The unique Time Object—which comes in a bespoke trunk, naturally—will be sold to raise funds for UNICEF
Collectors will soon have the chance to score a one-of-a-kind clock handcrafted by the artisans at Louis Vuitton.
The French fashion house is auctioning off a unique timepiece to raise funds for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Inspired by the monogrammed soccer ball that LV designed for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, the one-off clock combines haute horologie and sporting history with a bit of philanthropy.
Crafted with extraordinary precision, the piece features the traditional hexagonal and pentagonal panels of a soccer ball that come together to create a sphere. The panels aren’t leather, though: Each one is entirely transparent, allowing the intricate inner workings to be fully appreciated.
The piece is driven by a manual-winding mechanical movement developed in collaboration with historic Swiss clockmaking house L’Epée 1839. The skeletonized structure combines two golden rotating cylinders and diamond-studded facets to illuminate time in a truly spectacular fashion. Each component was meticulously hand-assembled, showcasing the exceptional savoir-faire of the two centuries-old maisons.
To add even more grandiosity, the time object is housed in a specially designed trunk. The bespoke piece was inspired by the iconic trophy trunks that LV crafts for notable sporting events, such as the NBA Finals, America’s Cup, the FIFA World Cup, and Formula 1, to name but a few. Handmade by skilled artisans in the Asnières atelier near Paris, each trunk can take over 400 hours of painstaking work to complete. (The house actually released a book spotlighting the finest creations.) This one combines the classic brown-and-beige monogram canvas with gold hardware.
LV says the time object will be auctioned “soon,” though it did not give a specific date. All proceeds will be donated to UNICEF to help vulnerable children worldwide. The house has been working with UNICEF since 2016 to support the millions of children affected by war and disaster. In fact, each year for the past decade, LV has released a Silver Lockit in partnership with the charity. This year, the duo unveiled a limited-edition pendant in yellow-gold to mark 10 years of collaboration. You can always pick up that US$3,050 piece if you miss out on the time object; for every one sold, LV will donate US$800 to UNICEF.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by Louis Vuitton
