Louis Vuitton unveils the unique ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch

The new ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch pays tribute to the exceptional savoir-faire and unique history of two pillars of the Maison: the legendary trunk-making workshop, Asnières, and Louis Vuitton’s center of watchmaking excellence, La Fabrique du Temps. The 50mm diameter pocket watch, created as an extraordinary one-off piece, is a true celebration of craftsmanship and know-how.

The creation merges a minute repeater movement and automata mechanism of seven animations, with outstanding métier d’arts including gold engraving and enameling. Requiring more than two years to produce, the ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch is an embodiment of Louis Vuitton’s singular heritage and unparalleled artistic crafts, and which showcases the Maison’s embrace and commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity and imagination.

Louis Vuitton new ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch

Vuitton’s Family home and historic atelier in Asnières are at the heart of this story, and represent the first pocket watch to be publicly disclosed by the Maison. The property has been recreated on the dial of the 50mm piece, while in the foreground stands a 19th century horse-drawn delivery carriage, full of Louis Vuitton trunks. The carriage further captures the Maison’s unique past: it takes after an 1887 Louis Vuitton advertisement and a portrait of the family at Asnières, taken circa 1888.

Powering the ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch is the Calibre LFT AU14.01: a manual-winding mechanical movement with an on-demand minute repeater and automata mechanism of seven animations. La Fabrique du Temps needed many months to research and develop Calibre LFT AU14.01, which features 480 components. Assembling all the components – with their varying heights, dimensions and specifications – into a case sized at 50mm by 16.7mm was yet another  challenge. Calibre LFT AU14.01 was created from scratch

The minute repeater, an iconic movement at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, features two different chimes: the lowest for the hours (dong) and highest for the minutes (ding), while quarter hours sound on the two chimes (ding-dong). The movement uses a cathedral gong, the most sophisticated tone in chiming watches. The cathedral gong challenged watchmakers and engineers to create a precise minute repeater mechanism whose many components also did not interfere with the extremely complex movement overall.

Louis Vuitton new ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch

The ‘Escale à Asnières’ continues the rich story of Louis Vuitton’s unique jacquemart heritage. A push of a trigger at six o’clock sets off a wonderful story on the dial. The horse and carriage – 3D-like and all crafted in gold – begin to move, the horse’s legs and hooves stepping left and right as the carriage wheels turn.

The miniature coachman springs to action, arms raised. Behind him, stacks of Louis Vuitton trunks pop open, each one revealing their own tiny Monogram Flower. The entire scene is presided over by a shining, brilliant sun that rotates at 12 o’clock. Set with an LV Monogram Star cut diamond, it’s the smallest LV-cut stone the Maison has ever created, and here debuting on a timepiece.

Complementing the mechanical triumph of the ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch are incredible savoir-faire that further challenged La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and its Métiers d’Art atelier, La Fabrique des Arts. Gold engraving is at the heart of the dial and caseback, with each element entirely sculpted by in-house master engraver, Dick Steenman.

Louis Vuitton new ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch

Anita Porchet follows each of these colour applications with individual firings, which totals around 20 firings in all. An extremely rigorous and precise process, the dial is then given its final flourish: a layer of translucent enamel fondant that brings a glorious shine to the whole tableau.

Crafted in tandem with Dick Steenman’s engraved, 3D-like dial elements, the dial of the ‘Escale à Asnières’ comes into its own with a rich array of colours, textures, depths and heights, – not to mention playful animation too – in this most mesmerising masterwork of artisanal métiers d’arts. “All these know-how together give rise to this masterpiece” says Michel Navas, Master Watchmaker.

The ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch would not be complete without its own bespoke, masterpiece trunk. Created in Asnières, the trunk comes wrapped in an exotic green leather that matches the dial. Meanwhile, hidden drawers house the timepiece’s various accessories: an 18k pink gold pocket watch chain, a travel pouch, a magnifying loupe, and compartments for the certificate and book that details the journey of this masterpiece.

Louis Vuitton new ‘Escale à Asnières’ pocket watch