Louis Vuitton continues to elevate its horological offering with the release of a reimagined Escale. The Louis Vuitton Escale was released a decade ago, as a worldtimer. Here, the timepiece gets a sleek upgrade care of a quartet of classic three-hand time-only dress watches. Despite doing away with the worldtime function, the new Escale models continue to nod to the French luxury fashion house’s pursuit of the art of travel.
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The new Louis Vuitton Escale lineup comprises two rose gold and two platinum models, each of which is characterised by a textured dial. The outer sector of the dial features a gold studded minute track that evokes the nails of the lozine that lines the exterior of a Louis Vuitton trunk, while angled and riveted markers crafted from polished gold reference the brass brackets that reinforce the trunks.
The rose gold duo both have a 39mm case size and play host to a dial with a subtly grained central sector in either silver or blue. The fine-grained effect is achieved through stamping and is designed to emulate the finish of the maison’s instantly recognisable monogram canvas. The rose gold with silver dial is presented on a natural leather strap which is designed to develop a patina over time, while the blue version is teamed with a colour-matched strap.
The references to Louis Vuitton’s legacy as a luxury trunkmaker continue on the case—which uses a combination of brushed and polished surfaces—with the angled and riveted lugs similarly referencing the aforementioned brass brackets and corners that fortify the trunks against damage. Likewise, the domed octagonal shape of the crown calls to mind the shape of a trunk’s rivets.
Meanwhile, the first of the platinum iterations also has a 39mm case, with its textured silvery grey dial crafted from a meteorite. The second version takes a more opulent approach, with a 40.5mm platinum case playing host to an onyx dial with baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel. Both platinum timepieces feature white gold accents in the form of hour indices, hours and minutes hands (all models have a lightweight titanium seconds hand), and studded minute track.
Each of the newcomers is powered by the calibre LFT023, an automatic three-hand movement with a micro-rotor, designed by La Fabrique du Temps (the maison’s in-house watchmaking division) in conjunction with movement specialists Le Cercle de Horlogers. First introduced in the Tambour last year, the movement features a 22k rose gold micro-rotor engraved with Louis Vuitton motifs; which is visible through the exhibition caseback.
The rose gold models are priced at $43,500AUD while the platinum with meteorite dial is $59,000AUD and the platinum with diamonds is $289,000AUD. All timepieces are available via the Louis Vuitton webstore.
Price: $43,500AUD (rose gold); $59,000AUD (platinum meteorite dial); $289,000AUD (platinum with diamonds)
Model: Escale (W3PG21, W3PG11, W3PT11, W3PT3Y)
Case size: 39mm; 40.5mm (platinum with diamonds)
Movement: LFT023 (automatic)
Water resistance: 5ATM
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Power reserve: 50 hours
Words by Henry Blake
