The feather marquetry speedometer

Maison Lacmé X Maison Vermeulen

Astre Mobile – Maison Lacmé: Julien Vermeulen’s feather counter
Photo credit: Kevin Van Campenhout

At the heart of the Astre Mobile's driver's station, the instrument cluster becomes much more than a mere measuring device. Conceived by Antoine Tauvel as a space-time clock, it detaches from the dashboard to become a desk clock, extending the work beyond the automobile.

 

His dial is crafted by the feather artisan Julien Vermeulen in ultramarine blue feather marquetry, a tribute to Yves Klein blue. The motifs blend a radiating sun with Art Deco palm fronds, bringing cosmic poetry, the French decorative arts and the world of fine watchmaking into dialogue.

 

The odometer intentionally reads 40,075 kilometres, which is the circumference of the Earth. This nod pays tribute to the Greek scholar Eratosthenes, who calculated this distance over two thousand years ago using a simple stick and the sun's shadow.