Louis Vuitton Presents Montgolfière Aéro, an Extraordinary Horological Object

Louis Vuitton’s passion for creativity, innovation, and travel come together with the new Montgolfière Aéro, a timekeeping object that marks a new chapter for the French Maison. It is shaped like a hot air balloon, sailing into the world of Haute Horlogerie. GMT India takes a closer look at how the horological object (with two different variants) explores a new way of telling time.

The Concept

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The French Maison is renowned for its trunk-making savoir-faire, courtesy of its functional yet elegant design. The brand’s passion for innovation also led to the creation of  Aéro Trunk in 1906, a state-of-the-art piece that was attached to the basket of a hot air balloon. Light and durable, the trunk also featured a watertight seal, ensuring that the basket would float if it fell into the sea. Tapping into the fascination for hot air balloon flights, the Louis Vuitton Aéro Trunk captured the imagination of daring individuals keen to explore the world. 

Over a century later, the Maison channels that creativity into creating the extraordinary horological object in two different materials. A gorgeous balloon – in either traditional red and transparent glass or precious wood – incorporates a Swiss mechanical clock. The balloon rests on a basket fashioned as a miniature Louis Vuitton trunk, handcrafted using the same centuries-old trunk-making savoir-faire, complete with the Maison’s signature elements and design codes. The trunk also houses the movement’s winding mechanism. The clock embodies multiple codes of the Maison. 

A Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower indicates the hours and minutes, which are displayed on an upper and lower disc. At the centre of the openwork balloon is another prominent Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower, while the underside of the trunk also features an Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower lever, which unfolds to wind the clock. The Montgolfière Aéro, an imaginative object, can be displayed in two ways: either as a table clock for a desk or shelf or can be suspended from the ceiling. Designed by Louis Vuitton, the Montgolfière Aéro was manufactured with L’Épee 1839, the award-winning Swiss clockmaker that celebrates its 185th anniversary this year. 

The Montgolfière Aéro pays homage to a traditional object that has inspired Louis Vuitton campaigns and creations over the years with a playful, transparent, and white motif. Each Montgolfière Aéro’s glass wings are fully handcrafted, meticulously and precisely made to fit the balloon’s structure. Like a watch or a piece of jewellery, the structure incorporates different kinds of finishes, allowing for a wonderful play of light and reflections. At the centre of the balloon is a distinctive Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower, a dynamic motif that delightfully spins on its axis with a gentle push. Meanwhile, the remarkable Louis Vuitton trunk is among the smallest trunks ever created by the Maison. Despite its miniature size, it retains all the codes of Louis Vuitton’s trunk-making savoir-faire. Each trunk is entirely handmade, from lozines embossing to nailing. The emblematic Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas adorns the trunk. 

The Montgolfière Aéro is limited to only eight pieces, paying homage to the beauty of precious wood, among other things. Louis Vuitton’s high jewellery savoir-faire has also been deployed to create the exceptional pieces. Two exquisite gemstones were directly sourced by Louis Vuitton’s in-house stone department, which has been custom cutting Louis Vuitton Monogram-shaped diamonds for over 15 years. A magnificent 9.06-carat citrine briolette adorns the Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower at the heart of the openwork balloon. With a fiery orange and brown hue that recalls the bursting flame of a hot air balloon, the citrine ensures a brilliant play of light and transparency from 80 custom-cut facets. 

Perfectly matching this stone is another square-cut citrine that’s set on the Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower that indicates the time. Meanwhile, additional preciousness comes courtesy of 1,200 diamonds that embellish the balloon’s structure. Finally, the bespoke trunk is also crafted in precious wood. To complement the preciousness of the Montgolifère Aéro, the trunk comes studded with diamonds – a first for the Maison. To accompany this exclusive clock, a trunk was specifically handcrafted at Louis Vuitton’s historic workshops in Asnières. 

Needless to say, the Montgolfière Aéro is a new milestone for Louis Vuitton, embodying a fusion of the finest savoir-faire, where Swiss watchmaking meets high jewellery. Bringing Louis Vuitton's daring spirit and passion for travel together, the Montgolfière Aéro is definitely the Maison's latest exciting adventure.