Louis Vuitton Teams Up With Frank Gehry to Create A Full-Sapphire Watch
Louis Vuitton has spent the last 20-plus years doing all of the right things to earn its place at the table alongside the greats of the watch world. From the creation of the Fabrique du Temps watchmaking studio in Geneva to a collaboration with revered indie brand Akrivia to awarding the first-ever Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, Louis Vuitton is now a driving force in high-end watchmaking. The latest releases from La Fabrique du Temps, which showcase rare handcrafts, a sapphire crystal dial designed by Frank Gehry, and a movement worthy of the coveted Geneva Seal, show just how far Louis Vuitton has come.
Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders
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The new collection begins with three Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders models inspired by the personal collections of Gaston-Louis Vuitton, who led the company from 1907 to 1970, each bearing his subtle monogram on its dial.
The first, Koi’s Garden, depicts a pair of swirling koi carp, with each scale, fin, and whisker engraved in white gold by hand over more than 150 hours. Another shows a colourful serpent rendered by micro-sculpture, engraving, and champlevé enamel against a background of marquetry bamboo created from 367 individual pieces of wood, straw, and parchment. The third, arriving in time for the Year of the Dragon, features an ornately worked golden dragon clutching a carnelian-set GLV monogram.
Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon Sapphire Frank Gehry
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The next High Watchmaking timepiece is the result of a collaboration between La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and legendary architect Frank Gehry, who previously worked with the brand to design the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris and the Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul. Taking cues from the dramatic glass elements of these structures, the Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon Sapphire Frank Gehry features a case, dial, crown, lugs, and hands carved from a block of transparent sapphire crystal. While the undulating dial reportedly took over 250 hours to manufacture, the manufacture flying tourbillon LFT MM05.01 movement, which was created in-house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in Geneva, is an equally impressive feat of craftsmanship.
Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève Plique-à-Jour
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With its flying tourbillon movement visible behind a “stained glass” window on the dial, the Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève Plique-à-Jour combines one of the rarest traditional handcrafts with one of Louis Vuitton’s most advanced movements. The piece showcases the work of several master enamellers skilled in the ancient plique-à-jour technique, and each dial is said to be the result of over 100 hours of work. This level of artistic mastery combined with the exceptional refinement of the flying tourbillon movements earned the Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève Plique-à-Jour the coveted Geneva Seal.
Awarded to just a handful of watches that meet the very highest standards in workmanship — particularly in finishing and decorating — the Geneva Seal is the ultimate mark of achievement in watches. At Louis Vuitton, however, it’s just one of many recent accolades and initiatives that are earning the brand a place among the world’s most respected watchmakers.
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