The Label Noir x L’Epée 1839 Time Fast D8 LN_EP01… A Proper Boy’s Toy

If you can customise your car, why shouldn’t you be able to customise your luxury watch? Look no further: Geneva-based Label Noir is dedicated to personalising watches and is ready to fulfil practically any fantasy. A Royal Oak with a pink gold case that emulates the cratered surface of the Moon or Popeye’s arms, indicating the time on a Rolex Explorer, are pretty standard fare for Label Noir. The latest customisation project from the Label Noir atelier has four wheels, a cockpit and a sleek matte body. Meet Label Noir’s take on L’Epée’s Time Fast D8, a miniature vintage-inspired racing car fitted with a powerful 8-day engine.

L’Epée 1839 is the prestigious Swiss clock manufacture that has managed to keep abreast of the times – for over 180 years – by adapting to the changing landscape of watchmaking. From classic carriage clocks to avant-garde table clocks, L’Epée is the only manufacturer specialising in high-end clocks in Switzerland. Many of you are familiar with L’Epée through its collaborations with MB&F, which have resulted in 14 co-branded clocks to date. From robots to spaceships and from dinosaurs to jellyfish, there is no lack of creativity in these amazing MB&F + L’Epée table clocks.

Toys for Boys

In 2019, L’Epée unveiled the Time Fast D8 clock at Baselworld. Measuring just under 40cm and weighing almost 5 kilos, the Time Fast D8 replicates the sleek aerodynamic lines of a Formula 1 1950s single-seater racing car. Designed by Georg Foster while he was studying for his master’s degree at ECAL (the university of art and design in Lausanne), the project was entrusted to L’Epée, whose team produced every piece (except for the raw aluminium casting, crystals and jewels) of the car and its engine. Like the racing cars of the 1950s, the bodywork is aluminium, and the car frame is H-shaped.

The hours and minutes are displayed on the side of the car on two stainless steel discs that look like the racing number on an F1 car. The driver’s helmet is a hand-blown glass dome protecting the balance wheel that beats at 2.5Hz. Another fun feature is the miniature steering wheel that is rotated counterclockwise to set the time. With its 8-day power reserve, the clock is wound by pulling the rear wheels backwards, exactly like the pull-back motor used inside toy cars. Every detail of the car reflects the consummate attention to detail of L’Epée’s clockmakers, from the rubber tyres with stainless steel spoked rims to the front grille and the painted aluminium bodywork.  Apertures beneath the bodywork reveal the engine, a tiered horizontal in-house manual-winding movement – L’Epée 1855 MHD – designed to hug the car’s curves. Produced in seven different colours and limited to 100 pieces per colour, the Time Fast D8 is the ultimate boy’s toy.

Label Noir’s Time Fast D8 LN-EP01

True to its name, many pieces customised by Label Noir are interpreted in all-black cases and dials. We’ve recently seen the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Label Noir in all black gear, and frankly, it looks great. In Label Noir’s hands, the Time Fast D8 gets the black treatment, and its aluminium bodywork flaunts a matte black paint used in the automotive industry. The plates, alloys and escapement are treated with a matte black ADLC (Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon) coating making it more resistant to wear and rust. Similar to the black and gold John Player Special F1 cars, the sleek black bodywork is enhanced with touches of yellow, including the hour and minute numerals on the satin-brushed black discs and the trims on the tyres. On the other side of the car, opposite the timekeeping rollers, is a round disc that is usually reserved for advertisers on F1 cars. Instead of the engraved L’Epée 1839 logo on the original models, it now displays Label Noir’s logo in yellow and the limited edition number of the table clock.

Price & availability

The Time Fast D8 LN-EP01 is limited to just five models and retails for CHF 31,500. Please consult labelnoirdesign.com for further information.