Hot Take: A Brief Look At The Louis Vuitton Camionnette
As a kid in the 1980s, I played with many toy cars from Siku, Majorette, Matchbox, and Tonka. I also played with Hot Wheels cars here and there, though I don’t believe they were that common here in Europe at the time. My dad still had his old Dinky Toys lined up in a special display, and he told me I’d better not touch those. As I got older, I sometimes bought Bburagos (remember the “rare” F40?), Minichamps, and so on, but nothing special or outstanding from manufacturers like TopMarques, Tecnomodel, or even Amalgam. And later on, I found my way into assembling RC cars. The Louis Vuitton Camionnette, however, is on a whole other level…
A luxurious table clock in the form of a model car
Yes, here we have something very different from those types of toys and model cars. Although assembling an RC car from Team Associated or Tamiya probably comes closest to this model-scale classic delivery van (camionnette in French), Louis Vuitton’s creation is a distinct, luxurious breed. Plus, inside it, instead of an engine, lies a mechanical movement that indicates the time (hours and minutes).
Trunk deliveries in the early 20th century
Let’s get to the story first. The Louis Vuitton Camionnette is a table clock. This timepiece celebrates Louis Vuitton’s heritage in the delivery of its precious trunks to clients in the 1900s. Of course, it also represents Louis Vuitton’s mark in traditional watchmaking through its La Fabrique du Temps division, which manufactures and assembles this creation.
“We wanted to honor the original appearance of this legendary vehicle, which tells the story of the earliest days of the House,” explains Matthieu Hegi, the artistic director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. “The travel symbolism is omnipresent. This piece fires the imagination, taking us back into the boundless, magical world of childhood fantasy.”
In collaboration with L’Epée 1839
The Louis Vuitton Camionnette is made of aluminum parts in the brand’s typical saffron and sapphire-blue colors. The silver radiator on the front bears the LV logo in blue, and on the hood, you’ll find the monogram flower. Instead of a 1900s engine, you’ll find a mechanical masterpiece developed and designed by L’Epée 1839 for La Fabrique du Temps. This MV.7417/101 movement consists of 215 parts and offers an eight-day power reserve. It ticks at 18,000 vibrations per hour and has 21 jewels. Winding it requires a special key that the owner can store within the miniature Louis Vuitton trunk.
This movement indicates the hours and minutes via two cylinders, each rotating at a different speed. These black discs with white printing sit underneath the hood, remaining visible at all times. The cabin of the Louis Vuitton Camionnette houses the movement’s mechanical heart, which is visible through the truck’s windows.
The truck has four wheels bearing the LV signature and rubber tires. And speaking of tires, did you see that they have the LV monogram mirrored on them? So if you decide to roll the Camionnette through sand (or whatever substance), it will leave a lovely LV print.
The high-end Camionnette
The second version of the Louis Vuitton Camionnette is an even more luxurious execution limited to just 15 pieces worldwide. It has a radiator snow-set with diamonds and a half-carat LV Monogram Star Cut diamond on the hood.
The headlights and taillights use a mixture of diamonds and baguette-cut orange and red sapphires. Even the wheels have diamonds set into them for good measure.
The cabin and side of the truck are made of gilded metal embellished with hand-guilloché Louis Vuitton Diamier patterns and set with diamonds. In total, this high-end edition of the Louis Vuitton Camionnette is set with 1,695 round-cut diamonds, totaling 41.44 carats. Then, there’s the 0.5-carat Monogram Star-Cut diamond on the hood, plus 10 orange sapphires and 10 red sapphires, for a total of 1.64 carats.
The movement for this precious truck is virtually the same as the other one, but it has steel-colored cylinders to indicate the hours and minutes, matching the car’s side steps. Both Louis Vuitton creations have the same 18cm height and 35.3cm length. The difference in the weight of the trucks is significant, though. While the standard Camionnette comes in at seven kilograms, the gilded luxury edition tips the scales at 17.
Some thoughts
As you read in the introduction of this Hot Take article, I have a soft spot for model cars. And these little machines, especially if they’re manufactured as meticulously as this Louis Vuitton Camionnette, you have me interested. I think they’re even cooler when parts of them actually function, whether that’s the suspension, steering, or even the integrated mechanical movement in a table clock like this one! Last year, Tiffany & Co. showed us this car made in close collaboration with L’Epée 1839, which I thought was very nice, but this Louis Vuitton also offers some “trunk delivery” storytelling on top.
The Louis Vuitton Camionnette costs CHF 68,500, and the luxurious (officially “high-end edition”) has a price on request.
