Akrivia X Louis Vuitton LVRR-01 Chronographe a Sonnerie Edition

AkriviA X Louis Vuitton – REXHEP REXHEPI   LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie Platinium Limited Edition 2023

The LVRR-01 is a comprehensive meditation on the nature of time: a precision chronometer equipped with a tourbillon regulator that indicates the current time, but also an instrument that measures elapsed time, while marking for the first time in the watch industry, the passing of time with a sonnerie mechanism. The chronograph functions of start, stop, and reset are controlled by the pusher at two o’clock. However, the chronograph boasts the addition of an acoustic reminder of elapsed time, with a single chime struck as each minute passes. Clear and musical in tone, the chime is sounded by a black-polished steel hammer striking a tempered steel gong, developed at Atelier Akrivia.

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Following the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives announced in early 2023, Louis Vuitton is embarking on a series of collaborative timepieces with renowned independent watchmakers, with the inaugural project being the LVRR-01 Chronographe a Sonnerie born from the collaboration between Atelier Akrivia and Louis Vuitton.

Embodying the essence of both Maisons, the LVRR-01 is a double-faced chronograph with a chiming complication - true statement in the watch industry - powered by a completely new tourbillon movement developed from the ground up by Atelier Akrivia and its founder Rexhep Rexhepi in a redesigned Louis Vuitton Tambour case.

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The fundamental concept of the LVRR-01 is encapsulated in the emblem on the sapphire dial. At a distance it appears to be the conventional logo, but up close the emblem reveals itself to be a union of the two brand names, with "LV" subtly incorporated into "AKRIVIA". This represents the first time in history that Louis Vuitton has combined its logo with that of another brand.

Louis cruises with Rexhep

The LVRR-01 seamlessly unites two houses, Louis Vuitton and Atelier Akrivia, that are separated by time but like- minded in passion. Both Maisons were founded more than 150 years apart yet share core values, particularly in their approach to craftsmanship, and they have in common founders who are visionaries and artisans.

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Born in 1821 in a town not far from the Swiss border, Louis Vuitton moved to Paris as a teenager, where he became an apprentice to one of the noted trunk makers of the day. He soon made a name for himself as an expert crafter of cases and trunks, gaining clients like the Empress of France. In 1854, he set up his eponymous atelier and became so successful that he eventually moved to larger premises in Asnières, where the Louis Vuitton trunkmaking atelier remains to this day.

History, as the saying goes, never repeats, but rhymes. Rexhep Rexhepi left his native Kosovo for Geneva as a teenager and shortly after took up an apprenticeship at a High Watchmaking atelier aged just 14. In 2012, he set up his own brand, Atelier Akrivia, with the conviction of producing watches in the grand tradition of Haute Horlogerie.

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The shared passion for fine watchmaking set in motion events that would lead to the creation of the LVRR-01, which emerged around the conception of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.

A union of historic complications

The LVRR-01 is a comprehensive meditation on the nature of time: a precision chronometer equipped with a tourbillon regulator that indicates the current time, but also an instrument that measures elapsed time, while marking for the first time in the watch industry, the passing of time with a sonnerie mechanism.

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These complications are showcased with an ingenious two-sided display that symbolises the collaborative development of the LVRR-01. The contemporary front dial in tinted sapphire crystal juxtaposed against a traditional face on the reverse in white grand feu enamel, together an allegory representing perfectly the identity of both Maisons.

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The complications are a testimony to the histories of Louis Vuitton and Rexhep Rexhepi. The very first Atelier Akrivia timepiece, the AK-01, incorporated both the chronograph and tourbillon, while the first complicated Louis Vuitton watch, the Tambour LV277, was a chronograph, and the Maison’s first Haute Horlogerie complication was the tourbillon.

A case making legend

A platinum case, which is a perfect match of Louis Vuitton’s signature Tambour imbued with the stylistic and technical touches of Rexhep Rexhepi, particularly in the thin, classical form of the case. 

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The LVRR-01 translates the drum-shaped form of the Tambour into a reinterpreted, streamlined form distinguished by a tall, sloping bezel and elegantly sculpted lugs that draw on mid-century gentlemen’s wristwatches. The case is made by Atelier Akrivia in a process overseen by Jean-Pierre Hagmann, the Master casemaker in its case-making workshop – the discreet “JHP” hallmark on the lower-right lug is his personal seal of quality.

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The tinted dial reveals the magnificent architecture and decoration on the wrist at all times.

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Even concealed components of the LVRR-01 are decorated with the highest level of craftsmanship, such as with Côtes de Genève.

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Rexhep Rexhepi perfects the bridge terminations of the LVRR-01 calibre.

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In another tastefuldetail alluding to the collaboration,“Louis cruises with Rexhep” is engraved on the case back, a calligraphic dedication to this unique encounter. 

Pushing the boundaries of High Watchmaking

Within the LVRR-01 is a wholly-new calibre developed entirely by Rexhep Rexhepi. In his characteristic aesthetics, the movement is eminently traditional, a quality exemplified by the hand-applied decoration and gracefully-shaped chronograph levers.

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The exceptional double-faced dial of the LVRR-01 called for an equally unusual approach to the movement. Compared with conventional movements, the LVRR-01 calibre is inverted, with the chronograph and chiming mechanisms visible on the front instead of being on the back. This allows the magnificent architecture and decoration to be admired on the wrist at all times.

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The tinted sapphire dial reveals the fine finishing of the components, every single one of which is decorated by hand with traditional techniques like anglage, and black polishing.

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Taking pride of place on the front at six o'clock is the tourbillon that completes one revolution every five minutes and designed by Rexhep Rexhepi in its characteristic respect for the horological history. In contrast to the one-minute rotation of a conventional tourbillon, the five-minute rotation is in the spirit of historical chronometers. Inside the tourbillon cage is a balance wheel with twin broad arms and eight inertial regulating weights, inspired by those found in marine chronometers.

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The defining and unique aspect of the movement is the Chronographe a Sonnerie, a pair of complications never before integrated in this way within a wristwatch. While the combination of elapsed time measurement with a striking mechanism has historical precedent in pocket watches, it is a true statement in contemporary watchmaking.

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The chronograph functions of start, stop, and reset are controlled by the pusher at two o'clock. However, the chronograph boasts the addition of an acoustic reminder of elapsed time, with a single chime struck as each minute passes. Clear and musical in tone, the chime is sounded by a black-polished steel hammer striking a tempered steel gong, developed at Atelier Akrivia that emits a single harmonious note to signify the passage of 60 seconds.

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Integrating the two complications, the chronograph and the sonnerie in addition to the tourbillon, required ingenuity in both engineering and execution, as this systems should work in synergy and each need enough energy to function.

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Rexhep Rexhepi devised a concise solution of twin barrels, one power source for the timekeeping portion of the movement and the chronograph and another for the chime, but with a twist. While the standard approach would have been to segregate the barrels and allow them to run independently, Rexhep Rexhepi has devised a construction in which the second barrel is linked to the gear train in a particular way.

Many faces of time

The individual and distinctive aesthetic codes of Rexhep Rexhepi and Louis Vuitton are unmistakeable on the two dials yet coherently integrated into a perfect whole.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  Cleanly styled yet lavishly decorated, the front dial is eminently modern, mirroring the contemporary aspect of Louis Vuitton. The disc of tinted sapphire crystal features a gilt-metallised minute track that brings to mind the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain (RRCC I & II). The dial has six gold cubes filled with translucent fired enamel, a technique akin to stained glass known as plique-à-jour.

In contrast, the reverse face is resolutely classical in glossy white grand feu enamel, a tribute to traditional measuring instruments – it was designed by Rexhep Rexhepi. Bringing to 19th century chronograph pocket watches, the enamel dial features twin scales for the hours and minutes respectively, both printed in enamel. But the keen-eyed will notice the design of the enamel dial carries the spirit of the first-ever wristwatch made by Louis Vuitton in 1988.

Both brand names bisect the enamel dial horizontally, reflecting the collaborative nature of the watch in style and in substance. While the white-gold disc for the dial base is produced by Atelier Akrivia, the enamelling is completed by the in-house enamel atelier led by Nicolas Doublel.

 Visionaries and Artisans

The LVRR-01 is delivered in a unique Louis Vuitton traditional trunk. Made specifically for each example of the LVRR-01, every trunk is painted by hand with a motif inspired by the chronograph scales on the enamel dial, along with the "AKRILVIA" logo and individual serial number of the respective watch. As a finishing touch and a tribute to the artisans responsible for the LVRR-01, the trunk reproduces the signatures of Rexhep Rexhepi, Jean-Pierre Hagmann, and Nicolas Doublel.

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The LVRR-01 is accompanied by a Louis Vuitton strap of natural cowhide leather, a calfskin that acquires a delicate patina with use, and a unique platinum pin buckle made by the workshop of Jean-Pierre Hagmann that bears the "JHP" hallmark.

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Since its creation in 2012, this is the first time that Rexhep Rexhepi has collaborated with another player in the watchmaking industry.

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A singular trunk for a unique watch The LVRR-01 is delivered in a unique Louis Vuitton traditional trunk.

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Technical Specifications

Collection: Rexhep Rexhepi

Model  Akrivia X Louis Vuitton LVRR-01 Rexhep Rexhepi Chronographe a Sonnerie Platinium Edition

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Ref. LVRR-01 -  2 Dial

Case:
Reinterpreted Tambour 950 platinum case
Diameter: 39.9 mm
Thickness: 12.2 mn
Reinterpreted Tambour case by JP Hagmannn brushed with polished accents 
- 7-sided crown and mono-pusher hand-decorated
Water-resistant to 3 ATM (30 m)
Dial
Fired enamel
3N Gold railway and logo
Front dial: Smoked translucent sapphire dial, six gold cubes filled with translucent Plique-à-jour
fired enamel
Back dial: Grand Feu enamel on a palladium-gold base twin scales for hours and minutes
Movement
Calibre LVRR-01 - made in-house by Atelier Akrivia 
- 391 components, including 55 for the tourbillon 
- 41 jewels 
- 21,600vibrations per hour 
- 72-hour power reserve 
 Functions: Central hours and minutes, 5-minute
tourbillon at 6 o’clock; Chronograph à sonnerie
(minutes & seconds
Strap
Natural calfskin leather with Platinum ardillon buckle 

Trunk:
High watchmaking special trunk with hand-painted
Monogram canvas

 Limitation
Limited edition: 10 pieces

🔴 Price : incl. VAT 450'000 CHF / 540,000 EUR 💰

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Press Release - 2023
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Frederique Constant – Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture Edition

 

Frederique Constant – Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture 39mm Platinum Edition 2023

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 Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture:
Frederique Constant’s Most Exclusive Creation

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2023 marks Frederique Constant’s 35th anniversary and the 15th anniversary of its iconic Tourbillon calibre. For the occasion, the Maison has unveiled a Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture in platinum, featuring a meteorite dial and limited to only 35 pieces. 

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This is an absolute first, as each individual timepiece is entirely finished by hand: an undertaking entrusted to two watchmakers from the Manufacture whose only mission was to achieve the highest degree of hand-finishing possible on the movement.  

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For collectors, this Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture, of which just 35 handcrafted and numbered pieces will be made, is the ultimate must-have. The cut-out in its dial at 6 o’clock reveals the Manufacture tourbillon created by Frederique Constant just 15 years ago, in 2008. It’s one of the few tourbillons available in a platinum case with a meteorite dial to be currently available on the market.

Movement: the pinnacle of hand-finishing

However, the most important aspects are less immediately visible. Only a closer and more knowledgeable eye will be able to detect something that has never been achieved before on a Frederique Constant watch: the entire hand-finishing of all the components of the movement. This exceptional and unprecedented achievement is the work of two watchmakers specialising in the Maison’s Manufacture and complication movements.

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Using traditional instruments and tools, working by hand, they spent weeks on the meticulous finishing of each of the components: a buff file for bevelling, a hammer and punch for hand-punching, and 9-micron sandpaper for charbonnage of the frame (bridge) and the base of the tourbillon cage, reproducing the aspect of the meteorite dial. A single bridge alone requires between two and three days of work.

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Beading and graining the flanks was done entirely by hand, and all the components have been decorated on both sides – even those that aren’t visible. And for what can be seen, Frederique Constant has worked on even the tiniest details, including block-polishing the screws. 

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This especially demanding technique involves diamond polishing on a zinc plate. Once polished, the screws take on a dark or steel sheen depending on the light, creating endless and unique contrasts depending on the movement’s orientation. 

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Indeed, the latter has some forty such screws, and it takes some forty minutes to polish and bevel each of them by hand.

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Once the timepiece is assembled and finished, each of its components is checked according to the highest quality criteria, in line with Haute Horlogerie standards. 

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This process puts Frederique Constant on a par with independent workshops: a significant step change in the quality of the Manufacture that paves the way for future developments.

35 truly unique pieces thanks to the dial

The meteorite dial is a precious testament to exceptional craftsmanship: a fragment of space that fell to Earth in a happy and rare occurrence in Gibeon, Namibia offers a perfect illustration of the relationship between humankind, the universe, and the astronomy of which watchmaking is a direct offshoot. At the same time, this piece of celestial history is also the subject of a veritable exploit in terms of craftsmanship: chiselling a meteorite dial, full of metals, requires exceptional skills.

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That’s because the precious material breaks and crumbles; its high iron content means it may have suffered serious deterioration, mainly corrosion. 

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That in turn means extreme dexterity is called for in order to cut out a perfectly flat, smooth disc without a single flake falling off and damaging the movement beneath it. The meteorite dial – just 0.5mm thick – is also protected by a coat of ruthenium, enhancing its natural grey glints and shielding the surface from oxidation.

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All this hard work has been well worth it, nonetheless: since the material is natural, each meteorite dial is different from any other. In other words, this is not so much a limited edition of 35 pieces as a set of 35 unique pieces.

A harmonious creation

To ensure visual coherence with the colour of the meteorite dial, the movement also sports a ruthenium finish. This is very rare for Frederique Constant, and indeed in the watchmaking industry as a whole – all the more reason for adopting it here. 

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Each engraving, including the timepiece’s individual number (on the tourbillon cage and also on the caseback) is rhodium-plated to ensure the characters stand out clearly. The oscillating weight is made of brass with a tungsten section around the rim. 

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This material has been selected for its density, which is greater than that of 18-carat gold, providing greater inertia when in motion and thus enabling the barrel spring to be wound more quickly. All the parts of the oscillating weight are also coated with ruthenium.

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The Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture comes in a 39mm platinum case. For the first time in its history, Frederique Constant has combined a meteorite dial with this precious metal.

The Manufacture tourbillon

Unveiled in 2008, the Manufacture FC-980 tourbillon movement – developed in-house and fitted with a silicon escapement wheel and anchor – can be seen from the rear of the piece. It boasts a 38-hour power reserve.

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Bringing a tourbillon to life requires a high degree of watchmaking skill. Originally designed to improve timekeeping performance, tourbillons are now valued for the mechanical ballet they perform – centre stage here – to the delight of spectators.

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The architecture of the piece provides collectors with a breath-taking view of the escapement wheel linked to the anchor pallet, the balance wheel rocking back and forth, and the concentric beat of the hairspring. A hand located above the tourbillon cage indicates the passing seconds.

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It’s also worth noting that Frederique Constant was one of the first watchmakers to adopt silicon in order to make the most of the many benefits it offers. Here, it has been used for the escapement wheel and anchor. 

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The combined weight of these purple-hued parts and the rest of the escapement, regulating organs and tourbillon cage is just 0.59g, so very little energy is required to get them moving.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection   Classic

Model    Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture Edition

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Reference  FC-980MT3HPT

Functions
Hours, Minutes, 60 Seconds tourbillon
Movement
Calibre FC-980 in-house caliber, automatic
Chamfering (anglage), hammering (martelage), circular graining
(perlage & cerclage), flanks drawing (étirage des flancs), mirror
polishing (poli miroir) decorations made in-house
Silicon escapement wheel and anchor
38-hour power reserve, 28'800 alt/h, 33 jewels
Case
Polished platinum 3-part case
Diameter of 39 mm
Height of 10,99 mm
Scratch-resistant and anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal
See-through case back
Water-resistant up to 3 ATM/30m/100ft
Dial
Grey meteorite dial
Applied diamond cut indexes
Hand-polished silver colour hour and minute hands
Heart Beat opening at 6 o’clock with 60 seconds tourbillon, silver
colour second hand
Strap
Black alligator leather strap with matt finishing

Limited edition
🔰 Edition of ✅only to 35 pieces

🔴 Price : RRP  € 42’995 / 43.100 USD 💰

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For further Press & Public Relations inquiries, please contact Ms Caroline Feller, PR & Communication Coordinator for Frederique Constant:  cfeller@frederique-constant.com
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