- The Louis Vuitton x De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project is a two-part collaboration comprising a sympathique (sympathetic) clock and a unique version of the independent watchmaker’s DB25 GMT Starry Varius
- Both timepieces are powered by in-house manually wound movements produced by De Bethune, with the sympathique clock arriving in a monogrammed Louis Vuitton trunk
- The collaboration with De Bethune is the third of five collaborations with independent watchmakers, following the Louis Vuitton x Rexhep Rexhepi Akrivia LVRR-01 and Louis Vuitton x Kari Voutilainen LVKV-02 GMR 6
- The LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius (wristwatch) is priced at €375,000 and the LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius (sympathetic clock) is priced at €4,000,000
Louis Vuitton has teamed up with Denis Flageollet of independent watch brand De Bethune to prevent an antediluvian invention from completely disappearing from the horological lexicon. As part of its bid to support independent watchmaking through its Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, the maison is collaborating with five notable watchmakers. This is the third chapter in the series, following collaborations with Rexhep Rexhepi’s Akrivia and Kari Voutilainen.
“In these collaborations, we give the watchmaker the freedom to define their own vision of time—and their own vision of Louis Vuitton,” explains Jean Arnault, director of watches at Louis Vuitton. “We bring an outside perspective, which allows us to support independent watchmakers, and in turn, they bring their own fresh perspective on Louis Vuitton. It’s a dynamic that brings a lot of creativity and new ideas to both sides.”
Here, the duo have created a two-part collaboration comprising a wristwatch and a rather esoteric clock that utilises a daring function conceived by Abraham-Louis Breguet (yes, that Breguet), both tying into Louis Vuitton’s ongoing exploration of the ‘Art of Travel’. Let’s start with the wristwatch.
The first half of the LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project adds a little Louis Vuitton flair to the iconic DB25 GMT Starry Varius. The LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius sees a 45mm Tambour Taiko case hewn from titanium at La Fabrique du Temps before being sent to De Bethune to undergo the latter’s proprietary thermal oxidation process, resulting in a deep, saturated blue hue. The bezel is sandblasted and emblazoned with ‘Louis Vuitton’ in capital letters, with the case accented with a hand-finished crown bearing the Louis Vuitton monogram flower. The drum-shaped case houses a modified take on the DB25 GMT Starry Varius, De Bethune’s emblematic travel time watch. On the dial, the design language remains true to De Bethune, with the opaline dial, sunken day/night indicator, blued titanium sky with the Milky Way, and jumping pointer date remaining intact. Louis Vuitton’s presence is more subtle here; look to the Tambour-style Arabic numeral hour markers and the shimmering constellation of stars in white gold pins and yellow gold leaf that merge into the LV monogram.
It’s powered by the calibre DB2507LV, a manually wound movement with a five-day (120-hour) power reserve. Based on De Bethune’s in-house DB2507, the travel-oriented movement is equipped with the hours and minutes, second time zone (GMT), day/night indicator, and jumping date functions, and has been modified to incorporate a Sympathique function (more on that in a moment). The movement has a blued titanium balance wheel and a silicon escape wheel, with the regulator held in place with De Bethune’s signature triple pare-chute system, which sees a titanium bridge integrating two jewels held in place by a leaf-spring system pressing on the jewels. The periphery of the movement is engraved with “Louis cruises with Denis” alongside the individual limited-edition number (from 01 to 12).
The second part of the LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project represents an evolution of horological history. Invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1795, the Sympathique (or ‘sympathetic’) clock was designed to wind and synchronise a pocket watch overnight. The LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius is powered by a key-wound movement designed by De Bethune. Comprising 763 components and equipped with two large barrels and a remontoir d’égalité which provides constant force to the escapement, the calibre beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of 11 days (264 hours).
The design of the LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius nods to the Tambour, with the minute track inspired by its bezel. It surrounds a titanium base adorned with blue meteorite marquetry, with a domed rose gold cover engraved with the constellation of Hercules at its centre. The domed cover discreetly conceals the docking interface for the LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius. When placed in its cradle, the LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius communicates with the clock through its crown, with the clock winding the wristwatch over the course of ten hours and correcting the display to echo the master clock every two hours, bringing the two into synchrony.
The wide lateral sides of the Tambour-style clock case provide the ideal canvas for art, with Belgian illustrator François Schuiten designing three landscapes themed around the concept of exploration: a steam train travelling over a viaduct, hot air balloons floating above the African savanna, and sherpas climbing the mountains. These panoramas have been engraved onto three rose gold rings by master engraver Michèle Rothen using a traditional burin and chisel. The LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius arrives in a titanium trunk inspired by Louis Vuitton’s trophy trunks, with Alcantara and grey leather interiors, with a smaller trunk for the LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius wristwatch.
With the LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius, Louis Vuitton and De Bethune have reshaped the relationship between host (clock) and beneficiary (wristwatch) into one of commensalism, with the latter able to exist independently but choosing to return to its Sympatheique clock anyway. Out of sympathy, perhaps.
The LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius is limited to 12 examples and priced at €375,000, while the LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius is limited to just two examples and priced at €4,000,000 (inclusive of the wristwatch and trunk).
Price: €375,000 (wristwatch); €4,000,000 (clock)
Availability: 12 examples (LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius); two examples (LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius)
Model: LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius (ref. WATI11); LVDB-03 Sympathique Louis Varius (ref. Q1TA10)
Case size: 45mm; 310mm (width) x 260mm (height)
Movement: DB2507LV (manually wound); DB5006 (manually wound)
Water resistance: 3ATM; 0ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, second time zone, day/night indicator, jumping date; hours, minutes, rotating disc animation, sympathique function
Power reserve: 120 hours (five days); 264 hours (11 days)
Words by Theo Rosen
