LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie,
an union of historic complications
The LVRR-01 is a comprehensive meditation on the nature of time: a precision chronometer equipped with a tourbillon regulator that indicates the current time, but also an instrument that measures elapsed time, while marking for the first time in the watch industry, the passing of time with a sonnerie mechanism. The chronograph functions of start, stop, and reset are controlled by the pusher at two o’clock. However, the chronograph boasts the addition of an acoustic reminder of elapsed time, with a single chime struck as each minute passes. Clear and musical in tone, the chime is sounded by a black-polished steel hammer striking a tempered steel gong, developed at Atelier Akrivia.
These complications are showcased with an ingenious two-sided display that symbolises the collaborative development of the LVRR-01. The contemporary front dial in tinted sapphire crystal juxtaposed against a traditional face on the reverse in white grand feu enamel, together an allegory representing perfectly the identity of both Maisons.
A case making legend
A platinum case, which is a perfect match of Louis Vuitton’s signature Tambour imbued with the stylistic and technical touches of Rexhep Rexhepi, particularly in the thin, classical form of the case. The LVRR-01 translates the drum-shaped form of the Tambour into a reinterpreted, streamlined form distinguished by a tall, sloping bezel and elegantly sculpted lugs that draw on mid-century gentlemen’s wristwatches. The case is made by Atelier Akrivia in a process overseen by Jean-Pierre Hagmann, the Master casemaker in its case-making workshop – the discreet “JHP” hallmark on the lower-right lug is his personal seal of quality.
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Many faces of time
The individual and distinctive aesthetic codes of Rexhep Rexhepi and Louis Vuitton are unmistakeable on the two dials yet coherently integrated into a perfect whole.
Cleanly styled yet lavishly decorated, the front dial is eminently modern, mirroring the contemporary aspect of Louis Vuitton. The disc of tinted sapphire crystal features a gilt-metallised minute track that brings to mind the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain (RRCC I & II). The dial has six gold cubes filled with translucent fired enamel, a technique akin to stained glass known as plique-à-jour.
In contrast, the reverse face is resolutely classical in glossy white grand feu enamel, a tribute to traditional measuring instruments – it was designed by Rexhep Rexhepi. Bringing to 19th century chronograph pocket watches, the enamel dial features twin scales for the hours and minutes respectively, both printed in enamel.
Louis cruises with Rexhep
The LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie represents the creative vision of Louis Vuitton’s Jean Arnault and Atelier Akrivia’s Rexhep Rexhepi, who were brought together through a unique encounter and mutual passion for High Watchmaking.
