Ludovic Ballouard Upside Down “Murano” Blue Guilloché

Ludovic Ballouard is one of the most fun-loving personalities in indie watchmaking. Originally hailing from France, the master watchmaker runs his workshop right outside of Geneva. Previously working for Franck Muller and F.P. Journe in the late 1990s and 2000s, Ballouard launched his eponymous brand in 2009 with the Upside Down timepiece. With great pleasure, we present a stunning edition of the Upside Down with blue guilloché dial and titanium case. 

While the Upside Down fits the profile of an elegant, classical watch – a beautiful round 41mm case – its dial and movement are thoroughly modern and creative. One can only observe the time in the present. Every hour numeral is inverted, upside down and only clicks into upright position as the minute hands strikes 12. It’s amazing how sophisticated the underlying philosophy is for this timepiece, crafted initially at the height of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. It was Ballouard’s own approach to navigate the complexities of the market at that time – there is nothing to be changed in the past and the future is uncertain. The only thing for any of us to do is make the most out of the present moment, the current hour. 

A simple, philosophical idea, the mechanics to make the concept work are anything but. In-house caliber LB01 is an act of watchmaking ingenuity. The energy and space requirements to design a movement with 12 snapping hour indicators is significant, especially considering the timepiece’s slim 41mm diameter and 11mm height. For this job, Ballouard employs a Maltese cross jump hour mechanism. This mechanism, usually used as a stop-work mechanism to manage the leap year indicator on perpetual calendars, has been fully repurposed in the Upside Down. Each hour has its own Maltese cross with a central cam system that manages the transition from hour to hour, upside down to right side up and back again. 

While the underlying philosophical idea and mechanics are ultra-creative, this timepiece’s dial is fully customizable working with Ludovic on variations in meteorite, mother of pearl, lacquer, and now guilloché. Here, the intense blue with the tightly-knit geometric guilloché pattern captures the eye with its delicate intricacy. An evolutionary step in the dial-side of the Upside Down, this is a dial that brings the level of craftsmanship to another level. 

Another exceptional addition to Ballouard’s catalogue, the Upside Down with blue guilloché dial is everything we love about the watchmaker’s approach to the craft.