Why unique clocks are on the rise in high horology: from Van Cleef & Arpels and Jaeger-LeCoultre to award-winning independent house L’Epée 1839 – a timepiece brand that A$AP Rocky featured in his MV

Jan 9 , 2024

There’s a rise in interest in unique clocks in high horology. Photo: L’Epée 1839

Jaeger-LeCoultre and Van Cleef & Arpels are two of the only luxury brands that devote time and attention to high horology clocks today, creating the Atmos Infinite and Éveil du Cyclamen automaton

Helmed by Arnaud Nicolas, L’Epée 1839, producer of edgy, futuristic clocks, won GPHG’s mechanical clock award in 2023 with its 1960s automobile-inspired Time Fast II Chrome

The world of high horology revolves around craftsmanship and artistry that’s geared towards timekeeping, but is mostly concerned with the myriad wristwatches that dominate independent and luxury brand spheres.

Today, most people can check the time, atomically accurate and all, simply by looking at their phone. High horology watches have become timekeeping accessories – convenient, yes, but more an aesthetic or personal choice than a utilitarian one.

But what about the timepieces that preceded wristwatches themselves?

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Atmos Infinite clock from the Stellar Odyssey exhibition. Photo: Jaeger-LeCoultre

Clocks, historically the most ubiquitous mechanical timekeeping devices, have now similarly worn out their usefulness – possibly even more so than wristwatches. Today’s known clocks are either limited to a few valuable, singular names or mainly showcase automata for aesthetic reasons over timekeeping ones. They are wonderful and show mechanical intrigue more visibly, but are large and usually limited to home use nonetheless.

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Éveil du Cyclamen automaton clock, nominated for the mechanical clock category at the GPHG.

Brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre and Van Cleef & Arpels almost stand alone as mainstream watch brands who carry high horology clocks at all. The former is most known for its Atmos clock that transforms ambient temperature into mechanical energy to power its timekeeping, and the latter is known for its automata – most recently it released the Éveil du Cyclamen Automaton, which was nominated in the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s (GPHG) Mechanical Clock category in 2023, the only non-independent brand to do so.

Urwerk Space-Time Blade, originally slated for auction at Only Watch 2023. Photo: Urwerk

In fact, some of 2023’s most memorable clocks came from independent houses. Urwerk evoked sci-fi and lightsabres for its Space-Time Blade intended for the Only Watch auction before it was postponed. The other noteworthy nominees from GPHG’s mechanical clock category included a two-dial eccentric travel clock design from Alain Silberstein.

Meanwhile, the Unnamed Society produced a clock hidden inside a football, and one of the non-category awards, the Audacity award – which honours any timepiece, watch or otherwise, with an offbeat, nonconformist design – went to Maison Alcée for its Persée Azur.