L’EPÉE 1839 UNVEILS THE IMPERIAL HOT AIR BALLOON TIMEPIECE

Images courtesy of L’Epée 1839

Showcasing Extraordinary Craftsmanship

At Watches & Wonders 2025, L’Epée 1839 presents the Imperial Hot Air Balloon—a singular Métiers d’Art creation that blends historical homage, kinetic design, and extraordinary craftsmanship. This mechanical marvel pays tribute to the Montgolfier brothers’ first manned flight in 1783, an event that lifted not only a balloon but the human spirit into the sky for the first time.

Crafted in enamel-adorned sculpture and powered by an eight-day movement, this exceptional timepiece reflects the Enlightenment’s spirit of curiosity and grandeur. Hours and minutes are displayed via a flame-shaped hand that hovers over twin rotating cylinders, while the movement—gilded and designed to evoke the form of a balloon—sits proudly between the burner and the basket.

Setting and winding are intuitively poetic: turn the burner’s crown to set the time, or rotate the basket itself to wind the mechanism. The piece may rest on a tabletop or hang suspended mid-air, floating like its historical inspiration. A custom suspension system, nearly invisible, allows the clock to hover—timeless, weightless, dreamlike.

Presented by Magran Living

The Imperial Balloon is a celebration of craftsmanship, adorned with royal blue and gold cloisonné enamel, imperial symbols, and celestial motifs that echo the deep ties between horology, astronomy, and imagination. The enameling—executed in the Grand Feu technique—requires up to 15 firings and an artisan’s absolute precision, each wire and pigment forming a chapter in a visual story of wonder.

Whether displayed on a desk or suspended above, the Imperial Hot Air Balloon is a work of functional poetry: a tribute to invention, aspiration, and the beauty of time taking flight.