The Louis Vuitton Escale Collection Expands with World Time, Twin Zone and Repeater Complications

The Escale Collection is a classic of Louis Vuitton with a distinctive design, strongly inspired by the idea of travel and by LV Trunks. The Escale collection was mostly known for its world timers with handsome dials decorated with micro-painting and flags, or dual-time displays. Which makes sense, considering the name of the watch, which means stopover in French. With the relaunch two years ago, the Escale came back as a more classic, elegant time-only watch. Sure, there were a lot of design elements from the past models, but no more of these very cool displays and dials of the past. But that’s about to change, as the Louis Vuitton Escale collection now expands to include 5 new complication models, including the return of the emblematic World Time with micro-painted dial. 

With the release of the new Escale in 2024, many, including me, missed a bit of the past flair. But the reality was that the launch model was basically here to set the tone for the rest. A blueprint, if you want. So what was the Louis Vuitton Escale all about? The basics of the design are clearly visible on the case, and specifically the lugs, which have always been the most distinctive element of the Escale’s design. They are shaped like the riveted exterior of the brass brackets and corners found on iconic LV trunks. Finished by hand with a polished surface and internal bevels, the lugs are set on top of a brushed caseband and also include decorative rivets.

The same inspiration was visible on the dials, but then again, in a time-only version. There were discreet references to the trunks, mostly the applied makers and the minute track with gold studs. But then again, I kind of missed the design and display of the older models, specifically the world timer watches and their dials full of miniature flags.

Here we are in early 2026, and complications are back into the Louis Vuitton Escale watch, with no fewer than 5 new watches, including 4 equipped with traveller’s functions. That means a new world timer, a world timer with a central tourbillon and two twin-zone models. And, as the top of the range, a splendid high-complication watch with jumping hours, retrograde minutes and a minute repeater.

The Escale WorldTime

Let’s start with my personal favourite – which I feel will be the star of the collection – the new Escale WorldTime. In 2014, Louis Vuitton released the first version of this watch, and it made quite a sensation back then. It was new, different, complex, and its dial, with dozens of hand-painted flags, really gave the watch its own identity. It became one of the most recognisable watches by Louis Vuitton. Was it perfect? Well, not really, at least in terms of practicality and legibility. The display used a big triangle in the middle, pointing at two discs for the hours and minutes, with a dragging motion. Not the easiest to read. But it was really a good-looking watch.

After the time-only Escale, we now have the return of the worldtime model. And it’s not only a really beautiful watch, but it’s also been upgraded on the mechanical side. The new worldtime is sleeker, more refined, but also more practical to read and to use as a traveller’s watch – which is, you’ll admit, quite important.

The new Escale Worldtime is presented in a rather compact platinum case that measures 40mm in diameter and only 10.3 mm in thickness. It retains everything that makes an Escale watch, including the trunk-inspired handmade lugs, the octagonal crown and, on the caseback, there’s a gold plaque set with the serial number. Another detail, new for Louis Vuitton, there’s an orange sapphire on the back that now indicates that the case is made of platinum.

But of course, what matters here is the dial… And yes, the miniature-painted flags are back! Used to create the city ring of the worldtime function, and paired with a sleek grained blue central dial, the ring is again a tribute to travel and to LV trunks. There are 24 flags, representing the 24 main cities around the globe. And their design is not just a coincidence, as they all refer to elements of the trunks.  These flags are made by hand, by Louis Vuitton’s atelier, La Fabrique des Arts, by a team of just two artisans. And they do something quite spectacular, as 35 colours are applied one by one using a tiny brush. Between applications, the dial is carefully dried in an oven to set each colour. As a result, it takes an entire week to complete each dial. And the result is a dial full of colours, super detailed and with a very beautiful 3D effect.

Now, the Escale Worldtime is not only a handsome watch, but it’s also a more practical watch than before. All indications, including the city ring and hour disc, are adjusted by the crown. And something important, the hour disc is now jumping every hour and not slowly rotating. That means that you’ll always clearly see the current hour. In the same vein, the minutes are now indicated by a classic hand, which is easier to read.

Powering this new display is a new movement, the calibre LFT VO 12.01. Conceived and manufactured in-house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, this automatic movement relies on the same overall concept as the smaller movement introduced last year in the Convergence and the Spin Time models. This quite large movement, running at a 4Hz frequency, is nicely decorated with a rose gold rotor and Vuitton’s classic finishes: sandblasted bridges, polished bevels and colourless jewels.

The new Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime is worn on a blue leather strap with a platinum pin buckle. On the wrist, it’s really a beautiful object with great personality, but also a comfortable watch, and a practical travelling companion too. It retails for EUR 95,000.

Quick facts: 40mm x 10.3mm platinum case – sapphire crystal on both sides – 50m water-resistant – handcrafted dial with miniature painting (35 colours) – LFT VO12.01 calibre, in-house automatic, 4Hz, 62h power reserve – blue calf leather strap, platinum pin buckle – ref. W3PTA1

The Escale Worldtime Tourbillon

Next to this new Escale Worldtime, there’s also a high horology version with a central tourbillon. And while the inspiration is the same, there are some great differences between these two. Again, we’re looking at a 40mm platinum watch, but this tourbillon model is 12.8mm in thickness, due to the domed sapphire crystal, making room for the tourbillon in the centre. Again, it is paired with a casual blue leather strap and remains pretty compact on the wrist.

What changes most, besides the obvious addition of a tourbillon in the centre of the dial, is the technique used to create the flags. While miniature painting is already complex, the Escale Worldtime Tourbillon uses grand feu enamel, with a cloisonné technique. Each colour is applied by hand, and more than 40 firings in five different layers are required. One dial requires 80 hours of work alone.

Now, as you can see, having a tourbillon in the centre of the dial also requires rethinking the display. In addition to the Monogram flower tourbillon and the city disc, the display consists again of a more legible jumping hour disc and the minutes are indicated by small indexes at the periphery of the tourbillon. Here, the base of the movement is the same as above, meaning an in-house automatic calibre running also at 4Hz.

The platinum Escale Worldtime Tourbillon is not a limited edition but, considering the work required for the dial, only small quantities will be produced. And as you can imagine, with its complexity, the price is higher, at EUR 240,000.

Quick facts: 40mm x 12.8mm platinum case – sapphire crystal on both sides – 50m water-resistant – handcrafted dial in grand feu enamel (25 colours) – LFT VO05.01 calibre, in-house automatic flying tourbillon, 4Hz, 62h power reserve – blue calf leather strap, platinum folding buckle – ref. W3PT41

The Escale Twin Zone

As said, there are 5 new Escale models in total, and two of them are unprecedented GMT watches, the Twin Zone models. And here, we’re not talking about a classic GMT watch with a 24-hour hand on the dial, but something a bit more complex, with two sets of hands, fully independent, mounted on the central axis. And that’s Louis Vuitton’s answer to the problem of the multiple time zones around the globe, including several that are not on full hours.

Contrary to popular belief, there are more than 24 time zones around the globe. In fact, there are 38 time zones, with some offset by 30 or 45 minutes – it is the case, for example, in Australia. Apart from a few exotic watches, most GMT watches only display 24 time zones, and there’s no flexibility of adjustment on the minute hand.

So what makes this Louis Vuitton Escale Twin Zone special? Well, as you can see, there are 4 hands on the central axis, two solid ones for the hours and minutes of the local time, and two openworked ones for the hours and minutes of the home time – or vice versa, if you want to display the time in another part of the world while at home.

With this watch, you have the classic additional hour hand, but here on a 12-hour scale. And next to it, an independently adjustable minute hand that allows precise adjustment across all global time zones, including those with non-standard offsets. Indeed, this minute hand is calibrated to make 15-minute jumps when you adjust it. So, in short, you can display all 38 time zones around the globe. Elegantly simple, but very effective. When travelling, adjusting to local time is intuitive and fast, as all indications are set by the crown, forwards or backwards.

And when you want to keep things clean, when home for instance, the openworked hands can be hidden under the main solid hands. Only the discreet day/night indicator at the top hints at the traveller’s complication. It is, as expected, linked to home time, so you know at a glance whether it is day or night in your home country.

The Escale Twin Zone is released in two versions. The first is a classic yet very elegant combination of rose gold with a silver-grey dial, and a grey-beige saffiano strap – really, the colour scheme is subtle, refined and has great elegance. Once again, the case has all the elements of the Escale and its signature lugs, and it measures 40mm in diameter and 12.5mm in thickness. The dial here is silver coloured, satin-brushed and has engraved meridians and parallels like a globe.

The other version is bolder and far more precious. Made of platinum, it measures 41mm, and the case is set with 170 baguette-cut diamonds. The centre of the dial, again engraved to look like a globe, is here made of aventurine. It is framed by a flange with 120 diamonds and blue studs. This version is worn on a blue leather strap.

Inside the case of these two Escale Twin Zone is the same automatic base movement as the Worldtime, again nicely decorated and equipped with a rose gold rotor. The classic rose gold version retails for EUR 58,000, and the gemset model for EUR 230,000.

Quick facts (gold model): 40mm x 12.52mm rose gold case – sapphire crystal on both sides – 50m water-resistant – silver dial with engraved meridians and parallels – LFT VO15.01 calibre, in-house automatic, 4Hz, 68h power reserve – Arroyo grey saffiano calf leather strap with rose gold pin buckle – ref. W3PG71

The Escale Minute Repeater

Last but certainly not least, Vuitton is adding a superb haute horlogerie version to the collection, the Escale Minute Repeater, a watch that’s not about travel this time but watchmaking expertise.

This version is, as with the 4 others, classic Escale in design, with again a 40mm case in rose gold, and a 12.3mm thickness. You can see the classic trunk-inspired lugs on the side, but there’s a twist on one of them, which serves as the trigger for the minute repeater – it’s quite nicely integrated and makes the case clean.

The dial of this Escale Minute Repeater is properly stunning, not only thanks to its unusual display of the time but also to its execution. The centre has an eye-catching handmade guilloché pattern, named flammé (or flamed if you prefer), that radiates from the centre of the watch. And it really spectacularly catches the light. The lower part is home to a circular window that displays the jumping hour, with a polished countersink. And on top, there’s an arched track for the retrograde minute. And as you can see, it’s discreetly paying tribute to the trunks with the riveted corners.

Inside the case is a movement that some of you might have recognised, as it’s also used in the recent Gerald Genta minute repeater. Developed by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, it’s made in-house at La Fabrique du Temps. But it’s not an easy task to combine a repeater with a jumping hour, the challenge being to synchronise the two independent time-calculation systems – one dedicated to the striking mechanism, the other to the jumping display. The chiming mechanism itself is also pretty impressive, and the watch sounds great (check the video on top).

The back shows a very nicely finished hand-wound movement, with black-polished hammers, gongs that are shaped, cut, and adjusted by hand, classic Geneva stripes and hand-bevelled and polished anglage throughout. The Escale Minute Repeater is worn on a beige-grey leather strap, resulting again in a soft and elegant colour scheme. Discreetly luxurious… The watch isn’t a limited edition but will be produced in small quantities and priced at EUR 350,000.

Quick facts: 40mm x 12.3mm rose gold case – sapphire crystals on both sides – 50m water-resistant – silver-tone hand-guilloche dial – LFT SO13.01 calibre, in-house hand-wound, 3Hz, 80h power reserve – Beige calf leather strap, rose gold folding buckle – ref. W3PGA0

For more details, please visit louisvuitton.com.