Why Louis Vuitton’s New Look Tambour watch will work
The company uses a quiet luxury approach for its streamlined sporty timepiece as it retires 80 per cent of its existing watches
Louis Vuitton is levelling up its Tambour line of luxury watches. This week it launched a new sporty-chic take on the brand’s tent pole timepiece, which has been part of the watch world for 20 years.
“Probably, and I say it humbly, [this is] the most important launch for Louis Vuitton since the launch of Tambour 20 years ago,” says Jean Arnault, Louis Vuitton’s director of watches, at the unveiling of his new line up of Tambour timepieces. “One thing that is quite surprising is that when you look at all of the icons in the watch industry today, Tambour is probably the only icon that was created in the 21st- century,” he adds.
The new Tambour watch comes in four versions – two crafted in steel with either a tone-on-tone silver-grey or a deep blue dial, one in a steel-and-gold two-tone combo and a final option in solid 18-carat yellow gold, and rose gold. But what is most striking about the 40-millimetre unisex watch at first glance is its size. It’s been reduced from the original timepiece’s 13 millimetres to a svelte 8 millimetres, which has been given a further slimming effect thanks to its tapered bezel.
“Tambour has always been a thick watch,” admits Jean. “Very heavy, bold on the wrist and visible from across the room. It has other very elegant signatures but the thickness was probably one of the main points of intention for us when starting the design process for this watch,” he confirms.
As sleek as the outside of the watch is, with its integrated bracelet, sloping bezel, and easy-to-read dial, it is the movement that justifies the impressive jump in the price point of this new and improved Tambour. Clocking in at just under 20,000 euros (80,000 AED) the watch case is home to a proprietary automatic three-hand movement that Louis Vuitton crafted in partnership with the highly regarded movement specialists Le Cercle des Horlogers. The LFT023 is a micro-rotor, chronometer-certified calibre movement dreamt up by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasisni of La Fabrique du Temps. And just like the case, the movement is also aesthetically pleasing with the added flourish of an LV motif etched into the rotor and swapping out the standard rubies with tone-on-tone transparent sapphires to create a more refined monochrome look to the movement.
Between its understated, yet sporty exterior and the impressive pedigree of its movement Louis Vuitton’s new Tambour watch really embodies the current quiet luxury trend sweeping the industry and marks a significant new chapter in the brand’s watchmaking journey. One where only those truly in the know will recognise the timepiece for what it is, a modern home to an haute horlogerie movement well worth adding to any collector’s timepiece stable.
Images Supplied.