The real horological magic and mystery take place in Octopod's completely transparent spherical 'head'.
The first thing to notice is that Octopod's transparent sphere is gimballed in a similar way to how traditional ship chronometers were gimballed – although on one axis rather than two – so that they remained flat despite the pitching and rolling of the ship. In Octopod's case, the gimbal ensures that no matter what angle or height it sits, it is easy to rotate the bubble so that the time display inside is at the ideal plane for maximum legibility.
The second thing the attentive eye will notice is that Octopod's pulsating escapement, which regulates the clock's precision, is located on its minute hand rather than the more usual (and mechanically simpler) position attached to stationary movement plates.
While not technically a tourbillon according to Abraham-Louis Breguet's original patent, with its movement vertical, the 60-minute rotation of Octopod's regulator on the minute hand is closer to the primary aim of Breguet's invention.
His intention was to rotate the escapement of a pocket watch sitting vertically in a fob pocket to average out positional errors, while wristwatch tourbillons are continually moving through all positions without requiring 360° rotations.
And thirdly there's the mystery of how Octopod's clockwork is suspended inside its crystalline sphere, so that it appears to be floating in space (or water). The baseplate of the movement is a transparent glass plate that has been treated with a film of anti-reflective coating on both sides so that it is virtually invisible.
Dedicated to making high-end clocks, L'Epée has been a prominent Swiss Manufacture for over 180 years. Founded in 1839 by Auguste L’Epée in France’s Besançon region, the company originally focused on producing music boxes and watch components. The brand was synonymous at the time with entirely hand-made pieces .
From 1850 onwards, the Manufacture became a leading light in the production of ‘platform’ escapements, creating regulators especially for alarm and table clocks, as well as musical watches. It became a well-known specialist owning a large number of patents on exceptional escapements and the chief supplier of escapements to several celebrated watchmakers of the day. L'Epée has won a number of gold awards at international exhibitions.
L'Epée 1839 is now based in Delémont in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Under the impetus of its CEO Arnaud Nicolas, it has developed an exceptional table clock collection, encompassing a full range of sophisticated clocks. All models are designed and manufactured in-house. Their technical prowess, combination of form and function, very long power reserves and remarkable finishes have become signature features of the brand.
Dedicated to making high-end clocks, L'Epée has been a prominent Swiss Manufacture for over 180 years. Founded in 1839 by Auguste L’Epée in France’s Besançon region, the company originally focused on producing music boxes and watch components. The brand was synonymous at the time with entirely hand-made pieces .
From 1850 onwards, the Manufacture became a leading light in the production of ‘platform’ escapements, creating regulators especially for alarm and table clocks, as well as musical watches. It became a well-known specialist owning a large number of patents on exceptional escapements and the chief supplier of escapements to several celebrated watchmakers of the day. L'Epée has won a number of gold awards at international exhibitions.
L'Epée 1839 is now based in Delémont in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Under the impetus of its CEO Arnaud Nicolas, it has developed an exceptional table clock collection, encompassing a full range of sophisticated clocks. All models are designed and manufactured in-house. Their technical prowess, combination of form and function, very long power reserves and remarkable finishes have become signature features of the brand.
Hours, minutes and finely counter-balanced regulator mounted on minutes hand
Frame Stainless steel, nickel and palladium plated brass
309 components (body, legs and sphere)
L’Épée in-house designed and manufactured movement
Balance frequency: 2.5Hz / 18,000bph
159 components / 19 jewels
Manual-winding
Power reserve: 8 days
8 legs each composed of 31 pieces
Articulation released by a button in each leg, can be locked in two positions (standing or extended)
Size: L: 28 cm x H: 28 cm (standing) / L: 45 cm x H: 22 cm (crouching)
Weight: 4.2 kg
Two polycarbonate hemispheres 360° rotation in both vertical and horizontal planes
Enter your contact details below...
