LVMH acquires high-end Swiss clock maker L'Epée 1839

LVMH has acquired Swiza, owner of L'Epée 1839, a Swiss manufacturer of high-end clocks and authentic 'objets d'art' featuring exceptional mechanisms and intricacies.

Under the LVMH umbrella, more than 80 designers, engineers, watchmakers, mechanics and employees alongside L'Epée 1839 CEO and creative director Arnaud Nicolas will continue to serve the current and future customers.

Based in Delémont, in the Swiss Jura, L'Epée 1839 has been recognised for its exceptional watchmaking expertise for 185 years, crafting creations that have been conceived, developed and produced in-house. Now specialising in clocks, the company is recognised for its unrivalled expertise and its unique creative vision in combining form and function.

LVMH said in a statement that each L'Epée 1839 clock represents a genuine technical feat, incorporating major horological intricacies such as perpetual calendars, tourbillons, retrograde hands, and more. Special features include power reserves of up to 8,760 hours, or a full year and unparalleled design and aesthetics, always incorporating a poetic or humorous touch.

When it was founded by Auguste L'Epée in the 19th century, the company initially specialised in the manufacture of watch components and was a pioneer in the production of music boxes. It then evolved to develop a range of cutting-edge timepieces, firstly by producing carriage clocks and then, over the course of the 20th century, by expanding its range of exclusive clocks.

More recently, the company added that L'Epée 1839 has forged prestigious and creative partnerships with several luxury and watchmaking maisons to create exclusive timepieces. Numerous projects were launched with LVMH Group Maisons, including Tiffany, which presented a carriage clock in the shape of the first Formula 1 cars from the 1950s, to mark the reopening of its historic boutique on 5th Avenue in New York in 2023.

Louis Vuitton also called on the expertise of the craftsmen at L’Epée 1839 to create a hot-air balloon, a symbol regularly used by the company.