Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet of Wonders 'Snake's Jungle' Ref. W3WG21

Technical characteristics

Type

Automatic wristwatch

Calibre

LFT023

Reference

W3WG21

Case Number

A15163

Case Material

18k white gold

Place recorded

Switzerland

Edition Limitation

Limited to 20

Maker / attribution

Louis Vuitton

Design

Visible features

• Engraved leaf motifs encircle the polished white gold bezel. • A coiled blue and green serpent rendered in champlevé enamel wraps across the lower dial towards an emblem at upper right. • The dial backdrop is rendered in multi-tone green wood marquetry resembling bamboo stems. • Dark green leather strap features an overlapping braided cord-like texture. • Tapered white hands are centrally mounted.

Case Architecture and Mounting

The watch features an 18k white gold case adorned with engraved leaf motifs encircling the polished bezel and trunk-inspired lugs. The mounting consists of a dark green leather strap with an overlapping braided cord-like texture, fitted with an 18k white gold buckle. The auction entry contains conflicting case dimensions. The tabular specification records the case as 41mm, whereas the accompanying narrative footnote describes it as a 40mm case measuring 12.04mm in thickness. Total watch weight is stated by the source to be approximately 123 grams.

Dial Composition and Métiers d'Art

The dial features an artistic composition depicting a serpent set within foliage towards an emblem at the upper right. Direct visual observation reveals a blue and green serpent executed in champlevé enamel against a multi-toned green backdrop evocative of bamboo stems, with centrally mounted tapered white hands. According to cataloguer footnotes, the serpent is hand-sculpted and engraved in white gold, posed facing the GLV monogram (reported as Gaston-Louis Vuitton's personal emblem) set with jade. The catalog describes the background as a 367-piece marquetry mosaic composed of wood, parchment, and straw, requiring an estimated 150 hours of artisanal work across engraving, miniature sculpting, marquetry, and enamelling.

Reported Movement and Dating Ambiguities

The movement is not directly visible in the primary front photograph, but the catalog records an automatic, signed calibre LFT023 movement behind a transparent case back. Descriptive footnotes state the calibre features Japanese wave motifs on a micro-rotor, drawing design inspiration from Gaston-Louis Vuitton's collection of Japanese tsuba sword guards. A date contradiction exists in the source text: the lot title and bilingual summary heading date the piece to 'CIRCA 2016', while the descriptive narrative attributes it to the '2024 Cabinet of Wonders trilogy' alongside models named Koi's Garden and Dragon's Cloud. The case bears number A15163 and belongs to a reported limitation of 20 pieces.

Identification

Reference

W3WG21

Serial number

A15163

Source note

Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.

Catalogue references

No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.