In luxury, ‘maison’ is a special word. It refers, on one hand, to a business founded by an individual, then carried on by subsequent generations. History, heritage and a continuous line of transmission that suggests not merely a brand, but an entity that lasts and stands for something.
On the other hand, and just as often, a maison—French for ‘house’—can be literal. As in a family home or headquarters that can be thought of as a geographical heart. This dual meaning of a maison has found its way into a special, new timepiece by Louis Vuitton that showcases virtuosity and classicism: its first pocket watch.
The value of the word ‘maison’ certainly applies to Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854 as, first and foremost, a maker of high-end steamer trunks. The literal house in question is located in Asnières-sur-Seine, a suburb northwest of central Paris. It’s here that founder Louis Vuitton set up a family home and trunk-making workshop that honed the brand’s savoir-faire and expertise.
It was, until the late 1980s, a private home to generations of the Vuitton family. Today, the historic address houses a museum and a small atelier that continues to produce special-order creations. A little farther afield in Geneva, Switzerland is a different kind of home for Louis Vuitton.
In the Meyrin municipality lies La Fabrique du Temps, or factory of time, the cutting-edge facility that is the epicentre of the brand’s watchmaking operations. If Asnières is the historic .
