After Courchevel in 2023, it was in Megève that Louis Vuitton decided to invite some journalists from the international press to unveil his new watches.

And it was not just any watch since they were "art professions" models, understand limited edition timepieces with an artistic theme highlighted by the very agile little hands of the watch workshops of the French brand.

It is indeed at the Fabrique du Temps, near Geneva, Switzerland, that these craft watches are imagined and manufactured. Small and skillful - it goes without saying - hands come to delicately place noble elements such as enamel, ceramics, marquetry on the dial.

Not to mention a long engraving work or the installation of the paint. The task is therefore complex but the rendering is quite bluffing.

Louis Vuitton bets on Japanese "animal" art

For these 2024 models, therefore transported from Geneva to Megève, in a superb chalet near the large ice rink (count an hour's drive between the two "ève" cities), Louis Vuitton was inspired by Japanese art and its famous trunks (especially on the horns of the timepieces).

This gives watches from the Escale collection, launched in 2014, with very oriental designs, placed under the sign of the animal: the Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders. The craftsmen thus managed to form carp, a snake and a dragon on 3 different watches.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

And if the different shades of blue and green give the snake a beautiful, almost friendly look, and the fire literally takes over the dragon model, it must be admitted that the one with the two blue carps is quite remarkable.

The photos below, although very detailed in terms of definition, do not really represent the acute sense of detail brought to this Escale crafts watch. Because it is necessary to grasp the notion of relief and floors in the design of these watches.

With the objective of making a watch that is too imposing in terms of thickness while achieving artistic feats in terms of drawing between the base of the dial and the glass.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

The snake, the dragon and, above all, the carp

As for the rest of this category of Louis Vuitton watches "honors the traditional ornamental techniques of the House's workshops." Here, it was in the spirit of Gaston-Louis, the grandson of founder Louis and boss of the family business from 1907 to 1970, that the French brand found its inspiration, especially his sensitivity to Japanese art, he who collected old tsuba.

The leather straps of the watches of the Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders collection represent these katana guards. The one on the carp watch is blue.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

On the watch "each element was polished by hand and then subjected to the expert gaze of the master engraver, who attenuated the oxidation layer in places in order to bring out the underlying metal and thus reproduce the iridescent reflections characteristic of the koi carp," says Louis Vuitton.

For information, koi carp is a fish belonging to one of the ornamental varieties of carp. But let's go back to the watch: a translucent blue lacquer was laid by a miniature painter so that the light shines differently on the body depending on the light that is reflected on the scales of the koi carp.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

On the stone side, amber pebbles in smoked quartz, white rock crystal and diamond-sized rocks evoke "the scintillation of the sun's rays on the surface of the water". There is also a Monogram flower chiseled in the heart, in blue stones.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

In terms of meticulous details, let's also note the engravings of the hand lines on the plate of the white gold dial and the personal monogram of Gaston-Louis Vuitton (GLV) in gold inlaid with onyx.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton's idea is to create a haven of peace at the heart of his watch. Unlike the Dragon and Snake versions, this Escale Cabinet of Wonders, the sum of small details does not load the dial too much. The 40 mm case (for 12.04 mm thick) is made of 18-carat white gold with engraved sides with Japanese wave pattern and an onyx crown. The setting consists of 105 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.24 carats).

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

The watch is powered by the Calibre LFT023, a self-winding mechanical movement with a 22-carat pink gold micro-rotor engraved with Japanese wave pattern, again, and 120 components. The hand-braided leather strap has a white gold pin buckle engraved with Japanese waves (again and again).

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

The price of exceptional art

The 3 new Louis Vuitton watches are available in only 20 copies each (it is engraved "one of twenty" on the back of the case) and are available at a price of 288,000 euros. It is very expensive, without a doubt, but these art objects are aimed above all at amateurs who are not too bothered by an expense of the kind.

They are inimitable exceptional watches, certainly not necessarily easy to put in everyday life, which demonstrate all the attention that watchmaking pays to this kind of creation.

Louis Vuitton watches, Japanese-inspired animal design — © Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton is not alone this luxurious art watch market, Cartier with, Bulgari with, Jacob & Co in a more eye-catching style and even more "pure watch" brands like Hublot with the latest model Takashi Murakami, are indeed in the game. With its new liveries, and in particular this carp duo that leaves coi, the monogram brand beautifully marks its territory.

[Via GQ France]