For those among us who are collectors, or fans of independent horology and exceptional leathercrafts, this is something you’d want to take note of. Louis Vuitton recently announced the second creation in its ongoing collaborative series with independent watchmakers, and this time Master Watchmaker Kari Voutilainen creates a remarkable travel-inspired timepiece.
The LVKV-02 GMR 6 is a culmination of each maison’s expertise and journey in watchmaking, which began in 2002 for both brands – a commonality found in coincidence yet marking a fortunate beginning. The LVKV-02 GMR 6 starts with a design based on Louis Vuitton’s latest Escale watch which was unveiled last year.
The Escale itself is a piece created to reflect Louis Vuitton’s heritage in the art of travel alongside its savoir-faire in the art of trunkmaking, with elements like the lugs that allude to the iconic trunk rivets, brass brackets, and angled forms. That made the Escale the perfect base to the travel-inspired LVKV-02 GMR 6.
The case is pure tantalum, while platinum is used to adorn parts like the bezel and lugs. The hand guilloché dial combines motifs from both Louis Vuitton and Voutilainen's heritage.
The caseback features the engraving 'Louis cruises with Kari', while the movement can be watched from the transparent glass back.
The lugs are designed after Louis Vuitton's iconic brass brackets that sit on the corners of the travel trunks.
The 40.5mm case is crafted from pure tantalum, with parts like the bezel, back, lugs, crown, and strap buckle adorned in platinum. The lugs are polished and satin finished entirely by hand, while the angles are shaped through fine cabronnage – a process that takes about an hour to complete for each lug.
Then the gold dial, manufactured in four parts, starts with the eye-catching diamond-polished hour circle, a masterpiece of miniature painting that is hand-decorated by Maryna Bossy of the Métiers d’Art workshop at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. 28 different colours and 32 hours of work, followed by eight hours of firing creates the stunning circle.
In the centre of the dial sits the exceptional hand guilloché work from Voutilainen with a design that nods to Louis Vuitton’s Damier motif. Voutilainen also put its craft into the sun and moon imagery within the sub-dial that serves as the day and night indicator, within which the iconic Monogram flower can be found.
The calibre is specially crafted for this piece: the manual-wound GMR 6 calibre – a name that indicates the complications engineered within, which are the GMT feature, the power reserve display, and the location of the sub-dial at 6 o’clock. Made up of 254 components, including German silver main plates, and a very large balance wheel to ensure perfect regulation, the GMR 6 movement is made in-house by the Voutilainen technicians and artisans, bringing its renowned level of mechanical engineering to this timepiece.
The LVKV-03 GMR 6 comes in a mini Louis Vuitton travel trunk, hand-painted with the dial around the front and top of the case.
Just like the watch caseback, the trunk is also emblazoned with the words 'Louis cruises with Kari', a signature of the collaboration series.
Each trunk is numbered from one to five to mark each piece in the series.
The LVKV-02 GMR 6 is limited to only five pieces, and will each be delivered in a bespoke Louis Vuitton travel trunk which was crafted using the marque’s traditional methods. The trunk is decorated with a design that mirrors the watch dial, as well as the signature “Louis cruises with Kari” wordings that mark the collaboration. And to emphasise its exclusivity, the trunk is numbered from one to five corresponding to the watch itself, ensuring each piece – from timepiece to trunk – is as unique as can be.
Discover the LVKV-02 GMR 6 here, or head to Louis Vuitton’s website to learn more about its watches.
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