Louis Vuitton Adds Four New Models to the Iconic Escale Collection

Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton unveiled the Escale Cabinet of Wonders, a trilogy of métiers d’art timepieces that was inspired by the collections of Gaston-Louis Vuitton, third-generation patriarch of the Maison’s founding family. Taking it a step further, the new Louis Vuitton Escale explores the panorama of timekeeping in its most fundamental configuration of hours, minutes, and seconds. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Escale, the brand has now unveiled four new time-only, three-hand models for the first time within a decade of creating the collection. The latest models feature highly textured and tactile surfaces, a refined case design, and sophisticated finishes, while its movement incorporates traditional Swiss horlogerie. 

Dialling it up

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With four new models, the time-only versions add a new dimension to the collection. There are two models in rose gold with textured dials that spell elegance. The other two are crafted from platinum and further decorated with ornamental and precious stones. The models echo the Maison’s heritage in trunk-making as the lugs draw inspiration from the iconic trunks of the Maison, resembling the angled form and riveted exterior of the brass brackets and corners. 

These brass reinforcements are also reflected on the dial, which has been completely redesigned. The hour markers at every quarter are angled and riveted in polished gold, holding together the central dial and the outer minuterie. Gold studs punctuate the minuterie itself, evoking the nails of the lozine that runs along the exterior of a Louis Vuitton trunk. For enhanced visual texture and readability, a brushed finish and subtle concave camber are the final touches to the minuterie.

The rose gold models have a new dial texture, a direct reference to the finely grained surface of the Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas. To perfectly express the suppleness and tactility of the canvas on a metal dial, custom dial stamps were developed and refined over several material essays. Throughout the minuterie and on the faceted hour indexes, light plays across textures and finishes, guiding the eyes over the expansion of the dial.

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Achieving the dial’s meticulous details is no easy feat. The tip of the seconds hand is shaped to follow the curve of the dial, minimising the possibility of parallax error and allowing the seconds to be read with great precision. 

The rose gold Louis Vuitton Escale with a silvery dial comes on a calf-leather strap that underscores the brand’s expertise in leather goods. On the other hand, the platinum versions feature lapidary work and gem-setting that enhance the collection with rare materials and techniques.

One of the models boasts a meteorite dial, appropriately chosen to spotlight the contrasting textures and the natural mineral tones of this celestial material. Another version pairs an onyx central dial with a case and bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds, forming an ethereal halo that draws the eye to the black dial's inky depths. Both models feature white gold hands and markers, ensuring a monochromatic harmony of light and shade. Each new Escale timepiece comes with an engraved serial number on a slim cartouche in contrasting gold riveted to the periphery of the transparent caseback, an allusion to the engraved serial number plates that identify each Louis Vuitton trunk. 

The watch runs on the chronometer-certified cal. LFT023, which offers a 50-hour power reserve and is assured by energy-efficient solutions, such as crafting the seconds hand from titanium instead of gold. First introduced in the 2023 Tambour models, the cal. LFT023 is the first proprietary automatic three-hand movement designed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in conjunction with movement specialist Le Cercle des Horlogers.

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