Louis Vuitton’s Tambour gets a facelift

THE Tambour turns 21 this year. In adulthood, the face of Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking since 2002 now looks in finer shape than before – slimmer, with fluid lines and a casual elegance.

The revamped timepiece signals not just the roll-out of a new watch collection, but a new strategy for the watchmaking department of the French fashion house, which is part of luxury group LVMH. 

The Tambour line’s offerings have been extensive, ranging from entry-level models aimed at high-volume sales to high-end fine watches which, while fewer in number, account for a growing share of the brand’s creative output.

Now under Jean Arnault, the youngest son of LVMH chief executive officer Bernard Arnault, 80 per cent of the existing product line-up has been slashed – from over 100 models to 20 active references – to focus on upscale and more pricey sport-luxe models. 

The younger Arnault, 24 and a graduate of Imperial College of London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, recently told Swiss watch magazine Europa Star : “Our vocation revolves around craftsmanship, not large series.

“We intend to showcase the skill of our artisans, from the watchmakers to the engravers and gem-setters. All these specialists are part of a single philosophy: that of a watchmaker capable of producing a complete watch.”

Louis Vuitton’s state-of-the-art factory in Switzerland has, in the past two decades, steadily built up its in-house expertise and production resources, including its recent buyouts of case and movement suppliers.

The brand will stop offering watches with quartz or mechanical movements sourced from third parties, and aim to have its watches made 100 per cent in-house.

The result of this strategy shift is the redesigned Tambour, which is also Louis Vuitton’s first foray into the coveted segment of integrated bracelet sports watches.

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The new Tambour remains a three-hand design, and is still recognisable by the drum-shaped case with curved sides, engraved with “LOUIS VUITTON”. This was the original Tambour’s defining feature.

But the case has shrunk in thickness, from 13 mm to 8.3 mm.

Though slimmer, the 40 mm-wide case remains about the same size as in past models, which had appeared first in 39.5 mm and later, 40.5 mm iterations. The new case is also more streamlined and, thanks to its curved case-back, rests snugly on the wrist.

The comfort is enhanced by the new integrated bracelet, a first for Louis Vuitton watches. A blend of robustness and fluidity, its slim curved links offer a close and comfortable fit on the wrist, rivalling the softest leather strap.

The bracelet melds seamlessly with the lug-free case to give the largely brush-finished timepiece a perfectly round shape.  

On the dial, the broad baton hands of previous models have given way to thinner, tapered, faceted, open-worked hands in gold. The “LOUIS VUITTON” splashed across it has also disappeared.

Instead, “Louis Vuitton Paris” is featured at the centre, under the small seconds display. “Fab en Suisse” (short for Fabrique en Suisse) replaces the traditional “Swiss Made” insignia, alluding to the brand’s 1950s and 1960s dials.

The mature Tambour is powered by a new movement (the Calibre LFT023), which has a micro rotor engraved with a Louis Vuitton motif.

This is the first automatic three-hand movement that the brand has developed with Swiss specialist watchmaker Le Cercle des Horlogers. Equipped with 50 hours of power reserve, the Calibre LFT023 is chronometer-certified by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory, and is accurate to -4/+6 seconds a day.

Costing on average five times those of earlier models, the new Tambour comes in stainless steel (S$27,100), with a grey or blue dial.

There is also a two-tone steel-and-rose gold (S$39,000) version, and a yellow gold-and-rose gold model (S$75,500). The watches are sold only in Louis Vuitton boutiques.