The watch lover's guide to holiday gifts
As the festive season approaches, the quest for the perfect gift begins. For those who love all things horological, we’ve prepared a holiday gift guide for watch collectors and enthusiasts. Though we mostly handle watches, these are non-watch gifts that fit perfectly inside watch community culture – amazing clocks, horological-themed artwork, and state-of-the-art watch safes. Whether it’s a gift to yourself or for a loved one, here’s our three picks for the holidays!
L’Epée 1839 Grenade
For more than 180 years, L’Epée 1839 has been a prominent clockmaking house in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland. To this day, it remains the only high-end clockmaking house left. We’ve handled many of the brand’s clocks from the Time Fast D8 to the Time Flies, all pushing the boundaries of horology with their ultra-functional designs. For this year’s holiday season, our pick from this illustrious brand is the all-new Grenade, released earlier this year.
The hours and minutes are displayed on two black aluminum disks rotating directly over the beating heart of Grenade. With 255 components, the movement ticks away at a traditional 18,000 vibrations per hour, showcasing the balance front and center. Without an indication for the power reserve, the audible ticking of time is a reminder to seize the day.
Part of L’Epée’s DNA is merging form with function. There’s no frivolousness in the clockmaking house’s designs. With the Grenade, the pin is the timepiece’s key, allowing for the setting of the time and the winding of the 8-day movement. Modeled off the historical MKII grenade that uses a pin to activate the explosive, L’Epée’s Grenade almost tricks the mind to concentrate a little more than usual on time-setting and winding after pulling the pin. The Grenade is available in Deep Blue, Green Forest Dawn, and Black Raven.
Berd Vayè Hallucination
We like to think that we cast light on an important element of the watchmaking ecosystem – kinetic artists. Creators that are deeply inspired by horology, but do not create timepieces in the sense of wristwatches, pocket watches or clocks. Berd Vayè is one of these artists, crafting art pieces that are deeply inspired by antique timekeeping devices. The founders scour the globe for broken vintage timepieces that they disassemble, restore the integrity of the parts, and reconstruct into art. One of our favorites, we have to choose the Hallucination for this gift guide. A three dimensional skull is psychedelically positioned within a surrounding crystal clear sculpture. The defined corners of the naturally magnifying Lucite mesmerize, and the seemingly floating, apparition-like interior skull challenges what your eyes actually see within. At roughly 10in x 10in x 10in (25cm x 25cm x 25cm), it’s a great addition for a watch collector or enthusiast’s office desk or placed in an at-home workspace.
MB&F x L’Epée Sherman
Two of our favorite watchmaking brands collaborating, it simply doesn’t get much better than this. MB&F and L’Epée co-create Sherman, a clock inspired by one of Max Büsser’s childhood toys. Sherman, a little robot companion, feels alive, with his eyes carefully looking at you, and his arms ready to embrace you. This robot-clock is a playful object, it can roll on your desk and you can also play with its arms.
Generally, it’s only good vibes when MB&F and L’Epée collaborate. This is another testament to that. It’s fun, but not without serious technical watchmaking as we expect from both brands. Masters of functional timekeeping, the treads on Sherman are used to wind the 8-day power reserve movement. Sherman’s eyes are bolt heads supporting the regulator while the movement plates and bridges of the clock also make up the skeleton and body of the robot. Through the transparent dome on Sherman’s head, the brain of the robot is the clock’s regulator, controlling the precision of the timekeeping. Whether Sherman lives on a desk or fireplace mantel, it’s sure to create a smile and intrigue from those that stroll by.
Buben & Zörweg ORION XL High-Security Safe
Watch safety (and safes!) are not discussed enough. Usually a bit of an afterthought, it’s very important that high-end timepieces are stored correctly. Buben & Zörweg are the manufacturer of high-security safes. If independent watchmaking often represents the finest in the craft, then Buben & Zörweg is a match in their field. The company’s safes are exquisite in their craftsmanship and design. Each safe has a striking appearance, polished and ultra-fine finished steel surfaces as well as upholstery. This year, the Buben & Zörweg ORION XL caps our list.
The ORION XL stands at roughly 5ft in height, 2ft wide, and 2ft in depth. As one expects from the brand, every detail matters. The corners of every ORION are contoured, providing an almost sculptural quality to the safe. At the center of the ORION is its bejeweled handle, set by hand with 8 mother-of-pearl inlays with an engraved stainless steel ring. With a wide selection of colors, the safe’s insides are equally customizable. There are multiple configurations available including everything from 40 watch winders and no drawers to 10 drawers and no watch winders. While there’s no perfect home for a watch collection, the ORION XL safe is as good as it gets for high-security, craftsmanship, and functionality.
Curious about delivery before the holidays arrive? Reach out to us and explore more holiday gifts from L’Epée, Bard Vayè, and Buben & Zörweg on our website! We wish everyone happy holidays and a good start to the New Year!