Haute Complication: Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time Meteorite

When launched for the first time in 2009, the Spin Time introduced a new concept of telling time. While a regular hand indicates the minutes, only the current hour is revealed. Its innovative movement places the hour markers, displayed on cubes attached to spokes, in their usual place on the dial. With the relevant hour shown against a background of gold turned forwards, the remaining ones are hidden, with their cubes showing a different side decorated with motifs inspired by Louis Vuitton’s famous luggage collections. The beauty of this concept is that it is not only highly legible, but also taps deep into the DNA of Louis Vuitton.

With the Escale Spin Time Meteorite, the brand highlights a unique material. Its dial is crafted from a slice of the Gibeon meteorite that fell on earth in prehistoric times in what is now Namibia. As meteorite is rather fragile, it requires significant expertise and experience to process it. The completion of a dial of the Escale Spin Time Meteorite takes, therefore, two full days. While the Escale has a, for a Louis Vuitton, rather restrained design, it is full of interesting details and references to the brand’s heritage. This is expressed by not only the crown but also the lugs, which resemble the metalwork on Louis Vuitton’s famed travel trunks.

With a diameter of 41mm is the watch well proportioned. The rich look of the pink gold bezel, lugs, and crown go very well with the monochrome theme of the dial and the hour cubes. The case itself is made from titanium coated with black PVD. Inside the Escale Spin Time Meteorite, we find caliber LV 77, an automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve developed and assembled by Louis Vuitton’s manufacture La Fabrique du Temps. All combined does it result in a watch that gives a contemporary twist to the rich heritage of both Louis Vuitton in particular, as well was watchmaking as a whole.