The path that this brand has followed to legitimize its presence in the –far from being straightforward– business of the time was not the easiest. In 2002 Louis Vuitton presented its first Tambour watch, with this piece that looked simple at first glance, but full of rich details that recall the qualities of the legendary travel trunks; And with that declaration of intent, the legendary luggage craftsman announced that was serious about high watchmaking ... as evidenced by the latest creations presented during the digital Watches & Wonders in Geneva 2021. Where do we start? Let's begin with the most extravagant... after all, we are talking about Louis Vuitton.
Tambour Carpe Diem
This timepiece plays with a watchmaking tradition and transports it back to our century to restore its original meaning. Jacquemarts are a class of automatons used to ring the bells on ancient church clocks. Like many inventions in watchmaking, jacquemarts were miniaturized for use in table or pocket watches, but with this miniaturization their original function was lost and they became a mere animation of the face and no longer were there to ring the bells.
In the Tambour Carpe Diem the jacquemarts have once again been the protagonists; although no longer to ring bells that indicate the time, they are there to show it. Under normal conditions this piece looks like a sculpture on the wrist; there are not many clues as to how the time is indicated, if at all along a scale of 0 to 60, the tail of the serpent that also crosses the right orbit of the sculpted skull in gold that dominates the face of the watch; of course, detailed with the Louis Vuitton monogram in black on black. Between the open jaw of the impressive skull are the words "Carpe Diem" "seize the day" phrase that invites us to take advantage of every moment; but that discovery of time and words happens only when the button on the right of the box is pressed, which also activates the rest of the automatons: the head of the snake reveals a window of jumping hours while its tail points to the exact number of minutes; finally, in the left eye the monogram of LV appears over the red background of the eye. Aside from the visual and technical impact, it offers an hourglass-shaped power reserve indication, another reminder that time is a limited and precious resource. The caliber LV525 in itself is a piece of art, visible from the back of the 18k gold case, as it was created in the shape of a skull, echoing the image of Vanitas adorning the front. Extravagant and extraordinary, to say the least.
Tambour Curve GMT Flying Tourbillon
A brand so deeply associated with travel could not be far from a traveler's watch, although the greatest distance we can physically travel in these times is to the kitchen, a watch with a GMT complication allows us to be on time with any other time zone of the world that we would want -or need- to contact via Zoom or some other teleconferencing application. This GMT version is added to the range of the flying tourbillon on a small sub dial that visually balances it at 3 o'clock, where it allows a second time zone to be displayed on a 24-hour scale. Setting the local time is simple by means of the two pushbuttons, arranged in a way similar to a chronograph. With an elegant appearance, the design of the case emulates a Möbius strip and bears a similarity to the architecture found in terminals of important airports in the world. Its two-level dial looks sophisticated and elegant, as does the smooth upper curve of the case and sapphire crystal. This watch will come in three versions: titanium, titanium with gold and titanium with a meteorite dial... speaking about long journeys, this latest version incorporates a mineral literally fallen from space.
Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon Poinçon De Genève Sapphire
Without the possibility of hiding any secrets, this piece offers unrestricted visibility of every detail of the manual winding movement, which is made up of 160 components carefully finished and detailed to a level of perfection that allows it to flaunt the coveted Poinçon De Genève, a hallmark of the highest level in fine watchmaking. The sapphire cases are made in three different versions with the case, the central bridge and the back cover have been machined from the exact same crystal block to ensure all they are the same color. The versions are: transparent sapphire with details, crown, strap horns and mechanism in titanium treated with PVD black; blue sapphire with platinum details, crown and strap horns and another in pink sapphire with details, crown and strap horns in rose gold. The central section of the 42 mm diameter cases are engraved with the letters "Louis Vuitton" in the sapphire and then lacquered. The workmanship of each piece is exquisite, it is not surprising that this timepieces received the very coveted Poinçon De Genève. Watchmaking of the highest order without losing any of the stylish details that define a household name as Louis Vuitton; surprising, exquisite and traditional; not the easiest way to do it, but certainly the most effective.
