Introducing: The Louis Vuitton Voyager Flying Tourbillon 'Poin?on de Genve' Plique--Jour

March 06, 2024

Hot off the presses from Geneva, Louis Vuitton has just announced a handful of new models, including this curious addition to the?Voyager line: the Voyager Flying Tourbillon "Poin?on de Genve" Plique--jour. Combining the sleek and modern footing of the Voyager with a decidedly traditional application of plique-a?-jour enamel, the dial of this new model is meant to evoke the look of a stained glass window. Topping things off, nestled in the framework of the dial, we see the Geneva Seal, aka the Poinc?on de Gene?ve, proudly anchoring the model to its home in Geneva while also signaling a specific focus on craftsmanship and fine finishing.? That first paragraph basically just expanded upon the naming convention of the Voyager Flying Tourbillon "Poin?on de Genve" Plique--jour. As a physical product, this Voyager model is 41mm wide with a case made of platinum that is 11.68mm thick and offers 50 meters of water resistance and a display caseback to see the backside of the skeletonized white-gold movement within.? Unsurprisingly, that movement, the LV 104, has been developed by La Fabrique du Temps and features a fully skeletonized architecture that places the time display in a small dial at 12 and the flying tourbillon in a balanced position at six. With v-shapes plentiful in the design, the tourbillon makes a revolution each minute, and the movement offers an 80-hour power reserve while ticking at 3 Hz.? Really though, as impressive as the movement may be, the real achievement of this decidedly high-end creation is in the dial, which is home to an incredibly intricate and complicated application of a specific type of enamel work (the "plique-a?-jour" mentioned in the name). That stained glass effect is made possible by this special enameling process, which allows for a specific range of colors while preserving partial transparency. Born in the Byzantine era, plique-a?-jour enameling is a process that allows the enamel to be suspended between the framework of the movement. It's rendered without any sort of plate or backing and is thus translucent, like glass. The end result is formed by five to six distinct applications of enamel, each with its own firing. All told, LV says it's around 100 hours of work for each dial.? While pricing is not publicly available (yes, I have asked), I think it's safe to say that you can expect a large number with a great many zeros.? What We Think Look, while I am very much on record as not really being much of a flying tourbillon type, I am quite impressed by the enamel work on this watch. In some ways, specifically in the transparency of the application, it reminds me of the micro details of the Cartier Crash Tigre (which, coincidentally, is also a "not for me" watch that I found deeply impressive). You may be like me C largely indifferent to most six-figure watches and their accompanying tourbillons C but take a closer look at the image below. It's hard for me to ignore the texture and glow of the enamel, especially in areas where the transparency allows for a view of the movement underneath. That's not something you're going to see on a cheeky Seiko or a Tudor dive watch C love them as I do.? As a further exercise in flexing the breadth of LV's haute horology skill set, this uniquely enameled Voyager is yet another feather in the cap for a brand that continues to iterate in the high-end space by leveraging both traditional craftsmanship and unexpected creativity.? The Basics Brand: Louis Vuitton Model: Voyager Flying Tourbillon "Poinc?on de Gene?ve" Plique-a?-jourReference Number: Q7EBBYDiameter: 41mmThickness: 11.68mmCase Material: Platinum and white goldDial Color: Blue enamel, skeletonizedWater Resistance: 50 metersStrap/Bracelet: Calf leather, blue The Movement Caliber: LV 104 Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillonPower Reserve: 80 hoursWinding: Hand-woundFrequency: 21,600 vphJewels: 17 Additional Details: Poinc?on de Gene?ve certified (aka The Geneva Seal) Pricing & Availability Price: Available upon requestFor more information, visit Louis Vuitton online. Shop this story Louis Vuitton is part of the LVMH Watch Group. Although LVMH Luxury Ventures is a minority investor in HODINKEE, we maintain complete editorial independence.