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LVMH Watch Week 2026: Louis Vuitton launches two new Escale Worldtime models designed for the sophisticated global traveller

The Escale Worldtime, Louis Vuitton’s signature model for displaying 24 time zones simultaneously, is back. Since its launch in 2014, the Worldtime has been a standout in the Escale collection – both as a complication and as a design icon. In 2026, for LVMH Watch Week, the complication returns in two new platinum models, each showcasing the Maison’s dedication to métiers d’art and high watchmaking.

The first model sticks closely to the original design but updates it with a central blue dial that’s clean and easy to read, featuring a subtle grained texture inspired by Louis Vuitton’s historic Monogram canvas. The world-time hour disc is hand-painted using miniature painting, giving the dial a depth and precision that only comes from hours of meticulous work.

The second model, the Escale Worldtime Tourbillon, elevates the craft even further. The same overall design is maintained, but the flags around the dial are now executed in grand feu enamel, and a central flying tourbillon brings movement to the heart of the watch.

“It was with the Worldtime complication that the story of Escale truly began. Its return was not merely a choice; it was essential to pay tribute to the complication that made the collection renowned.”

Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

A Dial in the Colours of the World

The Escale Worldtime dial is a small marvel. Each of the 24 flags represents a major city and is hand-painted by a team of just two artisans. Using 35 colours applied one by one with a brush made from a single hair, each dial takes a full week to complete. The process involves repeated firings to set each layer of paint, resulting in a dial that’s both vibrant and precise.

The motifs are drawn from Louis Vuitton’s historic design language, including the Damier canvas, malletage patterns, Monogram Flowers, and Gaston-Louis Vuitton’s original “V” representing Paris. These elements were originally practical—hand-painted on trunks to help travellers identify their belongings – but here, they serve as a nod to craftsmanship and personalisation.

Matthieu Hegi explains: “The flags are not purely decorative—they are an integral part of the Maison’s visual language. Each one embodies a fragment of our history.”

On the Tourbillon model, the flags are fully enamel, applied across more than 40 firings in five layers. Fragile colours like bright green and pale pink are applied last, then each disc is polished to reveal a luminous surface. The process takes over two weeks of meticulous work by a master enameller.

The Luxury Of Platinum

For the first time, the Escale Worldtime is offered in platinum, giving it a new weight and presence. Until you wear a platinum watch, you don’t really get why it is so coveted among watch lovers – the heft feels expensive and very much the definition of luxury, it is the best way I can describe it.

Each Escale Worldtime is sized at a perfect 40mm case size, with the standard Worldtime being 10.3mm thick, and the tourbillon a tad thicker to accommodate the central tourbillon, at 12.8mm thick. Each has been hand-polished and satin-finished, giving each watch the right combination of elegance, refinement and somewhat sporty.

A discreet saffron-colored sapphire set into the caseback subtly marks this precious metal, with the serial number marked on an 18k rose gold plate, and each is fixed with a blue calfskin leather strap that perfectly complements the blue dials.

Designed for Travel

The new in-house LFT VO 12.01 movement powers the Escale Worldtime watch, improving functionality and readability while carrying the Worldtime into a new era. This in-house automatic movement allows for easy reading of 24 time zones. The reference city and local time are set via the crown, and the jumping hour disc makes reading the time on the dial effortless.

The Escale Worldtime Tourbillon takes things further with the LFT VO 05.01 calibre. Integrating a central flying tourbillon alongside the rotating city disc required a complete rethink of the movement architecture. The result is a Fleur de Monogram tourbillon that rotates once per minute, revealing parts normally hidden from view. The openworked design catches the light and draws the eye to the centre of the dial.

Both models also feature a transparent caseback, revealing the movement and 18-carat rose gold oscillating weight, finished to Louis Vuitton’s high standards. Could the movement have been finished with more embellishments? Possibly, but with bevelled edges on the bridges, which are also sandblasted and perlage on the base plate, it creates a nice aesthetic to look at, and it isn’t over the top.

Initial Thoughts

The 2026 Escale Worldtime collection brings one of Louis Vuitton’s most emblematic complications back to the spotlight. With craftsmanship that blends miniature painting, enamel work, and high watchmaking innovation, these watches are a rare example of style meeting technical excellence. Something the revived Louis Vuitton watchmaking division is now striving for in each watch.

The platinum case adds presence, while the Tourbillon model introduces a centrepiece that makes the Worldtime feel alive in a way few travel watches do. For me, where these watches stand apart from other world time watches is the micro-artistry on the dial. The amount of time, dedication and patience to paint these is incredible, and to think that only two people in the Fabrique du Temps do this, and each dial takes a full week to create, two weeks in the case of the tourbillon, it gives you a new appreciation for the artisanal work done.

References and Specifications

Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime: W3PTA1

Australian Retail Price: A$157,000. See your local Louis Vuitton boutique. Head to au.LouisVuitton.com for more details

Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime: W3PT41

Australian Retail Price: A$395,000. Limited Edition. See your local Louis Vuitton boutique. Head to au.LouisVuitton.com for more details