First Look: The New Louis Vuitton Tambour Ceramic – Monochrome Watches
Louis Vuitton is at the apex of the luxury ladder, recognised worldwide for its high-quality leather goods and accessories emblazoned with the iconic LV monogram. Although the Maison’s history dates back to 1854, watches didn’t materialise in LV’s portfolio until 2002 with the release of the Tambour. After 20 years of loyal service, the Tambour bid adieu with a special anniversary edition. However, following the appointment of Jean Arnault as director of Louis Vuitton’s watch division, the Tambour was deeply overhauled to become a player in the competitive luxury sports watch sector. Now a core collection, the 40mm time-only Tambour retains many features of the original but displays an incredible level of refinement and craftsmanship. The latest version, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Ceramic, is a novel fusion of rose gold and high-tech brown ceramic, resulting in a sleek, sophisticated and sensual timepiece whose provenance is impossible to mistake. While specific traits of the original Tambour – drum-shaped case, 12 LV letters on the bezel, LV monogram on crown and Arabic numerals – have been retained, the new Tambour is a stylish elegant sports watch with a slim profile of 8.6mm and an integrated bracelet. Appearing first in steel and gold cases, the winning combination of rose gold and brown elements of the new Louis Vuitton Tambour Ceramic required a complete reengineering of the case and bracelet.Many luxury brands are associated with a core colour: Louis Vuitton’s is brown, a shade inspired by the Damier canvas on the brand’s famous steamer trunks. The combination of brown ceramic and rose gold elements also evokes the colours of LV’s 1896 Monogram canvas, the cornerstone of the brand’s identity.Obtaining this bespoke colour in high-tech ceramic was undoubtedly a challenge, but its lightweight yet resilient properties make the watch very pleasurable to wear. According to the brand, 90 hours were employed to make and finish the ceramic components, many of which were completed by hand.The novel feature of this Tambour Ceramic is the internal rose gold container, hidden from sight by the brown high-tech ceramic covering. The 40mm case, with its slim height of 8.3mm, is clad in a ceramic shield and finished in the same manner as other gold Tambours: a circular-brushed finish on the middle case, a sandblasted bezel bearing the 12 letters of Louis Vuitton in polished relief and the engraved LV signature in the crown. The depth rating of the Tambour Ceramic is here 50m (versus 100m for the steel model), a slight letdown due to the new materials and construction. While there is no trace of the rose gold on the front of the watch, the caseback reveals part of the rose gold container.The integrated bracelet also went through a complete re-engineering. Relying on an articulated rose gold backbone with screws to anchor the brown ceramic links, the slinky, flexible bracelet adapts perfectly to the wrist. While brown ceramic is the predominant material on the outside, a polished rose gold bar appears between every ceramic link, producing an elegant two-tone look. Each ceramic link is rounded with a curved profile and hand-decorated with a brushed finish and polished bevels. With no visible pins on the bracelet’s profile, the elegant, tapering bracelet is secured to the wrist with a triple-folding rose gold clasp.The finishes of the stepped brown dial – vertical brushed centre, sandblasted hour ring, snailed small seconds counter and polished indices and hands – echo the finishes of the case. Again, the emblematic brown and gold colours of LV’s Monogram are highlighted on the brown galvanic and lacquered dial with its rose gold indices, numerals and hands. The gold Arabic numerals and the hour and minute hands are hand-filled with Super-LumiNova, producing a blue glow in the dark.Protected by the gold container and visible through the sapphire caseback is the LFT023 automatic three-hand movement – the same as found in the steel and gold Tambour models, which is also used as a base for the Escale collection. This movement was designed by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps and then produced in collaboration with Le Cercle des Horlogers. Powered by a 22k rose gold micro-rotor, the barrel ensures a 50-hour power reserve for this 4Hz-beating movement. It is rated at an accuracy of -4 and + 6 seconds/day and is an officially certified chronometer (by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory under the auspices of the Timelab Foundation). The bridges are micro-sandblasted with polished edges and chamfers, while the mainplate features circular graining. The barrel is opened in the shape of an LV monogram flower, while the micro-rotor is engraved with a stylized LV tapisserie.The Louis Vuitton Tambour Ceramic is released as part of the permanent collection. It retails for EUR 75,000 (incl. taxes). For more information, please visit LouisVuitton.com.
