The Escale Worldtime watch is perpetuating the travel tradition of Louis Vuitton and drawing on the history of the company to reinvent the distinctive features of the travel watch. The new Escale Worldtime watch is perpetuating this tradition and offers an original interpretation of the “Worldtime” function.
The totally new 41 mm case made from polished, white gold with a satin finish features corner pieces which are reminiscent of Vuitton trunks, transformed into horns which protect the case to fulfil their original purpose.
The fine bezel produces a particularly open dial creating a clarity which is consistent with the “Worldtime” function.
On the reverse side of the timepiece, the sapphire back reveals an aluminium disc coupled with an oscillating weight which rotates around a large LV in frosted glass.
It takes the craftsman 50 hours to complete a dial in the workshop dedicated specifically to this task within the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton manufacture using miniature painting techniques and working with oil paint. Over 30 colours are applied one by one with a paintbrush using tiny, successive strokes before the piece is dried in an oven heated to 100 °C.
The brightness, relief and contrasts created, are magnified further by the visual effect separating the glass from the dial. This is why the black triangle topped with a yellow arrow (the only fixed element on the dial indicating the time and city of reference) is applied directly underneath the glass to prevent it from restricting the movement of the mobile discs.
"Une fonction « worldtime » inédite"
The dial consists of three separate mobile discs. They can be adjusted by means of the single crown and are synchronised by an automatic calibre, which is developed and assembled by the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton manufacture.
– The large exterior double-layered coloured disc comprises the initials of cities. It can be rotated to adjust to the reference city which should be positioned at 12 o’clock or above the yellow arrow.
– The central disc, which is constantly rotating, is divided into two black and white semi-circles to distinguish between day and night.
– The smallest disc in the centre is also constantly rotating and comprises numbers corresponding to the minutes highlighted by a precise, contrasting minute circle.
The “Worldtime” indication with no hand is a first in watchmaking design which has been developed by the master watchmakers of the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton manufacture. With the Escale Worldtime watch it is possible to determine the time in the zone represented by a particular city simply by glancing at the corresponding initials. The minutes can be read underneath the yellow arrow indicating the hour in the reference city.
The timepieces s fitted with a hand-stitched black alligator strap with a white gold buckle.
