LOUIS VUITTON'S AMBITIOUS DRESS WATCH

The Escale celebrates 10 years with a new look

- Bilal Khan

Say hello to the new Louis Vuitton Escale collection, which has got a full revamp following that of the Tambour last year.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Escale reintroduces itself as the brand's core dress watch in the wake of the trio of Escale métiers d'art Cabinet of Wonders watches released earlier this year. The previous generation of the Escale was, for many of us, defined by the colourful and hand painted-Worldtime watch that debuted in 2014 as one of the first few releases after Louis Vuitton acquired La Fabrique du Temps in 2011. The new Escale is something of a sophomore release after last year's Tambour, which served as the opening salvo of Louis Vuitton as a more upmarket watchmaker with consolidated offerings.

With the Tambour serving as Louis Vuitton's benchmark integrated bracelet sport watch, the next move was naturally a dress watch. We are experiencing a dress watch renaissance with a slew of notable pieces like Chopard's L.U.C 1860 reissue, the Rolex 1908, Patek's 6119G/6119R Calatrava, and pieces from just about every Cartier collection such as Tank Chinoise or Cloche De Cartier. And then there are the Indie offerings like Moser's Endeavour and the revived Parmigiani Toric Petite Seconde. Indeed, it's a crowded field out there for enthusiasts in the market for a dress watch that checks all the boxes from case construction and proportion, dial quality, attention to movement finishing, and so on.

So, the question here is: Where does the new Louis Vuitton Escale fit in? While only time can tell when it comes to how enthusiasts and collectors react at a commercial level, Louis Vuitton's substantial investment in its Watchmaking Division is certainly on display with the new Escale. For now, let's get into some context and, more importantly, take a closer look at the hard product.