Few shapes are as instantly recognized, or as revered, as the sphere of a football. For more than a century, it has carried the emotion of the game, uniting generations through moments of anticipation, triumph and shared passion.
Presented like a mechanical trophy, L’Epée 1839’s Football captures this emotional connection through the language of haute horlogerie. Its openworked architecture transforms the iconic geometry of pentagons and hexagons into a kinetic sculpture, revealing an eight-day movement at its centre and bringing to life a creation that lives and breathes the game.
Football unfolds within the framework of time: two defined halves, added minutes, seasons and competitions that return year after year. Behind every match lie countless hours of preparation, the refinement of technique and the pursuit of mastery. Yet once the whistle blows, the game takes on a life of its own. Its duration can be measured and its rhythm anticipated, but its course and outcome remain beyond complete control.
Horology follows the same paradox. Behind every movement lie years of expertise, meticulous development and the patient refinement of each component. Every mechanism can be precisely calibrated, every second measured with extraordinary accuracy. Yet time reveals its meaning only as it unfolds, through moments that can never be entirely predicted or controlled.
Like a team working towards a common goal, the creation of L’Epée 1839’s Football depends on the expertise of numerous specialised métiers brought together under one roof. Each component is conceived with purpose, meticulously crafted and then finished by hand. From technical development to final assembly, individual skills work in harmony to bring the kinetic creation to life.
More than a tribute to the beautiful game, the Football becomes a celebration of the journey towards excellence - of milestones reached, mastery earned and the collective effort behind every great performance.
“We believe that Football has always measured time differently whether in seasons, in finals played, or in the ninety minutes that can define a career. We wanted to build an object worthy of that weight. Something a collector keeps not for a season, but for a lifetime.” – Arnaud Nicolas, CEO of L’Epée 1839
Design and mechanism
The football’s distinctive geometry of pentagonal and hexagonal panels is reinterpreted as a mechanical exoskeleton, each element secured by visible screws and arranged around the timekeeping mechanism at its center.
The open structure allows light to travel through the sculpture from every angle, illuminating the layers of the open worked movement and revealing the interplay of its moving components. The hand-polished exoskeleton catches and reflects the light, while the satin-brushed time discs introduce a softer contrast, visually distinguishing the display from the surrounding architecture. This interplay of finishes, transparency and light gives the Football a sense of depth and lightness, with the movement itself becoming part of the sculpture’s visual expression.
At the heart of the Football lies an eight-day movement, animated by the steady pulse of its visible escapement and the motion of its gear trains. Together, they give the sculpture its rhythm and mechanical vitality. Much like a ball in play, whose movement carries the intensity and momentum of a match, the escapement becomes the driving force of the creation.
Time becomes part of the sphere itself. Hours and minutes are displayed on two rotating satin-finished discs integrated directly into the open worked movement and following the curvature of the Football. The numerals are revealed through two distinct hexagonal apertures, using the geometry of the ball itself as the framework for the display and making the indication of time an integral part of the sculpture’s construction.
The movement is wound and the time adjusted using a dedicated key, positioned at the top of the spherical sculpture.
Presented on a finely crafted wooden base like a mechanical trophy, the Football can be displayed at multiple angles, allowing its spherical architecture, time display and intricate mechanics to be admired from different perspectives.
The Football by L’Epée 1839 is a limited edition of 99 pieces per version available in four configuration: Full Gold-Plated, Full Palladium-Plated, Two-Tone with Black Numerals, Two-Tone with Gold Numerals
Inspiration
Few objects carry the emotional charge of a football. It is recognized on every continent, in every language, before a single word is spoken. It has been kicked in the suburbs of London, and Paris, in the favelas of Rio, lifted above the crowds in stadiums around the world, and kept quietly, sometimes for decades on the shelves of those who once played, and never quite managed to let go.
For generations, L’Epée 1839 has pushed the boundaries of mechanical creativity and precision in its interpretation of time. Football has followed its own pursuit of perfection, with engineers continually refining the ball for greater accuracy, consistency and control. Yet both share the same limit: the ball can be engineered, but the game remains unwritten; time can be measured, but never controlled.
The classic 32-panel football, composed of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons, became an enduring visual archetype of the game after the Telstar appeared at the 1970 World Cup. Conceived to create a more regular sphere, its contrasting black-and-white geometry also enhanced visibility on television, turning an engineering solution into one of the game’s most recognizable designs.
