Introducing: Louis Vuitton High Watchmaking Novelties
Regarding watchmaking, Louis Vuitton is best known for its Tambour models. These integrated bracelet models were reinvented in 2023 and capitalized on the 2011 purchase of La Fabrique du Temps. While some hardcore watch fans have taken time to accept the brand as a watchmaker, it’s becoming harder to ignore the products. Now, Louis Vuitton is going “all-in” with a trio of mesmerizing high watchmaking novelties.
Admittedly, I was skeptical when Louis Vuitton announced its intention to compete at the highest levels of watchmaking. The brand is famous for its bags, luggage, and fashion accessories. So, would the watches rank as serious timepieces or as fashion afterthoughts? The Tambour and Escale have erased any doubts. Sure, people can take issue with various styling choices, but the movements and finishing are well-executed. Sporadically, the brand dips its toes into high watchmaking. Three new examples of this are the subject of today’s article.
The Tambour Bushido Automata
Louis Vuitton’s first example of high watchmaking is the Tambour Bushido Automata. It’s a stunning example of mechanical watchmaking and métiers d’art that required hundreds of hours to create. Functionally, this 46.8mm by 14.4mm 18K pink gold watch features jump hours, retrograde minutes, and a power reserve indicator.
It uses the brand’s in-house LV 525 caliber, a hand-winding movement with 100 hours of power reserve and 50 jewels. La Fabrique du Temps assembles 426 components over 180 hours to create the final product.
Wild automation and beautiful artwork
The Samurai, warriors with a strong moral code known as Bushido, inspired this watch. In addition to their code, the Samurai valued the arts. This provided the iconography for this complex work of art. The result is a watch with five automation movements over 16 seconds. Initially, a button at two o’clock starts the automation. A gold yokai on the helmet rotates and reveals the jumping hour display. Next, a katana sword on the lower left moves and indicates the minutes on the retrograde display. Then, the mask changes expression as the right eye transforms from a flower with rounded petals to a pointed version. The jaw opens to reveal the word “Bushido” in kanji before clenching shut again. Finally, a red sun above Mt Fuji shows the relative power reserve left within the movement.
Enameling and engraving
Louis Vuitton states that the enameling work on the case requires more than 200 hours of work. It depicts a Samurai’s journey across Japan. Evidence of high watchmaking is impossible to miss; a surface does not exist without some level of work.
For example, the mask is hand-sculpted and coated in two shades of red enamel. The left eye uses cloisonné enamel for the iris and paillonné enamel with gold for the pupil. The shikoro, or cowling around the neck, uses black and red enamel and shows a pattern of the Louis Vuitton symbols. A gold background is produced using the paillonné enamel technique, combining pink enamel, silver leaf, and more enamel. Even Mt Fuji uses cloisonné enamel with gold thread to create definitive borders for the snow. 120 hours of work are dedicated to the enameling process.
The watchmaker dedicates over 140 hours to engraving. It is on display throughout the Tambour Bushido and includes the crown and pusher. Elements on the dial, such as the katana’s handle, the rose gold yokai, and the knot below the chin, are prime examples. The case back is not ignored and features perlée and Côte de Genève finishes. Overall, the watch is a stunning achievement and feels like a museum piece.
The Tambour Taiko Galactique
The next high watchmaking novelty is the Tambour Taiko Galactique. This piece is a titanium and white gold 46.7mm by 14.6mm watch with a blue rubber strap. It’s a minute repeater with three cathedral gongs that sound the hours, quarter hours, and minutes. Central hour and minute hands display the time.
High watchmaking goes to space
Louis Vuitton has previously celebrated journeys to space and has revisited the subject with the Tambour Taiko Galactique. This minute repeater sounds the time, and also displays a series of seven animations. La Fabrique du Temps is responsible for the entire production of this piece, including the bespoke 46-jewel LFT AU14.02 manual winding movement. It has 459 components, requires 220 hours of assembly, and has 100 hours of power reserve. Actuating the repeater is accomplished via a side-mounted 18K white gold sliding lever with gradient sapphires and topaz.
Rich enamel work and engraving
Like the Bushido, the Taiko Galactique features significant enamel and engraving work. Over 300 hours! Techniques including grand feu enamel, paillonné enamel, miniature enamel, sculpture, and Champlevé enamel are visible. The dial tells a story of an astronaut moving through space in an attempt to plant a Louis Vuitton flag on the moon.
Sliding the lever sounds the minute repeater. It also begins the animation sequence. An astronaut begins to move, the astronaut’s arm raises, and the satellite’s various features come to life. Stars swing and the sun rotates. Magically, all these actions occur at different rotational rates, a challenge for the watchmakers.
Escale en Amazonie Pocket Watch
The final high watchmaking comes in one of my favorite forms, a pocket watch! This 50mm by 19mm 18K white gold piece is quite the sight. It’s also the most complex, advanced watch ever produced by Louis Vuitton. It encompasses case making, artistry, and movement manufacturing. This piece took over 1,000 hours (2 1/2 years) to complete! It also comes with a bespoke leather bag and trunk covered in exotic leather.
The incredible LFT AU14.03 caliber
La Fabrique du Temps created a new 72 jewel movement, the LFT AU14.03, for the Escale en Amazonie. This manual-winding caliber has a tourbillon that powers seven animations. It also houses a minute repeater with cathedral gongs that announce the hours, quarter hours, and minutes. All told, it has 555 components and takes 500 hours to assemble. Impressively, 646 angles exist among the components, and all are hand-finished. Functionally, the LFT AU14.03 boasts an 8-day power reserve. Also, note that the blued hands are placed on the movement side — more on this shortly. Visually, the movement reminds us of those from antique pocket watches due to the vast number of bridges. It’s beautiful.
Even more engraving and enamel
The movement is a stunner, but the dial and case are equally deserving of praise. Artisans worked with 31 colors across miniature and paillonné enamel techniques to create the Amazon jungle scene. The latter uses gold foil to create the small, delicate logo flowers on the jungle floor. For the first time, the brand even used enamel on the underside of the sapphire glass to create a 3D effect. On the animals and small LV trunks, each shows minuscule engraved details. Some, such as the trunk, took over 140 hours to produce. Finally, the case shows off the Manufacture’s capabilities with its Amazonian engravings. It also contains 60 precious stones, including emeralds, tsavorites, tourmalines, and yellow sapphires.
More animation
The Escale en Amazonie Pocket Watch features seven animations and 15 moving components on the dial. Sliding the flat lever on the bottom of the case starts the gongs and the activity. The trunks slide and open to reveal Louis Vuitton flowers. The animals notice this and begin to move. The parrot’s heads turn, the snake’s head and tail swing, and the monkey changes its gaze. The gold rose compass rotates. Once again, all of these movements occur at different rates. The colors, combined with the amazing detail, make this a work of art.
High watchmaking, a summary
These three high watchmaking novelties from Louis Vuitton are exclusive pieces. They’re not made for everyday consumption, but they display the outermost capabilities of the La Fabrique du Temps Manufacture. I think they’re beautiful and mechanically fascinating. My only hope is to see them in person at some point.
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