L'Epée 1839 Time Fast II

Time Fast II is inspired by racing sports cars of the 1960s, a golden era of long-distance automotive competition.

The name Time Fast II references the fact that it’s a 2-seater car, has two movements (one for time and one for the engine automate), racing cars are getting faster, modern time seems to be running faster, and it is L’Epée’s second car inspired clock.  

The floor and body are screwed to a H-chassis as in their full-sized counterparts. The body of Time Fast II is in aluminum because in the 1960s, aluminum was the high-tech material for racing cars as carbon fiber is today. An aluminum body on a race car offers a higher power-to-weight ratio, sh o rt er braking distances, and faster cornering: all winning attributes in a sports car.  

Time Fast II features two independent movements, both with their own power source. The first movement is in the cockpit and is responsible for keeping the time. Hours and minutes are displayed by rotating stainless steel disks on the air filters feeding the dual carburetor banks on top of the engine. The 8-day movement is regulated by a visible 2.5 Hertz escapement in the ‘driver’s helmet’ and powered by a mainspring visible in the passenger’s seat.

The second movement powers the engine automat. Turning the dashboard key starts th e engine, triggering the pistons of the V8 to go up and down. This animation is completely independent of the time movement.