Modern design
The Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon watch is showcased in the Voyager case whose unusual shape is halfway between a circle and a square, accentuated by a case with a distinctive subtle volume effect. It is available in two 18K white gold versions, a classic version alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces, and a precious design boasting a case set with baguette-cut diamonds with a total weight of approximately 8 carats. The 42 mm case is only 9.7 mm thick, making it one of the thinnest watches with these two complications on the market.
Manufacture
The calibre LV100 is visible through an original sapphire dial with a motif inspired by Louis Vuitton’s striped canvas created in 1872, and through the sappire caseback. Developed and assembled entirely by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, this manually-wound mechanical movement provides a 100-hour power reserve (four days) and oscillates at 21,600 vph. It displays the hours and minutes at the centre and at 5 o’clock (V for Vuitton being the number 5 in Roman numerals) is another display driven by a flying tourbillon frame that appears to float above the dial. Adorned with a V for Vuitton at the top, it performs a rotation in one minute, taking on the role of the small second hand.
While the centre of the caseback is dedicated to customisation, with the possibility of engraving the watch with the owner’s initials, the sapphire glass allows you to admire the dance of the hammers that strike the gongs.
This calibre was assembled by a single master watchmaker at the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton workshops. It requires 320 hours of extremely meticulous craftsmanship.
The time in music
Two gongs and two hammers indicate the hours, quarter hours and minutes on demand, via the trigger discreetly positioned on the edge of the watch at 8 o’clock: a low note for the hours, a double low-high note for the quarter hours, and a high note for the minutes. At eight twenty-five, it therefore plays a melody made up of eight low notes, a double low-high note, and ten high notes. For the first time at Louis Vuitton, the striking-mechanism used is a cathedral gong - which is different from a classic gongin terms of length. The minute gong makes a 1½ turn around the movement, while the hour one makes approximately a 1¾ turn. As a result, the sound is deeper and the resonance time longer.
The Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon is fitted with a black alligator strap equipped with a 18K white gold folding buckle.
