Louis Vuitton is steadily expanding its footprint in the realm of high-end watchmaking. Here are some unique new creations crafted within the confines of its own watchmaking division, La Fabrique du Temps.
Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hours Astronaut
For seven consecutive years, the House’s mascot, Vivienne, has been regularly featured on branded items and accessories, including watches. This time around, the mascot has adorned two new Tambour Slim models with a “jumping hour” feature. One of the debuts interpreted the space theme: a figurine of Vivienne in a spacesuit is set on a dial made of aventurine and mother-of-pearl. Hours and minutes are displayed in circular apertures, resembling planets, thanks to the Manufacture caliber LV 180.
Escale Cabinet of Wonders
The limited edition trilogy of Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders incorporates rare decorative techniques like engraving, miniature painting, and enamel work. The designs were inspired by items from the personal collection of Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the founder’s grandson. The highly artistic debuts are embellished with hand-carved gold figures representing creatures from Japanese mythology. On the dial of the Koi’s Garden watch, koi carp appear to be “swimming.” They are set against backgrounds of smoky quartz, rock crystal, and mother-of-pearl. At the center of the Snake’s Jungle model’s dial, a snake is poised to seize the GLV monogram made of white gold and jade. The bamboo forest is depicted through intricate marquetry of wood, parchment, and straw, comprising 367 elements. The Dragon’s Cloud watch features a prominent relief gold dragon against a cloud backdrop, clutching a GLV monogram-shaped ball made of carnelian. The dial is crafted from white gold and treated with the rare damascening technique — inlaying contrasting colored metals — to create a layered effect.
Voyager Flying Tourbillon Plique-à-Jour
The “Plique-à-Jour” prefix in the name of the model with the “flying” tourbillon is not used without reason. Indeed, this technique forms the basis of the new model’s decoration. Plique-à-Jour is a form of cloisonné enamel where the substrate it is applied to is removed in the final step using an acid bath. What remains is color and, most importantly, light. Louis Vuitton calculated that creating the Art Deco pattern took 100 hours of meticulous work, applying six layers of enamel and firing at each stage. This exquisite artistic technique accentuates the technical precision of the LV 104 hand-wound movement with an 80-hour power reserve.
Photo: press-office
