Louis Vuitton has released an unusual new product in partnership with the genius of deconstructivism Frank Gehry. The limited edition Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Geneve Sapphire Frank Gehry is inspired by two of Gehry's architectural masterpieces: the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris (2014) and the Louis Vuitton House in Seoul (2019).
At the opening of the latter, Gehry said that he was inspired by the sea, fish, ships and sailing, because all this embodies the idea of movement, mobility and speed. “I love to express movement and add dynamics to static materials,” he said.
The same ideas are reflected in the watch. The case measures 43,8 x 11,27 mm, the lugs, dial, crown and even the hands in this model are made of transparent sapphire. A phosphor is used along the contour of the hands to make it easy to read the time even in the dark.
The most difficult part in the creation process turned out to be a dial no thicker than a sheet of paper. It took 250 hours of work to make it alone. Interesting fact: to create the effect of sails fluttering in the wind, which is used in the design of the dial, Gehry asked him to print a photo of the Tambour Moon Saphir watch (2022) and immediately crumpled the sheet of paper with the printed image.
The model is powered by the LFT MM05.01 caliber, developed and assembled by watchmakers at Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in Geneva. To enhance the contrast in finish, the openwork mechanism is given a two-tone finish: the plate is made of satin rose gold, and the transmission mechanism and flying tourbillon cage are rhodium-plated. The Louis Vuitton monogram can be seen on the 1-minute tourbillon cage. The mechanism must be wound manually. The power reserve lasts for 80 hours.
The new product is marked with the Geneva Seal. On the back of the case you can also see Frank Gehry's autograph. The model is limited to a series of 5 copies. The estimated cost of the watch is $935.
