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Video: Fiona Krüger and L'Epee launch Vanitas skull clock
The Secret
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock
Having kept the secret for 9 weeks since my sneak peek at Baselworld 2017 under pain of Death, I am finally unburdened from the haunting L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock.
PuristS will be familiar with the skull theme as we have seen skull watches from many brands like Richard Mille, Speake-Marin, Hublot, Bell & Ross, Romain Jerome, Hajime Asaoka and even HYT. In the last few years, this theme has been in the purview of the Queen of Skulls - Fiona Krüger.
PuristSPro 2014 Skull Report [click]
PuristSPro Baselworld 2015 Day 4 Live Report [click]
PuristSPro Baselworld 2016 Petit Skull Report [click]
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock
As the ultimate symbol of life, death and human experience, the Skull has been iconic in both horological and art history.
Combining Fiona Krüger’s artistic approach to horology design and L’Epée’s mechanical expertise, the Skull has been re-interpreted as a modern mechanical Vanitas painting.
A 'Vanitas' is a still life artwork which includes symbolic objects to remind the viewer of the transience of life. This was an important and popular genre of painting in the 1600s that included symbols like skulls and extinguished candles.
L'Epee 1839
The Vanitas clock is engineered and crafted by L’Epée 1839, Switzerland’s specialised high-end clock manufacturer. L’Epée was founded in 1839, initially to make music box and watch components, by Auguste L’Epée who set up the business near Besançon, France. From 1850 onwards, the manufacture became a leading light in the production of ‘platform’ escapements, creating regulators especially for alarm clocks, table clocks and musical watches. During the 20th century, L’Epée owed its reputation to its superlative carriage clocks; it was the gift of choice by French government officials to elite guests.
In 1976 when the Concorde supersonic aircraft entered commercial service, L’Epée wall clocks were chosen for the cabin. In 1994, L’Epée built the world’s biggest clock with compensated pendulum, the Giant Regulator. At 2.2m high, it weighs 1.2 tons – the mechanical movement alone weighs 120kg – and required 2,800 man-hours of work.
L’Epée is now based in Delémont in the Swiss Jura Mountains and has developed an exceptional table clock collection, encompassing a range of sophisticated classic Carriage Clocks, Contemporary Design Clocks (Le Duel, La Tour,…) and avant-garde horological sculptures (Sherman, Starfleet Machine, Arachnophobia, Balthazar…).
This last collection, named the “Art line” collection, was launched for its 175th Anniversary, is intended to shock, evoke and inspire people, not to toe the line. L’Epée clocks feature complications including retrograde seconds, power reserve indicators, perpetual calendars, tourbillons and striking mechanisms – all designed and manufactured in-house. Ultra-long power reserves have become a signature of the brand as well as superlative fine finishing.
The Vanitas Clock
Fiona Krüger design sketchbook
The L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas clock implores you to celebrate life. The hours and minutes are shown by the hands and power reserve is shown by the mouth of the skull. As the power is lost, Vanitas starts to yawn to inform the owner that it needs winding. This endearing ritual is restricted to a monthly affair by the 35-day power reserve.
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock coloured full power
This new wall clock features the movement on the front and two mainspring barrel arbors as “pupils” in the eye sockets; it is designed around a mechanical skull’s face. Vanitas shows the time with two hands that are centrally mounted on the nose. As the hands turn, they intermittently hide and reveal the skull’s eyes as if playing hide-and-seek. When the mouth is completely opened (18.5mm gap between the teeth) the clock looks like it is “yawning” to warn its owner that it will go to sleep if energy is not provided.
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock coloured power empty
Vanitas is a luxury wall clock, featuring the same mechanisms as a wristwatch, only larger: gear train, five mainspring barrels in series, balance wheel, escape wheel and anchor. L’Epée’s regulator has Incabloc shock protection to minimise the risk of damage when the clock is being transported.
Paradoxically, larger components make fine finishing the movement much more challenging than the small parts of a wristwatch because of the larger surface areas. L’Epée CEO Arnaud Nicolas explains: “It’s not just a case of double the size of the components, double the time it takes to finish them. The complexity increases exponentially. For polishing you need to apply the same pressure as you would finishing a watch movement, but on a bigger surface, and that’s more challenging. It’s thanks to the experience and dexterity of our clockmakers that the Vanitas clock can feature such superlative fine-finishing.”
DISPLAY
Hours and minutes
Power reserve indicator
MAIN STRUCTURE
Height 306 mm
Width 220 mm
Thickness 86 mm
Clock Weight Approx. 5 kg. with 2.2 kg just for the movement
‘Dark’ version Matt Housing in Black Anodized Aluminum with mineral glass
Coloured version Matt Housing in Black Anodized Aluminum with mineral glass
MOVEMENT
L’Epée in-house designed and manufactured movement: apprximately 400 parts
Balance frequency: 18,000 vph / 2.5Hz
Barrels: 5 (in series)
Power reserve: 35 days
Jewels: 11
Incabloc shock protection system
Manual-winding Double-ended key to set time and wind movement on the skull face
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock dark power yawn
‘Dark’ version Mechanism in palladium-coated brass
Movement Main plates in black PVD coated brass
Multi-layered screenprinted white decoration (gloss ink).
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock coloured power yawn
Coloured Version Mechanism in palladium-coated brass
Movement Main plate in brass black PVD coating
Multi-coloured screen-printed pattern (gloss ink).
Each colour used in the design of the clock was specially selected as it represents a specific meaning pertaining to the Dia de Los Muertos celebration: Blue=Trust, White=Purity, Orange=Sun, Yellow=Death, Pink=Celebration, Red=Life and Purple=Grief and Black=Mortality (hence the black PVD coating)
Vanitas is limited to 50 pieces per configuration.
Currently, Dark and Colourful versions are available and priced at CHF 30,000 (US$31,000) before taxes.
Fiona Krüger Timepieces
Fiona Krüger Timepieces
Fiona produces her own SKULL line of watches at Fiona Krüger Timepieces but obviously, they are for the wrist.
Having spent part of her childhood in Mexico City, Fiona's vivid memories of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival have influenced her own skull watch collection and this latest collaboration with L’Epée.
Fiona Krüger Timepieces
Fiona’s unique design process has been called a “New Metier D’Art” in itself, as she transforms mechanical watches into emotive timepieces. Her creative interpretation of mechanical watchmaking stems from her artistic sensibility and multicultural influences. Fiona pulls inspiration from her international background, Fine Art and Design training, and her fascination with the history of horology, to create pieces which evoke wonder.
The synonymous themes of “time” and “mortality”, which have played an important role in watchmaking since the 1400’s, inspired Fiona to develop her iconic SKULL collection. The skull is an internationally recognised symbol, embedded in the history of watchmaking. Drawing inspiration from the 17th century skull watch of Mary - Queen of Scots, the Mexican celebration of Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and beautifully decorated skeleton movements found in today’s luxury watches, Fiona’s artistic re-interpretation of the skull symbol has resulted in a unique timepiece collection which transcends cultural divides.
The partnership with L’Epée furthers Fiona’s history of working closely with luxury brands, with a design commission from Fabergé for their 2017 Lady Libertine III, an exclusive event for Harrods to launch her Skull collection, and a partnership with luxury whisky brand The Macallan for an evening of whisky and watches in New York.
VIDEO
L'Epee Fiona Krüger Vanitas Clock
Video: Fiona Krüger and L'Epee launch Vanitas skull clock
Very interesting post.
