Smooth moves: Louis Vuitton’s Monterey gets a silky-sweet ceramic restyle

Nostalgia sells. And when it comes to horology? Even more so. Who among us hasn’t been seduced by a reissue or revamp, bringing the energy of decades past into the present with better technology, perfect finishing and a shiny new box and papers to reassure us of its verified provenance? Whether your interest is piqued by the refined 1930s Streamline Moderne lines of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso, the Rolex Submariner’s 1950s postwar optimism or the 1980s power dressing prowess of the Panthère de Cartier, the fascination with modern interpretations of classic styles is near-ubiquitous.

Perhaps that explains the buzz around the relaunch of Louis Vuitton’s Monterey last year. Yet this wasn’t simply a case of dusting off an old design and giving it a new lease of life; the Monterey has rather more art-world pedigree than your average vintage revival. Created in collaboration with Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti, the original LV I and LV II were Louis Vuitton’s first wristwatches, launched in 1988. Aulenti was fresh from one of her most celebrated architectural projects: transforming Paris’s Gare d’Orsay railway station into the Musée d’Orsay. Her work for Louis Vuitton subsequently brought that same playful, architectural sensibility into objects, watches and the House’s broader ‘Art of Travel’.

Look closely at the Monterey and the connection is deliciously apparent. Its rounded, pebble-like case has the almost innocent simplicity of a station clock, while the graphic railway-style minute track running around the dial is a direct nod to the world of trains. Even the crown, positioned playfully at 12 o’clock, is less a conventional watchmaking decision and more an exercise in design – recalling pocket watches and a golden, more glamorous age of travel. And travel, of course, is hardly an incidental theme for Louis Vuitton. Since 1854, the House has built its identity around luggage, bags and accessories designed to accompany the traveller. The Monterey therefore sits rather neatly within this history: it is, quite undeniably, a travel object.

The result was so distinctive that enthusiasts christened it ‘Monterey’, a playful reference to the French montre, or wristwatch, rendered in American English. The nickname stuck, putting the timepiece in that exclusive club of watches lovingly, unofficially and organically baptised by their fans. 

The 2025 revival began with a limited-edition yellow gold Monterey, bringing the LV I aesthetic back into focus. Collectors had already been driving renewed interest in vintage LV I and LV II examples, while the watches were also appearing in Nicolas Ghesquière’s fashion shows – in green and black ceramic, foreshadowing the 2026 release – worn not conventionally on the wrist, but as pendants and even belts. The message was clear: this was as much a piece of design and fashion as it was a timekeeper.

Now comes the more lasting proposition: the two ceramic Monterey models seen on the runway, in glossy black and an especially vivid Louis Vuitton green, which will join the Maison’s permanent collection. Both retain the original’s 37mm diameter, equipped with a self-winding calibre offering hours, minutes and seconds, while the date and alarm functions of the 1988 model – as with the 2025 release – have been pared away in favour of the cleaner, more graphic dial.

The green version is perhaps the more playful of the pair, its tone-on-tone ceramic case and dial punctuated by yellow lacquered hands, a knowing reference to the yellow stitching of Louis Vuitton leather goods. The black model takes a more monochromatic route, pairing glossy black ceramic with a matte white dial, red hands and railway track, plus red stitching on its black calf-leather strap.

There is serious savoir-faire beneath those smooth surfaces. Rather than moulding the ceramic, Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps compresses zirconium oxide powder and pigments into a solid bar before machining the distinctive pebble form and firing it at temperatures exceeding 1,000°C. Once fired, the material can no longer be machined, leaving skilled artisans to create its irresistible tactility by grinding and polishing the case by hand.

Inside, the LFT MA01.02 movement offers 45 hours of power reserve, with the rose-gold rotor carrying an engraved LV Monogram – a touch of sheer class. The closed caseback means this craftsmanship remains hidden, but perhaps that’s fitting. The Monterey was always an object first, a watch second. Now, with ceramic lending its sculptural pebble shape an even more physically pleasing presence, Louis Vuitton has made a 1980s icon feel entirely at home in the present.