It Looks Like Louis Vuitton Made a Time Bomb for Wes Anderson

If you want to see unconventional timepieces, visit L’Épée 1839’s website. Most luxury watchmakers vie for the wrists of the 1%, while L’Épée aims for their mantelpieces. Its creations often resemble bespoke works of art more than conventional clocks. The latest collaboration with Louis Vuitton is almost mundane by comparison, though not for lack of novelty or luxury. Dubbed the Louis Vuitton Unity Time Object, the piece was created to mark the 10th anniversary of Louis Vuitton’s partnership with UNICEF. The clock is shaped like a skeletonised football, held together by gold-toned brackets, and sits inside a miniature version of one of Louis Vuitton’s signature trunks, handcrafted with brass corners, lock and clasps based on hardware used by the maison since the 1860s. A key-winding mechanism sits at the top. The minute track is engraved with Louis Vuitton’s monogram motifs and flowers, while the hour and minute displays are set with 264 black and white diamonds: 144 white for the hours and 120 black for the minutes, totalling 1.03 carats. The one-of-a-kind piece was auctioned at Sotheby’s, with the proceeds donated to UNICEF. Before the sale, it toured Paris, London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. That clock has almost traveled more than I have.