Time Machine

Will you choose to travel into the future or the past? Inspired by yesteryear's famous time machines and created with meticulous attention to detail, Time Machine is the combined creation of engineer and creator Nicolas Bringuet, designer Martin Bolo, and artistic director & general manager of L’Epée 1839, Arnaud Nicolas. The imaginative work is a kinetic sculpture and scientific instrument that nods to the worlds of manufacturing and cinema and celebrates the finest in mechanical clock making.

Throughout history, humans have pondered the question of time travel. Scientists, philosophers and artists alike have dreamt fantastical adventures in machines capable of harnessing energy to escape the present. Time travel through a machine inspired H.G. Wells' 1895 science fiction novel, The Time Machine: An Invention—which later inspired the 1960’s movie The Time Machine. Whether in a DeLorean (Back to the Future) or telephone booth (Doctor Who), time travel is achieved in our fictive dimension through human time-space manipulation in beautiful mechanical devices. Time Machine pays homage to this history while also becoming part of the canon.

THE MOVEMENT
No journey through time can be made without space. With Time Machine, L'Epée 1839 sought to design a clock that was about time, movement and space. The most remarkable features at first glance may be the 360-degree rotating time capsule and that the entire gear train of the clock movement is visible within. As with any dream machine, the onlooker immediately seeks to understand how this creation works and is rewarded with a clear view of its timekeeping mechanics.

Time Machine displays the hour and minutes with two black metal cylinders framed by a propeller at each end. Each cylinder is machined and decorated by hand. The numbers are manually filled with white lacquer for maximum visibility. The time sequence and reading is made possible by a central indicator placed between the hour and minute cylinders.

The propellers are both significant design features and the two key elements for the timekeeping mechanism. The left propeller sets the time and the right winds the barrel. The two propellers enable the owner to adjust their machine, and control their journey through time. The Caliber 1855 vertical movement is protected by a cylindrical glass so no particle can change the future, the past, or present.

THE MACHINE
Each element of the Time Machine was conceived and designed to evoke a memory. The capsule consists of a glass tube with propellers at each end, symbolizing movement, the vortex, and science. A wingnut system at the center of the clock that was inspired by the machine featured in the film, The Time Machine, allows the user to lock the rotation of the capsule and stabilize the precious mechanism during the journey.

Powered by rotations, the time capsule rests on a tripod that ensures stability for safe take-offs and landings. The bumpy landings of mobile time-travel contraptions were studied. L’Epée 1839 created the tripod for stability on all surfaces, whether a runway or a simple desk, and added slight flexibility in the foot—the only element in contact with the ground during landing. The tripod itself reflects the temporal convector of one of the most famous 1980s American cars—the DeLorean. Every detail in Time Machine is significant.

The attentive viewer will notice multiple alternations of polished and satin-finished edges that create marked angles and accentuate the interplay of light and reflections. The twin ends of the capsule are meticulously hand-finished and polished over the entire complex surfaces creating a mirror effect that both mesmerizes and showcases the chamfering work on the components.

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Time Machine is available in 3 editions of 50 works in each: Silver, Black & Gold, and Black & Silver