Louis Vuitton has turned to Kari Voutilainen to reimagine its distinctive travel watch. The Louis Vuitton x Kari Voutilainen LVKV-02 GMR 6 takes its cues from the Escale Worldtime, retaining the trunk-inspired case (but here in tantalum and platinum) and hand-painted, multi-colour dial, but with the artisanal elements of Voutilainen in the form of a guilloche dial and the cal. 28 movement with a second time zone.

The LVKV-02 is Louis Vuitton’s second of five collaborations with independent watchmakers, after the inaugural LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie by Rexhep Rexhepi that debuted in 2023. As with the earlier project, the proceeds from the LVKV-02 will go to fund the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize.

“LVOUTILAINEN”

Initial thoughts

The LVKV-02 is instantly recognisable as a collaborative effort because the design cues of both brands are obvious and complementary. In tactile terms, it has the polished, quality feel of the typical Voutilainen watch. But the LVKV-02 is expensive, very much so, which is its only weakness.

With its recent launches like the Convergence and Taiko Spin Time, Louis Vuitton has adopted a more subtle aesthetic as opposed to the extravagant style that defined much of its earlier watches. I, however, like the colourful aesthetic of the Escale Worldtime, enough that I own one. I think it remains one of the brand’s most original designs.

So the LVKV-02 has an easy appeal for me. It brings back the hand-painted dial but on a much, much higher level in terms of execution.

The quality of make is obvious across all components. Voutilainen’s movement is of course top class, as is its guilloche, but also the tantalum-and-platinum case that’s made in Louis Vuitton’s Geneva facility.

The LVKV-02 costs €458,000 without taxes, which is about the same as the preceding LVRR-01. But the LVRR-01 was substantially more complicated in having a tourbillon and chronograph with chime.

That said, Louis Vuitton has stated publicly the proceeds from the LVKV-02 will support its prize for independent watchmakers. Funding the prize doesn’t take away the sticker shock, but it adds context.

More broadly, the LVKV-02 illustrates Kari Voutilainen’s success in building his brand as a manufacture. Voutilainen was responsible for the dial, hands, and movement for the LVKV-02.

Most of the work and done as the watches will be delivered sometime in May 2025. Granted the project was several years in the making, but Voutilainen can produce and deliver with a consistently high quality – a feat in itself.

Escale redux

The watch was born from a collaborative discussion between Louis Vuitton and Kari Voutilainen. After Mr Voutilainen selected the Escale case as something he wanted to work with, Matthieu Hegi, the design director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton (LFT), suggested the Worldtime as inspiration.

Then Mr Voutilainen helped to give birth to a watch that would be “in my taste” as he put it. Some elements of the LVKV-02 also reflect the eye of Jean Arnault, watch director of Louis Vuitton and a watch collector himself.

The LVKV-02 is sized similarly to the Escale that inspired it. At 40.5 mm and 12.54 mm high, the case is a good size. Surprisingly, it also feels like a Voutilainen case in the hand.

The case is two-tone, but subtle. The brushed case middle is tantalum, the blue-grey metal that’s a favourite of Mr Hegi. The bezel, back, crown, and lugs, are polished platinum. According to Mr Voutilainen, he opted for a platinum bezel to frame the grey dial.

The lugs have faux rivets that reference Louis Vuitton’s trunks

The dial is almost pure Voutilainen. It’s a solid gold disc with a guilloche inspired by the Louis Vuitton “Damier” pattern. Likewise the enamelled 24-hour indicator at six o’clock was engraved and enamelled at Voutilainen.

But the chapter ring was painted at LFT by Maryna Bossy, the same artisan responsible for the Escale Worldtime. Hand painted in acrylic, then fired in an oven, section by section, the chapter ring requires 32 hours of painting and eight hours in the oven.

Resembling a nautical flags, the motif on the chapter ring is actually inspired by the blazons (a coat-of-arms or other symbol) employed as identity tags on vintage trunks

Surprisingly, Ms Bossy’s craft is also found on the reverse of the watch. The barrel ratchet wheel is overlaid with a white gold disc that’s hand painted in a similar style. This took another 16 hours of painting and another eight hours of firing.

The rest of the movement is familiar Voutilainen GMR calibre. Based on the cal. 28, the GMR incorporates a second time zone display at six o’clock for home time. It’s advanced in one hour steps by pressing the crown. Though it’s not extremely advanced for a travel watch, it does the job while preserving the Voutilainen look on the front and back.

Voutilainen is known for its haute horlogerie finishing, which it also offers in a range of styles. The LVKV-02 sticks to a traditional aesthetic, which was the choice of Mr Arnault. The German silver bridges are striped, while many of the steel parts are polished, including the wide bridge for the oversized balance.

The customary plaque on the barrel bridge bears “LVOUTILAINEN”

Like the LVRR-01, the LVRR-02 will be delivered in a trunk hand painted to echo the watch.The chapter ring is reproduced on two faces of the trunk, while the GMT indictor frames the lock.

The hand-painted trunk for the LVKV-02. Image – Louis Vuitton

Key facts and price

Louis Vuitton x Kari Voutilainen LVKV-02 GMR 6

Diameter: 40.5 mm
Height: 12.54 mm
Material: Tantalum case middle, with bezel, back, and lugs in platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Voutilainen GMR 6
Features: Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator, and second time zone on 24-hour indicator
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz)
Winding: Manual winding
Power reserve: 65 hours

Strap: Leather with platinum pin buckle

Limited edition: Five pieces, and one prototype each for Louis Vuitton and Voutilainen
Availability: At Louis Vuitton boutiques
Price: €458,000 before taxes 

For more, visit Louisvuitton.com.

We’ve said it before, but 2025 is a big year for anniversaries in the watch business, with brands like Breguet and Audemars Piguet celebrating 250 and 150 years, respectively. But it’s not just the big brands that have something to celebrate; this year also marks the 15th anniversary of Ressence, which has just launched its first proper complication, the Type 7 GMT. 

At launch, the Type 7 is available in Night Blue or Aquamarine, the latter being an 80-piece anniversary edition. It’s also the first Ressence to come equipped with a bracelet, enhancing its versatility.

Initial thoughts

Time flies when you’re having fun, which must be why I was shocked to realise Ressence is turning 15 years old this year. The Type 7 keeps the good times going with several of my favourite Ressence features, like the oil-filled dial chamber and the compression lock system for the keyless works, creating what is arguably the brand’s most wearable and versatile watch to-date.

The wearability starts with the new grade 5 titanium case, which is just 41 mm by 14 mm. While not a small watch, it’s the smallest Ressence to feature the brand’s proprietary locking system for the winding and setting mechanism, which to-date has only been available on the much larger 46 mm Type 5 dive watch. This endows the Type 7 with 50 m of water resistance, which means you can take the watch pretty much anywhere. This versatility is enhanced by the matching grade 5 titanium bracelet; a first for the brand.

Like other Ressence models, the Type 7 is powered by a two-part movement comprised of an ETA 2824-2 base, long favoured by independent watchmakers for its stable torque, and a proprietary orbital display module suspended in oil. The two subsystems are connected via magnetic coupling though a titanium membrane, which keeps the movement dry. The extra complexity drags the power reserve down to about 36 hours, compared to around 42 hours for a stock cal. 2824, but this is a worthwhile compromise.

It’s always hard to make objective value judgements about highly differentiated watches like those from Ressence, but I’d argue the Type 7 represents a compelling value at CHF36,000. It combines clever engineering with a distinctive aesthetic, while costing substantially less than the Urwerk UR-100V Magic T, which is arguably the most similar watch on the market.

Liquid legibility

At launch, there are two models of the Type 7 available. The first features a navy blue dial termed ‘Night Blue’ and features a ceramic bezel insert. The second is an 80-piece limited edition that features a green dial paired with an aluminum bezel insert, chosen to differentiate the anniversary model and offer just the right shimmer to complement the dial.

Going by the press images, I am drawn toward the standard production model in Night Blue, as I like the way the light blue indications on the ceramic bezel pair with the darker blue of the grade 5 titanium dial.

The dial is naturally the signature element of the Type 7, being dramatically domed and especially legible thanks to the presence of 2.95 ml of oil. Why oil? Simply put, light passes through oil and sapphire crystal in almost exactly the same way; this is known as the refractive index of the substance. In practice, this means the dial markings appear to be projected on the underside of the crystal. The effect is especially dramatic underwater.

This trick has been used before to improve underwater legibility of quartz dive watches from the likes of Sinn and Bell & Ross, but Ressence was the first brand to pair an oil-filled display with a mechanical movement. The visual effect of the oil-filled dial is a perfect fit with the mysterious regulator-style display developed by Ressence, giving it a look quite unlike anything else.

Turning up the temperature

Compared to prior Ressence models, the Type 7 offers a more refined oil temperature display. This indicator is vital for a watch like the Type 7 since liquids takes up more volume as temperatures increase. This simple fact of physics would put undue strain on the system without careful engineering. The Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) module in the brand’s oil-filled models features a system of mechanical bellows allowing the oil resevoir to expand and contract as temperatures rise and fall, respectively.

The Type 7 adds a second time zone indicator.

But even with this safeguard in place, the watch has an operating temperature range of between -5°C and +55°C. The oil temperature display is geared to the bellows, and reports temperature based on the liquid volume. In prior models, the temperature was shown on one of the orbital sub-dials, but this was not possible with the Type 7 due to the addition of the second time zone display.

Instead, a colour-coded disk is visible through a small window in the hour dial, which indicates whether the internal temperature is getting too low (dark blue), is just right (green), or is getting too high (yellow and red).

A window in the dial lets the wearer know if the oil temperature is in the correct range.

Deeper depths

Like other Ressence models, the Type 7 lacks a traditional crown. Instead, the watch is wound and set via the rotating case back. This feature enhances the minimalist aesthetic, but complicates the issue of water resistance, with most Ressence models rated to just 10 meters.

To address this challenge, the brand developed the Ressence Compression Lock System (RCLS) for the Type 5 dive watch, increasing water resistance to a full 100 meters. The system is essentially a short-throw locking nut that compresses the seals and holds the winding/setting ring in place. But the Type 5 is a big, 46 mm watch. The Type 7 is much more wearable at just 41 mm, but thanks to RCLS is rated to 50 meters.

The Type 7 is also more comfortable getting wet than any previous Ressence due to the integrated grade 5 titanium bracelet. Compared to the rest of the watch, the three-link bracelet is fairly traditional, but features beveled edges and a five-position micro-adjustable clasp to help the wearers find a good fit, even if their wrist expands and contracts throughout the day.

It ROCS

As complicated as it sounds, the movement inside the Type 7 is ingeniously simple. Known as ROCS, the time display module connects to an ETA 2824-2 via a magnetic interface. This enables the ROCS-powered dial to be fully immersed in crystal clear oil.

While the primary benefit if the oil-filled dial chamber is the visual element, there is an incidental benefit to the longevity of the components, since they are kept in a constant state of lubrication and cannot oxidise.

Various components of the ROCS system in the Type 5.

Key facts and price

Ressence Type 7 GMT
Type 7 XV Aquamarine
Type 7 Night Blue

Diameter: 41 mm
Height: 14 mm
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: ETA 2824-2 with in-house time display module
Functions: Hours, minutes, running indicator, and oil temperature indicator
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per second (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 36 hours

Strap: Titanium bracelet with adjustable clasp

Limited edition: Type 7 XV Aquamarine edition limited to 80 pieces
Availability: Available at Ressence boutiques and retailers starting April 2025
Price: CHF36,000 excluding taxes

For more, visit ressencewatches.com