Weighing in at over 8 kilograms and standing 40 centimetres tall, Balthazar is a sophisticated and imposing high-precision robot clock composed of 618 beautifully finished, micro-engineered components. But beware… Balthazar hides two sides, as there are in all of us.
Light side: boasting 35 days of power reserve, Balthazar's clockwork displays "slow" jumping hours and sweeping minutes via two discs on the chest, while the power reserve is indicated on his belly. His red eyes, which continually scan the surroundings, are actually 20-second retrograde displays.
Dark side: rotate his torso 180 degrees and the absolute nature of Balthazar's darkness is revealed by the cold, hard skull with menacing teeth and deep-set ruby-red eyes. Balthazar's chest also contains a dual hemisphere moon phase.
more pictures in press section
Balthazar rotates around his hips on precision ball bearings. The smiling Balthazar becomes very dark, and vice versa…
In addition to showing the hours, minutes and power reserve, Balthazar also features a dual hemisphere moon phase indicator – located on his dark side’s chest.
The key allows you to both set the time and wind the movement; when not in use it slips into a dedicated slot in the shield.
For more live pics, wristshots and other cool images, check out our Instagram account.
Maximilian Büsser and Arnaud Nicolas CEO of L’Épée 1839Fictional robots often possess monikers sounding like acronyms or reference numbers – think of HAL 9000, C-3PO or Dr. Who’s K-9 – but, interestingly, Maximilian Büsser christened this 21st-century robot with the old world name ‘Balthazar’.
Balthazar – along with Melchior and Caspar – was one of the names of the three wise men, or magi, from biblical lore. But this robot clock was named Balthazar for another reason. Maximilian Büsser explains: “In the Büsser family, for over five centuries from the 1400s onwards, every eldest Büsser son was either called Melchior or Balthazar. It alternated. My grandfather was called Melchior and hated it, so he had everybody call him Max, which is how I became a Max. My grandfather hated the Melchior-Balthazar thing so much that he put an end to this 500-year-old tradition by calling my father Mario… Now, a century later, I happen to love the names Melchior and Balthazar!”
L’Epée 1839 has been a prominent clockmaking manufacture for 185 years. Today, it is the only manufacture in Switzerland to specialize in the production of high-end clocks. Founded in 1839 by Auguste L’Epée in Sainte-Suzanne, France, the company originally focused on producing music boxes and watch components. Even at this early stage, the brand was synonymous with entirely handmade pieces.
Starting in 1850, the manufacture became a leader in producing escapements and began to develop special regulators for alarm clocks, table clocks, and musical watches. It gained wide recognition and filed numerous patents for special escapements, particularly for use in its anti-knocking, auto-starting, and constant force systems. L’Epée 1839 became the principal supplier of several famous clockmakers and went on to win many gold medals at World Fairs.
Today, L’Epée 1839 is based in the Swiss Jura Mountains (Delémont), under the direction of CEO Arnaud Nicolas. The manufacture still upholds this incredible know-how in the passionate creation of unique horological sculptures manufactured entirely in-house.
In 2023, L’Epée 1839 wins the “Mechanical clock” award at the Grand Prix de L’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) with Time Fast II in chrome, a creative and technical challenge.
www.lepee1839.chBalthazar is available in limited editions of 50 pieces in black, silver, blue or green armour.
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