Escale Spin Time

ESCALE SPIN TIME

Once again, Louis Vuitton has pushed the boundaries of creativity by fusing two areas of expertise. Its Escale Spin Time watch incorporates the ingenious hour display principle of the Spin Time movement into the Escale case, revisiting the theme of miniature painting that makes Escale dials so special.

This time, colour is used all over the watch, right down to the movement, in this  reinterpretation. By breaking with convention, the Escale Spin Time takes Louis Vuitton’s rich history of watchmaking in an exciting new direction, like an invitation to embark on a joyous, interior journey through an exceptional timepiece.

With every passing hour, the Escale Spin Time’s dial changes appearance without losing any personality, which it expresses through the 24 geometric square flags that have been carefully rendered by hand on each of the 12 cubes. This was achieved using the process of pad printing, which consists of transferring inks contained in depressions in the image, or cliché, using a silicone rubber pad, one colour at a time. The results are extremely precise but highly complex to achieve on such small surfaces.

A playful and colourful hour display

In 2010 Louis Vuitton unveiled its Tambour Spin Time GMT, which introduced a playful and innovative new way to display the hours. Based on an ingenious system of 12 rotating cubes powered by an in-house movement (LV119), it revolutionised the jumping hours principle.

Louis Vuitton went even further in 2014, launching an entirely different type of watch with a unique shape. This new case was named Escale, inspired by the House’s iconic trunks. The innovative design showcased fascinating functions and a colourful dial inspired by the practice of customising trunks using bands of colour, initials and coats of arms, painted on by hand. This theme, which inspired the designs of the Escale Worldtime and Escale Time Zone dials, was also reinterpreted on the dial of the new Escale Spin Time.
The Escale watches perpetuate the tradition of travel at Louis Vuitton, reinventing and enhancing the codes of the globetrotter’s watch.

Here, the hour is displayed by the simultaneous rotation of two of the twelve stems that each support a cube, which can display four different sides: the hours of the day and night (the numerals 10 or 22, for example) on two sides, plus two different coloured flags inspired by the House’s customised trunks on the other two sides. The minutes are indicated more traditionally, with a hand. This beautiful and unique automatic movement (LV 77) boasts a robust, enduring build.
Like the principle of the jumping hours, it was designed so that the jump occurs exactly on the hour: the two relevant cubes rotate by 20 degrees just a few seconds beforehand. The purpose is to offer significant energy savings and minimise the impact on the watch’s accuracy.

Positioned in the centre of the sapphire glass, a disc with clean radiating lines, bearing the inscription «Louis Vuitton Spin Time”, evokes the shape of a stylised earth globe.The delicate minute hand detaches poetically from this central circle.

A two-material case with a unique shape

Like a miniature travel trunk containing a mechanical treasure, the Escale Spin Time case reprises the iconic design of the corners of Louis Vuitton trunks, transforming them into lugs, which also protect the timepiece elegantly from the ravages of time.

With a diameter of 41mm, and a 11.2mm thickness, the Escale Spin Time case is forged from brushed titanium with a bezel, horns and crown in 18-carat whiteor pink gold.

Highlighted by an elegant coloured flange, the slender bezel in pink or white gold offers a generous view of the dial, for optimal visibility of the hour display and the graceful dance performed by the rotating cubes. On the reverse side, the sapphire case-back reveals an aluminium disc coupled with an oscillating weight that rotates precisely around a large, boldly outlined “LV” in frosted glass.

Paired with a grey alligator strap lined with yellow rubber-effect calfskin, and fastened with a folding buckle in 18-carat white or rose gold, the Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time watch is a true one-off. As well as featuring a new mechanical interpretation of the “Spin Time” complication, it offers a colourful, playful journey into the heart of an iconic calibre.