The Swiss high-end clock manufacturer’s Belly Tank Racer bridges eras, blending the optimism and mechanical ingenuity of post-war American racing culture with modern, almost futuristic aesthetics. A luxury, high-end clock for every home.
The Aerodynamic Racing Machine
Belly tank racers are one of those perfect hot-rod legends – born from surplus drop tanks, dry lakes and people who wanted to overcome challenges and break limits.
It all started with airplanes. Fighter jets used to carry external fuel tanks – called ‘drop tanks’ or ‘belly tanks’. These were streamlined, teardrop-shaped aluminum tanks mounted under the fuselage to extend flying time.
When WWII pilots returned home, they looked at these perfectly aerodynamic forms and saw something else entirely: a ready-made race car body. What others saw as old surplus, they saw it as a new innovative opportunity – driven by curiosity and ingenuity.
L’Epée 1839’s Belly Tank Racer captures the spirit of a golden age of ingenuity – an era defined by rebuilding and bold reinvention. Its elongated teardrop form recalls the unmistakable profile of the 1940s belly tank racers: low, narrow and engineered with purpose. True to L’Epée 1839’s signature, every component serves a purpose, with form shaped by function – each detail designed counts.
More than record-setters, belly tank racers embodied optimism and reinvention – where determination, courage and mechanical creativity transformed remnants into beautifully shaped icons of progress, a philosophy of ingenuity and mechanical creativity that remains at the heart of L’Epée 1839.
Both nostalgic and forward-looking, its clean lines and wind-shaped curves give it a sleek, contemporary presence. Even at rest, the silhouette feels ready for acceleration.
The Automotive-Inspired Clock
L’Epée 1839’s Belly Tank Racer bridges eras, blending the optimism and mechanical ingenuity of post-war American racing culture with modern, almost futuristic aesthetics. Designed by Eric Meyer, the belly tank racer is all about effortless sophistication – its pure lines and radical simplicity creating a presence that feels undeniably modern. Rooted in heritage yet shaped by a forward-looking vision, it stands as a timeless expression of refined motor design.
Within the streamlined form of the L’Epée 1839 Belly Tank Racer, the time display is seamlessly integrated into a smooth, aircraft-designed aerodynamic body, wrapping around the central cylinder like painted racing graphics and becoming part of the machine rather than a separate dial.
Hours and minutes are shown on two transparent rotating discs, allowing time to glide effortlessly across the visible mechanism beneath. Every gear, every oscillation part of the Belly Tank’s ‘mechanical engine’ becomes a visual experience.
At the very front, the escapement – the beating heart of the movement – takes pride of place in the nose of the body. Positioned where airflow would first meet the machine, it symbolises momentum and daring, capturing the forward thrust and velocity that defined the original Belly Tank racers.
On the side, a powerful sculpted V6 engine sits beside the driver’s position, just as it would in the narrow cockpit of the real streamliner, where the driver lay low to become one with the car’s aerodynamic silhouette, while ensuring a careful balance of weight essential for stability and control at high speed.
Just as the original belly tank racers were conceived with uncompromising simplicity, the L’Epée 1839 Belly Tank Racer embraces the same spirit. Its lightweight aluminum body and slim steel wheels echo the pursuit of pure efficiency, with clean, understated rims reflecting a design stripped of excess.
The historic belly tank racers were built around a simple tubular chassis – a framework of welded steel tubes engineered to provide maximum strength with minimal mass. Every element served a purpose. Like the rest of the machine, they were reduced to the essentials: light, functional and entirely devoted to performance. This same spirit defines L’Epée 1839’s kinetic sculptures, where each component serves a purpose, combining mechanical ingenuity with storytelling.
Reflecting this same philosophy, the polished steel rims of L’Epée 1839’s Belly Tank Racer echo the stripped-down competition wheels of the 1940s.
Chasing speed or keeping time, the L’Epée 1839 Belly Tank Racer shares the same guiding principle as its historical counterpart: eliminate the unnecessary, honour the mechanics and let purpose define form.
How it Works
The function of the wheels goes beyond form. The clock is wound through the rear wheels: simply pull the car backwards and, as the wheels turn, they wind the movement inside – much like the mechanical toy car of our childhood. Such direct, playful action connects motion to time, turning an emotional feature into a simple and engaging ritual.
To set the time, gently rotate the transparent minute disc upward with your fingers until the correct time is clearly displayed between the two opposing markers.
The Belly Tank Racer is available in 5 colours: Blue, Green, Metallic Grey, Red and Black, each available in limited editions of 99 pieces per version.
More on The Belly Tank – The Ultimate Streamliner
Originally designed for aircraft, these streamlined aluminum drop tanks were built to extend flying range. When empty, pilots would release them to reduce drag in flight and combat. After the war, thousands remained as military surplus – abundant, lightweight and most importantly, perfectly aerodynamic. Former pilots and racers did not see waste, but rather a ready-to-use innovative part.
In Southern California, racers gathered on the dry lake beds – places like Muroc and El Mirage – to test their machines in straight-line speed runs. These were the early days of land speed racing.
The goal was simple: go as fast as possible in a straight line. Traditional hot rods were fast, but they weren’t streamlined. Belly tanks changed that.
Racers split the tank open, reinforced it and squeezed inside – often lying almost flat. The driver sat low and tight, barely visible, making him one with his machine.
The result was a tiny, torpedo-shaped car that sliced through the air. And they were fast.
Some early cars broke 150mph, then 200mph – astonishing speeds for backyard-built machines of the era.
Belly Tank Racers weren’t comfortable. They weren’t practical. Drivers climbed in through tiny openings and sometimes needed help getting out. Visibility was limited. Safety standards were optimistic, but they were beautiful.
Lightweight and exceptionally narrow, they were perfectly suited to the vast salt flats of Bonneville, Utah – as well as the dry lake beds of California that shaped early land-speed culture – where straight-line velocity reigned supreme.
On these endless natural runways, performance was measured over a flying mile, demanding aerodynamic efficiency, mechanical reliability and unwavering focus. Reduced to their bare essentials – engine, wheels, steering and streamlined shell – belly tank racers embodied a philosophy of pure performance. Every element served a purpose. Narrow, purposeful and uncompromising, they were driven by a singular ambition: to outrun the clock.
Beyond the records they set, belly tank racers captured the imagination of a generation. They reflected a spirit of optimism and reinvention – proof that resourcefulness, courage and mechanical creativity could transform surplus metal into speed.
In that fusion of ingenuity, craftsmanship and competition, a new chapter in automotive history took shape. The belly tank racer not only set records on the salt, but established a lasting design philosophy – reduce, refine and remove everything unnecessary – that continues to define performance culture today.