Louis Vuitton has reworked its flagship watch offering. Introduced in 2002, the Louis Vuitton Tambour signalled the French luxury fashion house’s legitimate horological debut (it previously launched a couple of quartz watches—the Monterey I and II—in 1988), with the timepiece serving as the canvas for future stylistic experimentation.
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The debut Tambour (French for ‘drum’) was characterised by its deep, round case that bore resemblance to the instrument that gave it its name, with the silhouette remaining relatively unchanged for over two decades. Now, the maison signals its intentions to move with the times and cater to the unwaning demand for steel sports watches. The new Louis Vuitton Tambour significantly thins out the case, with the 40mm stainless steel case measuring in at a svelte 8.3mm thick.
Positioned as a unisex model, the new Louis Vuitton Tambour takes on ergonomic proportions, with a delicately curved caseback that follows the line of the wearers are and extends into the slim curved links of the integrated bracelet to ensure a close, comfortable fit, which, according to the brand, “rivals the softest leather strap.”
Retaining one of the key attributes of the original Tambour, the latest iteration features the 12 letters spelling out ‘Louis Vuitton’ around the curved case sides, this time raised and polished, with each letter aligned to an hour marker. On the dial, Arabic numerals alternate with stick indexes, each filled with Super-LumiNova to allow for legibility in poor lighting conditions.
The hands are sized down from its predecessor, with the broad batons slimmed out into tapered, facetted open-worked hands crafted from white gold. At 6 o’clock, there’s a slightly recessed small small-seconds subdial. The timepiece is available with a blue or tonal grey dial.
Beneath the dial, the Louis Vuitton Tambour is powered by the new automatic calibre LFT023 which features a rose gold micro-rotor and decorates bridges, visible through the exhibition caseback. The movement has a power reserve of 50 hours, with the Tambour also water resistant to 50m.
The reimagined Louis Vuitton Tambour signals the maison’s horological shift under 25-year-old watch director Jean Arnault. “With this launch, we seek to open a new chapter in the history of the Maison’s watchmaking by creating a watch with strong horological credentials while identifiably Louis Vuitton in style,” he says.
Louis Vuitton will significantly pare down its references—from over 100 to just 20—to prioritise upscaling, and position itself as a serious contender in the industry. Notably, the latest Tambour represents a fivefold jump in pricing from the previous iteration of the model, with the newcomer retailing for $31,000AUD.
The Tambour in stainless steel will be available via the Louis Vuitton webstore from September onwards.
Words by John Deckard
