When it comes to the most difficult watch complication to make, some might argue that it’s probably the grande sonnerie, multi-axis tourbillon, or minute repeater. However, such movements are still being observed. leading watch manufacturer Every year.

The last time a Sympathetique watch was produced was 35 years ago, when Breguet commissioned THA to create a mechanism that its founder had invented more than 200 years earlier. Simply put, Sympathetique watches are among the most difficult objects in horology to design, build, and debug. But today, Louis Vuitton and de Bethune have met this challenge head-on by teaming up for the brand new Sympathetic and stunning new timepieces inspired by it.

explanation of empathy

Back in 1795, Abraham-Louis Breguet came up with something that sounded too good to be true. It is a high-precision clock that automatically winds, sets, and adjusts itself. buddy pocket watch while you were sleeping. Place your watch in the little cradle on top of your watch before going to bed and wake up fully fixed and ready to use. Only a handful were made during his lifetime, and they remained for exclusive use by the royal family. Fast forward to 1991, and Denis Frajolet (who worked at the complication atelier THA) created a modern version of the Breguet concept applied to wristwatches. The work recently sold at auction for $5.51 million, and was purchased by no one other than Fragiore’s former THA partner, François-Paul Journe. Now, 30 years later, Flageolet has done it again with Louis Vuitton.

LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius

This collaboration is the third in Louis Vuitton’s five-part series spotlighting independent watchmakers, following its work with Rexhep Rexhepi and Kari Voutilainen. The watch itself is a 45mm tambour drum case with De Bethune’s signature thermally rendered. blue titaniumwith platinum lugs and crown. The dial beautifully blends both houses. Surrounded by the bold tambour numerals of LV, the starry de Bethune centerpiece features a white gold pin forming the “LV” constellation. a Spherical GMT indicator (rose gold during the day, blue steel at night) rotates twice each day and also includes a jumping date complication.

Inside is the hand-wound caliber DB2507LV, a derivative of the movement found in De Bethune’s DB25 GMT Starry Varius. It operates at 4Hz and features a double self-adjusting barrel, plus a De Bethune triple shock absorption system and a 5-day power reserve via a silicon escapement. Although only two watches will be produced, all 12 watches have Sympathetique docking features integrated into their movements.

the watch itself

When it comes to watches that impress, the LVDB-03 Sympathetique Louis Varius watch is a real show-stopper. Weighing approximately 22 pounds and measuring approximately 1 foot in all directions, this marine chronometer-style watch is made of titanium with a meteorite inlay. The 763-component movement beats at 2.5Hz, is wound by a titanium key, and offers an 11-day power reserve. Once you dock the watch in the cradle beneath the rose gold dome (with a hand-engraved constellation of Hercules), the watch begins to work. The watch continues to wind for 10 hours, and every two hours the hands are mechanically reset via the watch’s crown to within seven minutes of the master time.

Belgian artist François Scheiten has created three panoramic landscapes surrounding the watch dial with rotating rose gold rings sculpted entirely by hand by Michel Rothen. The scenes change as the ring rotates at different speeds throughout the day, including a steam train, a hot air balloon over Africa, and mountain climbers. It is both a timekeeping tool and a kinetic sculpture.

spec sheet

Price and availability

The 10 standalone LVDB-03 GMT watches cost €375,000 (approximately $441,806) each. Two complete sets of watches and Sympathetique watches, both shipped in custom titanium trunks. The price is 4,000,000 euros (approximately $4,712,600).