In an exceptional alliance between two horological powerhouses, Louis Vuitton and Master Watchmaker Kari Voutilainen have unveiled their second collaborative creation: the LVKV-02 GMR 6. This limited edition of five timepieces is not merely a celebration of craftsmanship—it is a richly layered narrative that honors the art of travel, independent watchmaking, and the shared pursuit of excellence.
Emerging from the watchmaking ateliers of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and Voutilainen’s independent workshop in Saint-Sulpice, Switzerland, the LVKV-02 GMR 6 represents a rare confluence of artistic refinement and technical mastery. Each element of this mechanical marvel serves as both an homage to Louis Vuitton’s legacy of exploration and a showcase of Voutilainen’s revered attention to detail.
The 40.5mm LVKV-02 GMR 6 is rooted in the Escale lineage, Louis Vuitton’s ode to global wanderers, first introduced in 2014. Its case—crafted from pure tantalum with platinum accents on the bezel, crown, lugs, caseback, and buckle—is a sculptural achievement, shaped and finished entirely by hand. Satin-finishing the tantalum side alone requires nearly four hours, a process that highlights the rare material’s radiance and contrasts elegantly with the platinum’s polish.
Every structural element nods to Louis Vuitton’s trunk-making heritage: the case lugs mirror the Maison’s signature brass brackets, while the engraved caseback reads “Louis cruises with Kari”—a poetic touch requiring 12 meticulous hours of engraving. These details extend beyond visual storytelling, establishing the timepiece as a functional object of design and heritage.
At the heart of the LVKV-02 GMR 6 lies a four-part gold dial, each segment a collaboration between the master artisans of Louis Vuitton and Voutilainen. The central guilloché motif, executed in Voutilainen’s atelier using centuries-old machinery, recalls the iconic Louis Vuitton Damier pattern, lending depth and shimmer.
The surrounding hour circle is a study in miniature painting, hand-decorated by Maryna Bossy of La Fabrique des Arts using 28 different hues, a process requiring over 32 hours of painting and eight hours of firing. Beneath the white gold Roman numerals, additional layers of fine detail emerge—most notably, a miniature stained-glass-inspired ring and a second time zone subdial featuring a sun-and-moon day/night disc, subtly embedded with the Monogram flower.
The dial integrates both names—“LV” and “Voutilainen”—in one graceful visual, with a handset produced entirely in-house by the Voutilainen workshop. It’s an aesthetic and functional symphony in which art, horology, and brand legacy converge.
Powering the LVKV-02 GMR 6 is the GMR 6 calibre, a manual-winding mechanical movement composed of 254 components. Fabricated and assembled entirely within the Voutilainen workshop, this caliber features two direct-impulse escapement wheels in blued steel—an energy-efficient innovation offering enhanced stability and longevity.
Its oversized balance wheel, balance spring with Phillips terminal and Grossmann inner curves, and 65-hour power reserve deliver remarkable precision. The GMT function is designed for intuitive global use: with a simple press of the crown, the central hour hand adjusts to local time, while the 24-hour subdial remains anchored to “home” time.
Traditional finishing techniques—Côtes de Genève, perlage, and hand-polished bevels—enhance the movement’s visual poetry. A view through the open caseback reveals miniature paintings on the mainspring barrel cover and ratchet, both hand-applied by Maryna Bossy in a labor-intensive process involving 27 hues, five kiln sessions, and a total of 16 hours of artisanal work.
No Louis Vuitton timepiece would be complete without a corresponding piece of luxury travel craftsmanship. Each LVKV-02 GMR 6 is delivered in a bespoke Louis Vuitton trunk, handcrafted in the historic Asnières workshop. Individually numbered and hand-painted to mirror the architecture of the dial, the trunk reflects the same spirit of global movement and artistic integrity that defines the watch itself.
As with the timepiece, the trunk is a functional work of art—one that reinforces the collaboration’s ethos of heritage, storytelling, and refined utility.
This collaboration is not only a technical and aesthetic milestone; it also supports the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. Kari Voutilainen’s role on the Prize committee underscores the initiative’s broader mission to celebrate and nurture exceptional craftsmanship across the horological landscape.
The LVKV-02 GMR 6 ultimately embodies more than just the sum of its intricate parts. It is a statement—about the value of creative partnerships, the preservation of artisan traditions, and the enduring appeal of timepieces that travel across generations as effortlessly as they do across time zones.