Gemstones: Louis Vuitton sails for a new Escale
Once again, the Maison pushes back the boundaries of the watchmaking savoir-faire with 2 new Escale creations shaped around delicate materials: turquoise and malachite. These gemstones chosen for their chromatic intensity and their unique mineral structure are the basis of 2 watches available as limited editions of respectively 30 copies, where the stone components display a rarely-seen technical mastery. Let’s take a closer look.
A gemstone plinth
The 40mm case embodies a true architectural feat, as it integrates a ring cut whole from the same stone as the dial, for an overall visual coherence. Around this mineral heart, the lugs, bezel, case back and platinum crown play with contrasts and cast light to the natural glow of turquoise and the mesmeric malachite strata. Both were praised during the Antiquity – turquoise, with its dark veins that resemble rivers, and malachite, with its distinctive green layers.
What’s more, Artistic Director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton Matthieu Hegi drew his inspiration from the daring dress watches of the 1960-1980s to reinterpret this trend. “Each [stone] is unique. […] It represents a one-of-a-kind work by nature. […] We just bring that beauty into focus.”
Rewriting the rules of machining
Before holding the first pieces in their hands, the engineers of La Fabrique des Boîtiers [the Case Factory] nested inside la Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton had to completely shift their machining methods. Respecting micrometer tolerances when cutting a gemstone ring, while keeping the heterogenous internal structure of the mineral intact represents a feat rarely achieved in the watchmaking industry. First, each raw block is thoroughly analysed. Turquoise must present a vibrant blue surface with harmoniously-placed veins, while malachite has to display thin, regular and perfectly-horizontal bands to be aligned with the watch’s frame.
Once cut, the ring undergoes a long hand-polishing process. This step cannot be handled by a machine: every inclusion, every internal variation requires the craftsperson to adapt instantly, almost intuitively. At this point, the once-matte-and-discreet mineral reveals its unique depth. Integrating an unsegmented gemstone ring to the signature outline of the Escale isn’t just a mere aesthetic exercise. This operation required a total reengineering of the proportions and the internal geometry of the case in order to nest a dial that represents a true volume. A feat that intertwines technical precision and sense of design, but also a deep knowledge of the unique properties of every gemstone.
Indeed, even if hard stones are present in the watchmaking industry, each mineral has its own irregular structure that makes the integrating process sensitive – especially when it’s made on a 3D case. The craftspersons working on these new gemstone Escale models had to acknowledge this paradox: transforming the natural fragility of the material into a dramatic visual punch, at the very heart of the dial’s architecture.
Next comes the machining of the dial and the case to allow the addition of the 18ct white gold hours and minutes hands, the PVD-coated titanium seconds hand, the lugs and the crown. An extremely precise challenge, increased by the stones’ sensitivity.
Once modeled, the components are hand-polished, revealing the depth and glow hidden behind the matte finishing of the previous steps. No machine can be entrusted with this work, as each gemstone presents its own internal relief, inclusions and irregularities. The polishing artisan must constantly adjust their movements, guided by their eye and their hand, to accompany the material and reveals its true beauty without denaturing it.
An aesthetic echo: calibre LFT023
The sapphire case back reveals the self-winding calibre LFT023, certified chronometer by Geneva Chronometric Observatory. The 22ct rose gold micro-rotor, engraved with numerous stylised V’s, offers a power reserve of 50 hours. Micro-blasted surfaces, bevelled chamfers… the finishing enhance the dialogue between textures proper to this model. As a discreet nod to the Maison’s codes, a saffron-colored sapphire indicates the use of platinum, according to the watchmaking tradition.
Water-resistant up to 30 meters, these Escale Turquoise and Escale Malachite aren’t just watches – they are fragments of nature, modeled by an exceptional technical mastery and an undeniably-daring creativity. In an interlacing of textures and volumes, they are associated with a finely grained saffiano calf leather strap. On the one hand, the Turquoise edition presents an arroyo grey strap that matches the gemstone’s vibrant blue, while on the other hand, the Malachite edition displays a rainforest green strap that enhances the lush green dial.
€65,500 – Each edition is limited to 30 copies
See the technical specifications sheet of the Louis Vuitton Escale – Platinum and Turquoise.
See the technical specifications sheet of the Louis Vuitton Escale – Platinum and Malachite.
Technical details:
Case:
Platinum, polished bezel, brushed and polished lugs, turquoise or malachite case band
40mm diameter
10.34mm with the cambered sapphire crystal, 8.97mm without
Open case back set with a saffron sapphire (~0.04ct), platinum plate engraved “1 of 30”
Glareproof sapphire crystal
Water-resistant to 30 meters
Dial:
Malachite dial and silvery satin-finished tilted flange
18ct white gold hours and minutes hands, PVD-coated titanium seconds hand
18ct white gold indices
Movement:
Calibre LFT023: self-winding mechanical movement
Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds
22ct rose gold micro-rotor
147 components
50-hour power reserve
28,800 vibrations per hour
32 jewels
Certified Chronometer by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory
Strap:
Rainforest green saffiano calf leather and black calf leather lining / arroyo grey saffiano calf leather and beige calf leather lining
Buckle:
Platinum pin buckle with LOUIS VUITTON engraved signature
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