Louis Vuitton watches fly under the radar in comparison to their LVMH stablemates of Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith because they do not typically sell into wholesale so consumers only see them in the maison’s own boutiques.
Which is a shame because Louis Vuitton has genuine watchmaking chops combined with one of the most iconic names in luxury and a striking design code.
This year’s Tambour Curve Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève, which launches today, illustrates the point perfectly.
The watchmakers of la Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton have used CarboStratum, an ultra-lightweight and resistant material used in aeronautics, for the outer part of the case.
It is produced by layering over 100 sheets of carbon at random then compressing them into a rigid material that can be milled into curved shapes like the case, which has a titanium base and 18ct white gold lugs.
The 46mm watch is described as a futuristic addition to the Tambour family, and certainly makes a statement with its open-worked watch face designed around a tourbillon at 9 o’clock and a dominant LV logo centred on the dial.
It is powered by the LV 108 hand-wound calibre, which : hand-wound mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in Geneva. It has the provenance and quality to use the Poinçon de Genève seal, which it displays at 6 o’clock on the dial plate and on the caseback.
If the regular black Tambour Curve Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève does not make enough of a statement, Louis Vuitton has also made a version encrusted with diamonds on its inner bezel, LV dial logo, crown and lugs.
