the water, exemplifying exceptional craftsmanship and artistic balance.
The third piece, La Regatta Prism, showcases the incredibly rare plique-à-jour enameling technique, featuring a design composed of multifaceted geometric patterns predominantly in turquoise and green hues. This technique eliminates the use of a metal backing, allowing the enamel to be fired directly within a hollow metal framework, resulting in a finish that resembles stained glass. When light penetrates, it creates a striking transparency and colorful layers, presenting a dazzling and refined visual effect. Due to the high technical demands and low yield of this craft, it holds great collectible value.
Each of the three timepieces is powered by L’Epée 1839’s proprietary hand-wound movement, operating at a frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 beats per hour). They feature 26 ruby bearings and an Incabloc shock protection system, offering an impressive power reserve of up to 8 days. The movement materials include palladium-plated brass and polished stainless steel, with a variety of surface treatments applied externally, such as polishing, matte brushing, and sandblasting, showcasing a harmonious balance between mechanics and aesthetics.
The La Regatta Métiers d’Art collection not only showcases the brand’s mastery of mechanical structure and artistic enamel but also symbolizes the rhythm, order, and elegance of the passage of time. Whether it’s Umi, which embodies the forces of nature, the understated depth of Blue Horizon, or the geometric optical aesthetics of Prism, each piece reveals the limitless potential for clocks to serve as vessels of art.
