Drawing inspiration from iconic 1920s and 1930s race cars, the T35 pays homage to a legendary racing machine that is perhaps considered the greatest race car of all time. With an unrivaled track record of success and thousands of motorsports victories to its name, this champion car is one of the most famous and influential racers in automotive history. It was renowned for its advanced engineering with a perfect harmony of lightness and power, achieving the fastest speeds of its era.
Drawing inspiration from iconic 1920s
The T35 is more than just a kinetic sculpture that tells time; it is the ultimate gentleman's accessory. With a simple activation of the handbrake, its V8-engine is released, revealing a beautifully hidden gas cigar torch within. In today's fast-paced world, L’Epée 1839 invites you to take a moment for yourself and appreciate the great moments and small luxuries in life.
The T35 discreetly showcases hours and minutes on the side of its chassis. The driver sits in the cockpit beneath a glass dome, which highlights the escapement and showcases the artistic, whimsical timepiece within. The steering wheel features an original three-spoke design, typical of the racing cars from this era, and assembled like the original steering wheels, with a center rim and two outer rims held together by 12 rivets. To set the time, the steering wheel is turned counterclockwise. Turning the steering wheel clockwise recenters the wheel.
The mechanics of the T35 consists of an in-house movement with an 8-day power reserve, which melds seamlessly to the curves of the aluminum bodywork. In a subtle nod to vintage toy cars of our childhood, winding the mechanical motor is done by turning the rear wheels, just like a pullback car.
The T35 is the ideal, unconventional gentleman’s accessory and an entertaining, interactive discussion piece for an office or home setting. A favorite feature is the functional hand-break located on the side of the chassis, which is pulled to release the engine and reveal the hidden lighter.
The T35 boasts numerous eye-catching details and engineering specifications, in ode to vintage race cars. These include a long protruding engine hood, the iconic 1930s race car radiator grill and large spoked wheels, a rear-positioned driving seat, and a sloping back section. Its race car aesthetic is further enhanced by sleek lines and state of the art finishes.
Just like a normal-sized car, the T35 is formed of solid aluminum body parts, with the engine components and chassis made of stainless steel and palladium plated brass. Each component is individually finished by hand, with polished, satin finished or sand-blasted parts.
T35 launches in a limited edition of 100 pieces in each of these 4 colors: French Racing blue, British Racing green, Obsidian Black and ‘Red’ Rosso Corsa
The greatest champion
The 1920s and 1930s were pivotal years in racing history, when one particular race car model held the greatest track record in vintage motorsports history. The T35 combines design, technology, power and precision in ode to these memorable champion cars.
Race cars from that era were powered by inline 8-cylinder engines, which were celebrated for durability and reliability; properties which also resonate with L'Epée 1839's own timeless mechanical creations. They also featured a lightweight chassis that was beautiful, powerful and fast, perfectly combining aesthetics with strength and agility. The L’Epée 1839 T35 makes a nostalgic play on this high performance by incorporating similar aesthetic details into a high-performance horological time piece with attitude.
T35 – a special name
The name T35 is short for Time Fast 35 and comes from the line of racing cars created by L’Epée 1839. The T35 is the 35th automotive project on which L'Epée 1839 has worked, with only 3 revealed to the public—further proof of L'Epée 1839’s rigorous product and design selection for launches.
T35 - a race car in a table clock design
In creating T35’s highly visible movement, L’Epée 1839 had to design a specific eight-day movement to perfectly blend the design and appearance of the car with the horological function of a clock.
In racing, the driver is key to maximizing car performance—the brains behind the operation. Inspired by driver ingenuity, the T35 movement escapement was designed to be the brains of this racing inspired timepiece. Its escapement is protected by hand blown glass, which was blown, cut and polished by master hands. This glass sits on a gasket, which gives the subassembly the shape of a colonial helmet often used by vintage race car drivers to protect their head.
In front of the driver, within the cockpit, the steering wheel is used to set the time. A counterclockwise move adjusts the time, while and clockwise movement repositions the steering wheel once the time is set.
In a subtle nod to childhood memories, the mechanical motor is wound just like a pull-back car.
The T35 wheel design is inspired by cast aluminum racing wheels with eight flat spokes. A revolutionary design for the time, they saved weight and cooled the brakes more efficiently.
T35 tires contain a specially developed foam so that the sub-assembly replicates the same tire deformation where the tires contact the road, as observed with racing cars on a road track.
The hours and minutes are displayed on the side of the chassis via two engraved stainless steel disks, which are viewed through an aperture for maximum readability.
On the other side of the chassis, outside of the cockpit, is the parking brakes lever. With a simple push of the handbrake, the V8-engine is released, revealing a cleverly hidden gas lighter—a delight for both car and cigar aficionados. The lighter can then removed from the car for use and returned by pushing it back its original position to lock it in place. Even the lighter was crafted with nostalgic details from this racing era. It can be easily refilled and has an aperture to view remaining lighter fuel levels.
