Louis Vuitton, the brand that we know and love from the world of Luggage, Leather Goods and Fashion has been making astounding watches for some time, yet today they have kicked things up a notch, with a watch that certainly marks a new era of intent and vision from the brand.
We at Revolution are proud to bring you this exclusive news: that Louis Vuitton now joins the small club of watch manufactures that have the Poinçon de Genève, or Geneva Seal, a certification reserved for watch movements made in the Canton of Geneva and bearing the highest levels of finishing and decoration. This is is certainly one of the highest accolades that any brand can receive, and we extend a hearty congratulations to Louis Vuitton, the talented watchmakers from La Fabrique Du Temps (the high horlogerie division of the brand), as well as Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas, who guided and spearheaded this arduous process.
Introduced to me at an exclusive event in Geneva for private clients, the new watch is certainly a stunner, and aside from the headline feature of the Poinçon de Genève, also contains a Flying Tourbillon. The Seal is visible, from the front, as you can see from the picture above.
According to Hamdi Chatti, Vice President of Watches & Jewellery at Louis Vuitton, the Geneva Seal was only received last Wednesday on the 13th of January. The news was received very excitedly within the brand, and plans were made very quickly to hold an exclusive event in Geneva where the watch was shown to private clients of the Masion. Very quickly, a number of pieces were sold.
Said Hamdi: “Why did we get the Geneva Seal? Well, clients of Louis Vuitton have never challenged us on the quality, and when we bring the Geneva Seal to our clients, people who enjoy the best that life can offer, there is no need to explain further. The value of the Geneva Seal is understood immediately. Another reason was that I promised Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas that I would do it, when we acquired La Fabrique Du Temps.”
The case of the watch sits at 43 mm, where a clear view of the vertically mounted gear-train can be seen. There is a-lot of drama here in the design, and most obviously the triple V bridges, inspired by the Louis Vuitton slogan, “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez,” (literally translated as“Fly, Sail, Travel”).
Almost every part of the movement can be seen, and this is a watch that demands time spent with a loupe to reap the full rewards of what it is all about. Even the dial is slightly transparent, allowing a superb view of the mainspring that holds a astonishing 80 hours (although unofficially it can go to 100 hours).
Note the escape wheel as well below, as part of the cage for the flying tourbillon, extremely finely made via the LIGA process, with a teeth design that is very unique.
The case in platinum is a totally new shape, and I’ll hear more from the designers of Louis Vuitton soon on the inspiration behind the design. Suffice to say, it sits comfortably, and wears very flat on the wrist.
This is a stunner of a watch, and it remains to be seen what of other beautiful variations can come from this initial version. Indeed, with the recently new manufacture building in Meyrin, Geneva, open in 2014, and now the Poinçon de Genève, the first awarded to a non pure player in the watch industry, one can certainly look forward to more outstanding watches from Louis Vuitton as they gather all their resources together to further their watchmaking ambitions.
Congratulations to Louis Vuitton once again on this significant milestone!
