Bamboo leaves stretch across the dial and spill onto the bezel—this is Louis Vuitton’s Escale “Snakes Jungle,” back for another spotlight in the brand’s Cabinet of Wonders collection. The watch arrives in sync with the Lunar New Year, making an entrance for the Year of the Wood Snake. Here, the serpent rules the face, coiled in a layered bamboo scene that merges wood, straw, and parchment marquetry by Rose Saneuil, alongside hand-engraved and champlevé enamel details by Eddy Jaquet and Vanessa Lecci. Those 14 shades of green? Not a coincidence, but a deliberate play on nature’s depth.
The motif continues on an 18k white gold case, etched with Japanese wave patterns—a nod that also appears on the LFT023 movement, peeking through the open back. Only 20 pieces exist, so it’s part exclusive collectible, part wearable art. And with the strap referencing katana handles in its hand-braided calf leather, there’s a seamless blend of heritage and modern innovation. It all fits right in with Louis Vuitton’s knack for boundary-pushing design, a tradition the house maintains even now under its new wave of creative direction—Pharrell Williams stepped in as Men’s Creative Director, and Nicolas Ghesquière continues to shape women’s collections. In other words, the brand’s flair for craftsmanship remains unstoppable.
