The World Is Not Enough

LOUIS VUITTON REVEALS SEVERAL NEW TIMEPIECES THAT SHOWCASE A HOUSE AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS HOROLOGICAL POWERS.

- FARHAN SHAH

JUST OVER A DECADE AGO IN 2014, Louis Vuitton released a world-timer that had everyone talking.

The hand-painted dial was universally liked but everything else polarised the watch community—too much colour, too expensive, too big.

This year, Louis Vuitton revives the world-timer and the stunning painted dial—with even more finesse. Around the outer track of the Escale Worldtime are 24 flags representing major cities around the world. Each is hand-painted, with 35 colours applied individually using a fine-tipped brush. Between each application, the dial must be dried in an oven to set the colour. This meticulous process means one dial takes a week to complete.

On the Escale Worldtime Tourbillon, the flags are rendered in grand feu enamel instead. It’s a complicated process. Enamel shrinks as it cools, so multiple layers are required to arrive at the final surface. For this watch, over 40 firings are needed, spread across five different temperatures between 730 and 840 degrees Celsius. If anything should occur during the firing, then the dial is useless and must be disposed of.

It doesn't stop there. After the firings are complete, a master enameller must gently polish the disc until it reveals its depth and brilliance. One city dial for this model requires over two weeks, or 80 hours, of precision and painstaking work.

The city flags are also inspired by historical Louis Vuitton motifs, specifically from the age of ocean liners. During that era, travellers would paint their emblems on their trunks so that they could recognise their belongings while journeying across continents and seas.