Practice one of the very few LVKV-02 GMR 6 watches

Less than a month later, I found myself in a white lotus-like environment on a Thai island. I don’t spare the details of the moment I stepped into the frog barefoot, but the view was incredible (first time in Thailand). Still, I was on a 3-day mission! Louis Vuitton had announced a collaboration with watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. Two political parties have created a limited run of just five LVKV-02 GMR 6 watches and invited Watch Media to cover this special introduction.

Louis Vuitton and Kari Vautilanen in Thailand

Louis Vuitton also invited many clients to take advantage of this stunning location to showcase the latest novelties. It was fascinating to see the Louis Vuitton Pavilion. Here, all recent spin-time models and other collections of Tambour Taiko are on display and demonstrated. The brand transformed the entire pavilion into an impressive exhibition, allowing guests to explore all new items, observe artisans in the workplace, and showcase skills such as manual sculpture.

In addition to the new LVKV-02 GMR 6 Watch, we had the opportunity to preview upcoming releases under the embargo. However, you need to exercise a little more patience for them!

LVKV-02 GMR 6 on the wrist

You may have already read an introductory article on this new collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Kari Vautilanen, but if you haven’t, you can find it here. Today’s article focuses on its wearability and my view of the watch, rather than providing an overview of the specifications and features. Did I say it was already cruelly hot in Thailand? Nonetheless, I tried out the new LVKV-02 GMR 6 inside (and outside) the Louis Vuitton venue. Jean Arnault and Kari Vautilanen were also there to present and explain to us the clock.

The danger of using “Soldier Shot” or clock rendering is that they suck all their lives from the subject. For example, there are no reflections, but in reality, there are always reflections in a watch. The post-processed photos are very beautiful, but rarely show realistic images of the watch. I was in the place to reveal this watch, but I received the press material before looking at my watch. I was impressed with the (hand) work on the dial and the movement of the LVKV-02 GMR 6, but when I saw the show a few hours later it made a huge difference. Not only does the color of the dial look brighter and more vibrant, but the tantalum case with its platinum elements also shines even more in real life.

The dial will merge the Voutilainen and Louis Vuitton logos to highlight the collaboration between the two watchmaking houses.

Miniature Painting Work on the Dial

What surprised me the most was how amazing the miniature paintwork on the dial and cover of the main spring barrel is. The 6 o’clock day/night indicator was particularly great for close observations.

On my 18cm wrist, this 40.5mm x 12.54mm watch is completely worn. As I wrote above, it is much more colorful than the pressed image. The Louis Vuitton artisan fills the time ring with enamel (miniature) paintings, and the center of the gold dial shows Voutilainen’s stunning Guilloche work.

At 6 o’clock, there is a second time zone subdial, featuring saffron enamel sun and blue night sky. It takes quite a while for the artisan to make the colour and effect just right. At 12 o’clock, there is a power reserve indicator on the Guilloché dial. The long hands are completely easy to read and have a typical Voterainen design with blue circles and (gold) arrow pointers.

GMR 6

Kari Voutilainen’s workshop team designed and produced the manual winding movements of this watch completely in-house. As you can see in the image, the watchmaker applied geneave and salvation decorations to this caliber. They also made wheels from the main plate and bridges and gold of the movement from German silver. Voutilainen’s GMR 6 caliber (with dual impulse escapement) wears the mites at 18,000 VPH and offers a 65-hour power reserve. You can admire this movement through the sapphire window on the back of the watch. You will soon notice the large balance wheel on the main spring barrel cover and multi-color miniature painting. Additionally, the movement has a small plate that indicates that the watch is a limited edition of just five. Engravers also placed the phrase “Louis Cruises with Kari” on their caseback.

The large, twisty octagonal crown is easy to grasp, and it feels very smooth to bending movement. The 20mm gray fabric strap may look a little stiff, but thankfully it’s very comfortable on the wrist. It is equipped with a Platinum Vuitton signature pin buckle.

Some after-appends

With only five pieces (550,000 euros each) and two prototypes for the manufacturer, this LVKV-02 GMR 6 collaboration watch is only for the lucky ones. Louis Vuitton delivers each watch in a made-to-order and hand-painted trunk. However, the LVKV-02 GMR 6 is truly impressive on the wrist, and I hope these watches stay on the wrist and don’t stay on the trunk. Using Tantalum and Platinum, Louis Vuitton and Kari Voutilainen were interesting choices. As my colleague Dave explained in this article, Tantalum is a dense, heavy material. As you can see in some of the images above, the Tantalum midcase has a nice blue tint that combines well with polished platinum elements.

I’ve seen the Louis Vuitton collaboration with Akrivia and Kari Voutilainen, so I look forward to the next one! what about you?

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