The legacy of the Louis Vuitton Monterey continues with the introduction of two new ceramic designs, which now form part of this iconic watch’s permanent collection. Inspired by a pair of LV II watches from 1988, the new Louis Vuitton Monterey ceramic watches – in striking green or glossy black state-of-the-art ceramic – showcase La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s mastery of materials. Reinterpreting the distinct codes of this era-defining, pebble-shaped watch, the new timepieces are bold, edgy, playful and disruptive. A signature twist and contemporary allure powerfully evokes the vintage design codes of the original 1980s watches.
Created in collaboration with the Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti, the 1988 LV I and LV II were Louis Vuitton’s first-ever wristwatches. A pioneering creative whose work marked the decades from 1960s to the 1980s, Aulenti’s work spanned objects, furniture, lamps and architecture, including her seminal transformation of a Parisian train station into the Musée d’Orsay. Fresh from this ground-breaking project, Aulenti began partnering with Louis Vuitton, infusing her artistic vision with the House’s Art of Travel. She created items like pens, design objects and watches, including the LV I and LV II timepieces. Enthusiasts were immediately drawn to the watch’s striking and almost naïve round shape, and a crown playfully set at 12 o’clock. Fans affectionately nicknamed the watch Monterey, after the American pronunciation of montre (French for wristwatch).
In more recent years, collectors have been behind a surge of interest in vintage LV Is and LV IIs, with the watches highly desirable at auction. The timepieces have been spotted on the wrists of global tastemakers and trendsetters, even making an appearance in Nicolas Ghesquière’s, Artistic Director of Women’s collections, recent Ready-to-Wear shows. The Fall-Winter 2025 show featured the LV II, followed by Spring-Summer 2026 showcasing the LV I, both coolly worn as pendants or belt – which has further solidified the watch’s fashion statement and versatility.
In 2025, the Maison unveiled the Louis Vuitton Monterey in yellow gold in a as a limited edition — a sleek yet daring reinterpretation of an icon originally introduced in 1988.
It’s no wonder that design and art enthusiasts, both past and present, have long been captivated by the original LV I and LV II. With its instantly recognizable pebble-shaped case, closed caseback and ultra-graphic dial, the watches are true art timepieces, pairing distinct character with bold design.
“The codes revisiting the spirit of the watch designed by Gae Aulenti are identical,” says Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. “The railway minute and hour track, the Louis Vuitton Paris lettering forming the semi-circle, the visually powerful syringe hands, and of course the Clou de Paris crown at 12 o’clock, which here is crafted in steel. The watches revisit the codes of 1988, while remaining in step with its time –especially today as a versatile statement piece that can be worn in many ways, both on and off the wrist.”
Ceramic Reinterpretation
The new Louis Vuitton Monterey ceramic sees avant-garde design codes not only reinterpreted but further galvanized with the finest watchmaking savoir-faire from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.
The watch comes in two models. There is a tone-on-tone green, featuring a dial that pairs the green ceramic case, and which offers a contemporary and edgy look. Bold and contrasting yellow lacquered hands accent the dial – which notably nods to the signature yellow stitching found on Louis Vuitton leather goods.
The second model – in ultra-sleek black and white – presents a more purist interpretation, where glossy black ceramic is juxtaposed with a matte white lacquer dial, and further contrasted with red hands and railtrack. The polished black ceramic offers a captivating play of colors, where reflections vary from a gunmetal hue to opaque black depending on the light. Red stitching on the black grained calf leather strap further echoes the colors on the dial, while adding a sporty and edgy aesthetic. Minimalist, graphic and with a strong vintage vibe, the watch is a true collector’s piece, drawing on the distinct heritage codes of the original 1988 LV II.
Both watches retain their original size – 37mm – and are just 2mm thicker at 11mm. This accommodates the new in-house automatic LFTMA01.02 caliber, which replaces the original quartz movement. The functions are also simplified to hours, minutes and seconds (the 1988 model also included a date and alarm functions), set on pared-back and minimalist dials, which echo last year’s 188-piece limited edition LV I interpretation that came with a Grand Feu enamel dial. Now, these two new permanent collection ceramic models make their own savoir-faire statement, featuring a striking colored matte lacquer dial.
Elevation through savoir-faire
To bring the Monterey into its modern chapter, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton infused the design with materials mastery and watchmaking savoir-faire.
Mastering the material
The first was mastering ceramic, a material that was chosen for its contemporary and edgy spirit, while embracing very complex properties. Extremely robust, wear-resistant and anti-corrosive, ceramic is also non-magnetic, chemically inert and biocompatible, making it a true modern material of today. Meanwhile, its aesthetic qualities are equally compelling. Ceramic’s glossy finish notably plays with light – brilliantly accenting the curves, volumes and sculptural elements of the case – and exuding a sense of pure and harmonious geometry with the Monterey’s signature pebble shape. Color too is also complex, especially for the heritage green, which recalls the Louis Vuitton spirit.
This hue was particularly difficult and time consuming to create: achieving the right green color to echo the past required multiple tests and attempts. Finally, the ceramic case is specifically machined and crafted for exceptional comfort and lightness, again no easy feat.
Ceramic after all is one of most difficult and complex materials to work with today – and crafting the Monterey case is a painstaking, multi-step process. Unlike other watchmaking houses that typically use a mold, Louis Vuitton starts with ceramic powder, blending zirconium oxide with pigments. A combination of vibrations and compression then compacts the material into a solid bar. These raw ceramic blocks are then precisely sculpted with a three-axis machine to achieve the distinct pebble shape.
Once the shape is finalized, the case is then fired at over 1,000°C to achieve the exacting green or black tones. Precision here again is paramount: working with high temperatures naturally induces shrinkage and alteration, all which must be carefully anticipated and considered in order to achieve the exact final case dimensions.
After ceramic has been fired, machining is no longer an option, and manual grinding is the next step, executed by an expert and experienced artisan. Once more, exceptional precision plays an importantpart, as any excess pressure can compromise the integrity of the material and cause breakage while finishing. A series of working and re-workings on a dedicate grinding machine refines the final shape before hand-polishing, which brings out the signature glossy finish.
Shaping the dial’s graphic identity
Meticulous savoir-faire is also behind the new Louis Vuitton Monterey dials. These are crafted in lacquer, echoing the finishing of the historic models, with the green dial notably requiring four weeks of research and testing of various pigment formulations to obtain the right shade. Meanwhile, to achieve the required depth of color and tone, both the green and white dials are created by applying two to three layers, expertly using a spray gun. The matching hands and minute tracks also have exacting color considerations. The green model pairs yellow hands with a white minute track, while the black model features red accents, paired with a fine blue second’s hand, all which add to the watches’ graphic looks.
Once the correct colors have been produced, the next step is applying a matte varnish layer to create a muted and even finish. This diffuses light while preserving the lacquer dials’ depth and richness, and is a delicate process that, once again, is entirely executed by hand.
The final step is acrylic stamping. Another painstaking and precise process, stamping begins with artisans making exacting machine adjustments, in order to achieve the intricate pattern and desired volume. The green model is stamped once for the white indicators; the black model stamped twice, for red and black – and both feature the minute track, and ‘Louis Vuitton Paris’ and ‘Fab En Suisse’ signatures. Each pass is followed by a firing process of 80°C for one hour – with each individual stamping and firing fraught with the risk of breakage, necessitating a complete restart.
In-house movement: crafting hidden excellence
No hours or thought were spared for the underlying movement either, which is a true refinement. Although hidden below the closed caseback and which only a watchmaker will see when the watch is opened and serviced, the automatic LFTMA01.02 movement has also been expertly finished. The mainplate is meticulously crafted with a circular grain pattern, and the bridges sandblasted and topped with micro-sandblasted edges. Rather than the classic rubies the caliber has been fitted with colorless sapphires for a more contemporary look, as Louis Vuitton design codes further adorn the components. The 750/1000 rose-gold rotor features V-notching and a polished periphery, which culminate in an engraved LV Monogram. Finally, a discreet seal of excellence, hidden just beneath the barrel reveals the poinçon LFT – the maker’s mark of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.
Audacious and graphic, fluid and evocative, collectible yet ultra-modern, these new Louis Vuitton Monterey ceramic pieces exudes the bold yet distinctive spirit of the original 1980s LV II, their singular designs as ever accented with an LV twist. Further galvanized through the unique watchmaking savoir-faire of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the new timepieces mark the latest chapter of the Louis Vuitton Monterey story, permanently enriching this one-of-a-kind collection.
