From content partner JustLuxe iW Magazine
Louis Vuitton introduces three highly crafted Louis Vuitton Escale watches, each incorporating engraving, enamelling, sculpting and even inlays in timepieces that explore themes inspired by nature. natural and imaginary.
One of three launches announcing the Louis Vuitton Escale series of handmade watches. The watch is called Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders Koi’s Garden.
The new Escale line follows Louis Vuitton’s equally ambitious update to its products. Tambour collection and represents a new, high-end approach to watchmaker craftsmanship. All Escale watches will have round cases and hand-polished case horns that are reminiscent of the metal frame of a Louis Vuitton trunk.
Called the Cabinet of Wonders, the trio of limited-edition watches introduced by Escale are inspired by the personal collection of Gaston-Louis Vuitton, a third-generation member of the company’s founding family, who led the company from 1907 to 1970.
Gaston-Louis Vuitton was a collector of fine decorative objects, including antique and ornately decorated Japanese katana sword guards, which directly influenced the design and symbolism. of these new watches.
By fully incorporating the techniques of case and dial craftsmanship with these watches, Louis Vuitton continues to enhance its reputation as one of the few luxury watchmakers to embrace Fully mastering traditional decorative techniques.
Louis Vuitton’s high-end watchmaking division in Geneva, La Fabrique du Temps, created this series through a carefully considered combination of in-house expertise and external talent, including Eddy Jaquet (engraving), Fanny Queloz (backfilling), Rose Saneuil (carpentry) and Vanessa Lecci (glazed). The internal and external team followed the aesthetic vision of renowned Métiers d’art watch designer Marie Boutteçon.
Peaceful garden
This watch, called the Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders Koi’s Garden, is a 40mm white gold watch that depicts two carp swimming in a stream, surrounded by colorful pebbles.
Louis Vuitton notes that it takes its artisans 150 hours to carefully sculpt the koi fish. Kiln firing added a layer of fine black oxide to the carp while polishing and painting completed the overall effect. The koi fish are coated with a matte blue lacquer to make them sparkle in the light.
Artists hand-engraved the water lines on the white gold dial, which features the Gaston-Louis Vuitton monogram at 6 o’clock, also sculpted from gold and set with onyx.
Go to the forest
On the Wonders Snake’s Jungle Louis Vuitton Escale cabinet, a bejeweled blue and green snake rests against a gold and nephrite jade sphere that forms the Gaston-Louis Vuitton monogram.
The bamboo forest of the dial is made using pattern grafting technique. These required artisans to hand-cut and assemble wood, parchment, and straw in a manner depicting fourteen shades of green.
The artists needed 367 individual pieces to complete the dial puzzle, using four types of wood, three colors of straw and two types of parchment.
For the snake, the artisans combined three techniques: microsculpture, engraving and champlevé enamelling. Bamboo leaves are sculpted, engraved and enameled on the upper right corner of the dial.
Dragon
For this watch, called the Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders Dragon’s Cloud, the artisans created a rose gold trio depicting a carnelian-encrusted GLV monogram.
Here, artisans used a technique called damascening, a form of decorative metal inlay in contrasting colors. The resulting layered pattern imitates many natural textures.
The watch’s dial is hammered into a matte finish, then yellow-yellow or rose gold-colored bands are cold-worked into the dial. Dragons and clouds are carved, scales are enameled.
Notably, the lower half of its body is created with paillonné enamel. This rare form contains small pieces of gold leaf (called paillons) suspended between layers of translucent enamel.
Finally, the dragon’s eye appears to glow because it is made from a cabochon-cut ruby.
New case and hands
All new Escale watches have a new, slightly curved case that surrounds a domed crystal. Louis Vuitton has reworked the hour and minute hands, which are now spear-shaped, polished and faceted to reflect light.
All three watches have crowns made of the same stone adorning the corresponding GLV monogram on the dial. Inside the Louis Vuitton is the LFT023 caliber produced to chronograph standards, decorated with Seigaiha waves, a stylized symbol of the ocean in traditional Japanese iconography.
Each new Louis Vuitton Escale watch is paired with a calfskin strap, hand-braided to resemble the braided leather hilt of a Japanese katana sword.
Each of the three models of the Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders collection is limited to 20 pieces. The Koi’s Garden comes in a white gold case (40mm) with a blue strap; The Snake’s Jungle comes in a white gold case (40mm) with a green strap; and the Dragon’s Cloud has a rose gold case (40mm) with a brown strap.
Price upon request.
