Earlier this 12 months, Louis Vuitton revised its Escale assortment with a couple of new time-only fashions in valuable metals. The Escale line has been a mainstay for the model for fairly a while and gives a easy platform wherein the model can ship a variety of watches, from minute repeaters to traditional costume watches. Not like the model’s Tambour, which is a bit sportier, the Escale telegraphs a extra elegant aesthetic. To complete out the 12 months, Louis Vuitton has launched the restricted Louis Vuitton Escale W3PT21 cased in platinum and that includes a dial that mixes grand feu enamel and guilloché — two watch nerd favorites.
The Louis Vuitton Escale design is alleged to be impressed by the model’s iconic trunks and their {hardware}. Most noticeable are the “rivet” lugs that sweep up the facet of the case, suggesting the steel nook caps of the model’s recognizable trunks. This new mannequin is manufactured from platinum with a mixture of sharpening and brushing that provides a little bit of distinction and retains the watch from being too formal. The crown additionally has a little bit of enjoyable: Its octagonal form and barely domed head are supposed to mimic the rivets of the LV trunks. Measuring 39mm throughout and 10.34mm thick, together with its anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal, the watch has an enough 50m of water resistance.
The dial is the primary attraction right here, and each required 4 artisans to finish. The present lineup contains textured dials in silver and blue and a meteorite dial. None of these exude the artistry for which LV has become known. The structure stays an identical: A satin-finished flange surrounds the dial, with 18k white gold markers and arms (besides the seconds which is PVD titanium to make sure clean functioning). The utilized quarter markers are riveted to the flange and dial, the method for the latter requiring lasers.
However the true magnificence is the central dial. A white gold clean is used as the bottom, into which the guilloché is hand-turned. Then LV’s artisans use not one, however two (TWO!) enameling strategies, each of which contain enameling a embellished floor. The primary is champlevé, which entails filling within the cuts from the guilloché with the brilliant blue main enamel (a layer of enamel utilized to the again of the dial that stops deformation throughout firing). After that, the flinqué method (which you’ll see within the extra inexpensive Etien T02) is used, making use of translucent enamel on high as a kind of clear coat. After firing, the dial is lapped with a diamond paste to offer it a near-mirror end.
As with the opposite time-only Louis Vuitton Escale fashions, this has a sapphire caseback crystal that places the in-house computerized micro-rotor motion on full show. The LFT023 was launched when Louis Vuitton debuted the wholly redesigned Tambour in 2023 and was reused when the Escale was redone this 12 months. The motion was developed by Louis Vuitton on the model’s La Fabrique du Temps manufacture, in collaboration with Le Cercle des Horlogers (which is headed by a FdT alum). The motion options stunning ending, together with frosted bridges, polished anglage, and an engraved 22kt rose gold rotor. It runs at 28,800 vph with a 50-hour energy reserve and is chronometer-certified to -4/+6 seconds per day.
Whereas it’s not the primary restricted version Escale, this new providing is the fortunate benefactor of Louis Vuitton’s inventive prowess in a means that the remainder of the gathering merely can’t examine. Whereas anybody studying the press launch for this piece will shortly roll over from the advertising and marketing gloss that’s been closely daubed all through the copy, the query with any watch is, “Is it engaging?” The reply right here, I’d say, is a powerful sure. The Louis Vuitton Escale W3PT21 in platinum with guilloché and enameled dial is priced at $68,000 USD and is proscribed to 50 items. For extra data, please go to the Louis Vuitton website.
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