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Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon

After launching the second generation Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon smartwatch earlier this year, Louis Vuitton (PARIS:MC.PA -1.84%) introduces a series of digital neon designs for the timepiece’s face. Taking cues from LV’s colorful windows for this season, the electronic faces reinterpret the brand’s iconic monogram flowers and logo with bright kaleidoscopic graphics.

In addition to the new neon designs, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon connected watch includes a travel feature with flight, hotel and transportation information, “My 24 hours” with weather, daily agenda and step counter, along with access to LV’s City Guide and exclusive customizable watch faces to truly tailor the timepiece to your own needs.

Colorful, brash, high-end, and easy to navigate — that’s how I’d summarize the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Light Up after spending some time with the latest smartwatch from the iconic luxury brand. Frankly, I appreciate how up-front the entire presentation of the piece is. If you a) don’t like smartwatches; b) don’t like the design of the Tambour Horizon; c) prefer subtlety to flash; or d) all of the above, then this probably isn’t for you. And all that’s before mentioning price. Now, if you haven’t eliminated yourself, then keep an open mind, and take a look at the most unapologetically fun luxury smartwatch out there.

Note that I’m not going to get into all the specs and technical rigamarole here, but you can easily glean all that information from our release article here.

The Tambour Horizon Light Up lets you know what it’s all about from the name alone, which underscores how vital the “always-on” screen is. Rather than trying to impress with specs, it dazzles with spectacle. Seriously, I couldn’t stop tapping the screen to activate the vivid theatrical display that is wonderfully punctuated by the curved edges of the sapphire crystal. Of course, there are times when you don’t want a fireworks display on the wrist, as well as times when you want to extend battery life. Fortunately, it’s very simple to switch among four different modes either from the app or by swiping up on the watch. “Blossom” is the most fun, with just about every engagement with the watch kicking off that stunning light display. “Explorer” mode is meant for the typical day where you just want the connected features without the pomp, the weekday to Blossom mode’s weekend. “Submarine” is basically a “do not disturb” mode that silences notifications, and finally, “Saver” mode turns off most functions to extend battery life.

Swiping right on the screen lets you manage the “My Day” function, which handles the personal basics like calendar, appointments, weather, and the health tracker. Swiping left deals handles the “My Travel” functions like flight info and city guides. And swiping down lets you check messages and notifications. It’s all very clean, simple, and easy to operate, so it’s perfect if you’re like me and don’t want to deal with yet another overly complicated device in your life.

I initially wasn’t sure what the pushers on the side of the case could be for and worried they could add unnecessary complication to such an easy-to-use smartwatch. Fortunately, that’s not the case, as the upper pusher just shuffles watch faces, and the bottom pusher can be set to quickly activate an app of the wearer’s choosing. Much has been made about the new operating system, a specially customized take on the Wear OS that is the “first outside Apple’s own ecosystem to be accredited as ‘MFI’ or ‘Made For iPhone.’” In real-world terms, what this means for iPhone users is an Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Connect app that runs butter-smooth with full functionality, unlike many previous Android apps that both glitch out and/or offer limited functionality for Apple users. The Tambour Horizon Light Up measures 44mm-wide and 13.2mm-thick with a 1.2-inch screen. The domed edges of the crystal make it seem more compact than it really is, but their true purpose is revealed when the dial is going full kaleidoscopic Blossom-mode, which reaches out to the far ends of the case. The 24 individual LED LV insignias dotting the circumference join the party and visibly heighten the wonderfully ostentatious display. It’s so extra and so much fun that there really isn’t much else like it out there.

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Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41

For 2022, Breitling has redesigned its iconic Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch, which for decades has been a staple of high-end tool timepieces originally designed for commercial airline pilots in the early 1950s. The Navitimer has seen countless iterations over the years and is one of the world’s most recognized luxury sports watches. It has not, however, experienced a recent makeover under Breitling’s current stewardship by Georges Kern. The updated Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch for 2022 is known officially as the Navitimer B01 Chronograph and comes in three case sizes with a variety of different dial options, many of which have never been offered in a Navitimer watch before. The aBlogtoWatch team was able to go hands-on with all of the new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches and below is our take on this modern version of a timeless classic. For me, the Navitimer has always been a staple of tool watches because of its focus on computational utility. Its core design element is a slide-rule bezel that once allowed pilots to make various necessary calculations such as time to their destination or fuel consumption rate. The rotating slide-rule bezel mixed with the chronograph offered a small universe of capabilities. Only the smartest and most competent pilots would be seen wearing such a wrist instrument, and the legacy of the learned aviation professional lives on in this decidedly Breitling brand watch. With a design DNA that was perfected long ago, according to many timepiece enthusiasts, what was Breitling able to do with a modern Navitimer that hasn’t been done before? It is important to mention some useful context at play when Breitling designed the new Navitimer. First of all, it was the brand’s goal to make the Navitimer look and feel as pleasant as possible while fitting into contemporary trends in luxury timepieces. That means the watches also need variety and be able to appeal to multiple audience sizes and color preferences. While the slide rule feature is truly iconic, few Navitimer customers are known to actually use this piece of functionality, which means the feature needs to be there but Breitling doesn’t really talk about it much. In fact, Breitling has a series of prototype Navitimer watches with more water resistance (hard to accomplish with the bezel functioning as it does). None of those ever made it to market because the resulting watch cases don’t really look “Navitimer enough.” So, Breitling’s goal with the redesigned Navitimer is mainly two-fold: to create a commercially successful luxury watch that fits into Breitling’s “relaxed luxury lifestyle” brand personality, and to offer a product that looks and feels like the classic Navitimer enthusiasts love. Note that to make the dial a bit cleaner, this generation of Navitimer Chronograph watch dials do not have a tachymeter scale, and I don’t think a single person will really miss it. It was also important that Breitling get to feature its extremely competent in-house caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement but also to make the Navitimer case thinner. Older Navitimer watches are thinner, but they are also manually wound (versus automatic). The 2022 Navitimer watches are about 1.5mm thinner than previous-generation models, and they also feature an exhibition caseback. The case thinness (they are all about 13.6-14mm-thick, depending on the version) is thanks to a redesign of the slide-rule bezel system, which is now flat instead of sloped, as was the case on previous models. The dial doesn’t appear flat, however, thanks to the recessed subdials. Many people will not notice, at first glance, the different architecture of the Navitimer dial, but it is very apparent once you start to inspect it or compare it to other recent Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch. Breitling decided to go very commercial with the dials in terms of colors and finishing. That’s a business decision that probably makes sense, but purists will probably still be more attracted to some of the more historic-looking recent Navitimer watches that have more of a “tool watch” look. The various metallic colors and copious reflective surfaces test well with luxury seekers but make the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches quite “blingy” when compared with the classic models. Adding to that look are new colors, including two different greens (one is a fun mint), two blues, and a variety of grays, whites, and black tones mixed together. There are even 18k red-gold case options in addition to the main steel-cased versions to offer an even more high-end feel. The dials are very nice, but I prefer a more matte style to watches with this level of dial detail, and for the snazzier shiny look, I am still very much taken by Breitling’s Chronomat 42 masterpieces. For me, the most jarring aspect of the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph case design is the polishing. While not always true, most recent Navitimer watches have had all-polished cases — really nice polished cases. For 2022, Breitling goes a different route by maintaining the core Navitimer case style but offering both polished and brushed surface finishing over the case and the available bracelet. This adds a lot of visual interest to the case and bracelet, but the dual-finishing of the 2022 Navitimer watches do make them stand out from the rest of the modern versions of the watch and will probably help them stand out to customers who have previous-generation Navitimer models. On the dial, we see a return to the AOPA Breitling “wings” logo, which has been used on some retro-remake models but no standard collection pieces, until now. Breitling CEO Georges Kern presided over the Navitimer B01 Chronograph launch event and explained something very interesting about the brand’s logos. The problem is that none of the current logos work with all of the watches. Some logos appear better on the modern watches but not the classic ones. Some of the watches have just a Breitling “B,” and others have mere graphic logos. It is great that Breitling has so much history to pull from to make this possible, but it is also interesting that the brand’s current logos don’t actually work well on all watches. Breitling isn’t the only watch brand now to play with different logo designs on contemporary watches but probably has the best reasons to use multiple logos across product collections. To serve the needs of various customers (including women), Breitling made the correct decision to offer what is essentially the same watch in three different case sizes. It is true that some dial color configurations are only available in some sizes, but for the most part, Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch makes sure that the 41, 43, and 46mm-wide Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches are more or less the same in terms of style and look. Having worn all three sizes, I would say that my personal preference is the 43mm wide version, but I would gladly wear any of them. The cases are water-resistant to 30 meters, and 13.6, 13.69, and 13.95mm thick, respectively. Watch size is a matter of taste and not a matter of correctness. So the correct size for you will depend on your anatomy and, to a degree, the watch dial colors that you prefer. Breitling’s B01 automatic chronograph movement powers each of these watches and, for the first time in a Navitimer Chronograph piece, you can see the very nice movement through an exhibition caseback. This was designed by former Rolex engineers who worked on the chronograph movement inside the Daytona and is very accurate. Each is a COSC-certified Chronometer and operates at 4Hz with 70 hours of power reserve. The watch features the time and date (integrated into the lower subdial), as well as the 12-hour chronograph. All of the watches are available on a brown or black alligator strap, or a matching seven-link metal bracelet (steel or gold depending on the version). The bracelet option (in steel) costs just $400 more and also features a new butterfly-style deployant clasp, a serious upgrade from the previous fold-over deployant clasps.

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AP Celebrates the Royal Oak Offshore’s 30th Birthday With A Dramatic Limited Edition

Hot on the heels of Watches & Wonders 2023, Audemars Piguet is announcing their latest limited edition model, this time to commemorate the 30th birthday of the daring Royal Oak Offshore chronograph. Taking inspiration directly from an early example with a cameo connection to ’90s action cinema, we find a specific colorway and the use of some action-ready materials. Of course, those of you who grew up loving the action films of the 1990s may well recognize the black-and-yellow coloring as a direct and intentional reference to the early Royal Oak Offshore that Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in End of Days back in 1999. Based on the current-gen AP Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, this limited edition (ref. 26420CE) uses a 43mm black ceramic case that is 14.4mm thick and employs titanium for the caseback, pusher frames, and studs.

While, yes, 30 years ago would mean 1993, the AP Royal Oak Offshore was not an instant hit and Arnold’s interest in wearing it in the film played a role in establishing the model with the correct audience. To that point, AP CEO Francois-Henry Bennahmais said, “In 1999, the collaboration with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Royal Oak Offshore End of Days started putting the collection on the map of a wider public for the first time. For the 30th anniversary of the Offshore, paying tribute to this specific timepiece is an obvious choice.” The original End of Days reference is the 25770SN and many collectors and enthusiasts know it as the “End of Days” ROO. This new model houses Audemars Piguet’s 4401 automatic chronograph caliber that ticks at 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 70 hours. This 30th Anniversary Royal Oak Offshore is limited to 500 units worldwide at a price of $60,300. I think I feel loosely the same about AP Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs as I do about ’90s action cinema. Both are big, a bit over the top, hyper-masculine, and meant to combine an array of modern creative capabilities in a presentation that is simply meant to be exciting and fun. From that perspective, I think AP has nailed this 30th-anniversary edition. The watch is largely a known quantity so it’s the coloring, the ceramic case, and the pair of straps that help it to stand out. I love black and yellow (more on watches than on cars or clothing) and I think that if Arnold was making End of Days today, he’d go for the ceramic as it really suits the vibe of the ROO. Finally, the watch comes with two “textile effect” quick-change capable straps, one in black with yellow stitching (seen in the images) and one that is yellow with black stitching. If you’ve got the tan for the latter, you have my tacit support.

This thoroughly modern AP Royal Oak Offshore combines the modern scope of the model with a special bit of Hollywood history that helped to solidify the idea of a big-and-burly Royal Oak via the power of the silver screen.

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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph “End Of Days II”

You might have read it, but did you get a chance to let the news really sink in? The Offshore turns 30 this year. That’s three decades. Thanks to a healthy diet of regular facelifts, the watch managed to become a forever-young legend. During the watch’s lifetime, some iterations have gained legendary status. The Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days” reference 25770SN was one of them, and now that bold stainless steel PVD-coated watch now has a modernized successor. It’s the 43mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph in black ceramic with bright yellow details.

The Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days” reference 25770SN was a limited edition of 500 pieces. And one of them was on the wrist of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 movie End of Days. The big and black “ROO” for the movie star was a steel watch that received AP’s first-ever PVD coating. It was quite avant-garde at the time, even trend-setting. The watch in the movie (and also the 499 other ones that were not) featured a Velcro strap, a black dial with yellow Arabic numerals, a date display at 3 o’clock, and three sub-dials. And along with the 42mm case, the bezel, crown, pushers, and clasp were done in black PVD steel too.
Black PVD steel is not very 2023, but black ceramic is. And that’s why the homage to the original ROO “End of Days” is done in scratch-resistant, lightweight, anti-allergic, black high-tech ceramic. The new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph is not just black, of course, there’s also a bit of yellow. You might know about my issues with the combo of black and yellow in watches. If you don’t, it doesn’t really matter. I will just stick to the facts and leave all the interpretation to you, the reader. Anyway, the look of the new ROO is bold, dynamic, and historically rooted. Also, the limited edition of 500 pieces is in line with the previous watch. The movement inside the new ROO, however, is very different from its historical counterpart. And that’s a good thing because the new creation features AP’s latest self-winding chronograph movement, Calibre 4401. That’s a fully integrated 12-hour chronograph movement with a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and flyback functionality. You can have a look at it through the window on the display case back. You might also notice the refined decorations, including Côtes de Genève, circular graining, sunray finishing, circular satin finishing, and polished bevels. And there you’ll also find the 22K pink gold rotor. The NAC process gave the oscillating weight an anthracite hue. It’s fair to say that End of Days was not the most warmly regarded film in the Arnold Schwarzenegger canon. “A head-on collision between the ludicrous and the absurd” was the verdict of film reviewer Roger Ebert on the 1999 movie that saw Arnie take on the devil himself in order to stop Beelzebub from spawning a master race of satanic followers. Still, Ebert’s two-star review was far kinder than the general consensus: the Rotten Tomatoes website gave the film an 11% rating. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore proved similarly contentious at first. Designed by Emmanuel Gueit, who was just 22 at the time, the 42mm watch was considered gigantic when it was released in 1993. The biggest critic was the father of the Royal Oak, Gerald Genta, who famously burst in during the watch’s presentation to publically accuse Gueit of ruining his design.

Given the initial reception of both the film and the Offshore model, you wouldn’t hold out much hope for the product that linked the two: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore “End Of Days”. Outside the world of mathematics, after all, two minuses rarely make a plus. Except the result turned out to be far more positive than expected. Limited to just 500 individually numbered pieces (it should really have been an allocation of 666), the Royal Oak Offshore “End Of Days” was one of the very first horological collaborations with a celebrity. As Francois-Henry Bennahmias says in the video below that celebrated the Offshore’s 25th birthday, Arnie made specific demands regarding the design: “The watch has to be black and I want yellow numbers,” he reportedly said. The result might not have been subtle, but that design coated in black PVD, makes the yellow hour markers and luminescent Arabic numerals leap out against the petite tapissiere dial. Here was a watch as big and as bold as the action-hero on whose wrist it would appear.

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New Patek Philippe Aquanauts Chronograph And Aquanaut Luce

It’s the year of rose gold for the Aquanaut. Patek has introduced a trio of new models for the Aquanaut, all in rose gold: an Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph, and for good measure, an Aquanaut with 48 diamonds on the bezel.

First up is the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph 5968R to the collection. Here, the rose gold case measures 42.2mm by 11.9mm, and a composite brown strap matches the brown dial. The 5968R takes the familiar form of the Aquanaut chronograph and renders it in rose gold.
That means the 42mm case has 120 meters of water resistance, and the brown dial has a sunburst effect that ends in a black rim towards the dial’s edge. Through the sapphire caseback, you can see Patek’s self-winding flyback chronograph CH 28-520 C. It powers the central chronograph hand and the Aquanaut’s signature 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock. It’s a column wheel movement with a vertical disk clutch. MSRP is CHF 64,000.

Just a couple of millimeters smaller, Patek has added the new Aquanaut Luce reference 5261R. It’s an annual calendar – a complete day, date, and month calendar that needs just one manual correction (at the end of February).
The rose gold case measure 39.9mm by 10.9mm in thickness, and it’ll come on the well-known Aquanaut composite strap in a blue-grey that matches the dial. Of note, Patek’s introducing a new movement in the 5261R, the 26-330 S QA LU. It’s based on the 26-330 S C Patek introduced in 2019 (and used in the last generation of the 5711 and this year’s 6007G release, among others). MSRP on the new Aquanaut Luce will be CHF 52,000.

Alongside the 5261R, Patek has added thePatek Philippe 5268/200R to its Aquanaut lineup – a 38.8mm Aquanaut with 38 diamonds on the bezel. This one’ll set you back CHF 45,500. That means the 42mm case has 120 meters of water resistance, and the brown dial has a sunburst effect that ends in a black rim towards the dial’s edge.

Through the sapphire caseback, you can see Patek’s self-winding flyback chronograph CH 28-520 C. It powers the central chronograph hand and the Aquanaut’s signature 60-minute counter at 6 o’clock. It’s a column wheel movement with a vertical disk clutch. MSRP is CHF 64,000.
Since Patek launched the Aquanaut Flyback Chronograph in steel in 2018 (as the 5968A), we could’ve assumed it’d make it’s way into rose gold, and probably in something that looked kind of like the 5968R we see her now. It’s got the brown dial we’ve seen in other rose gold Pateks (hello there, 5167R), and the matching brown strap is a delightful chocolate bar. It joins the steel 5968A and a pair of white gold 5968G models as Patek continues to fill out its collection of Aquanaut chronographs.

While we might’ve known something like the 5968R was coming eventually, I’m not sure many people expected the Aquanaut Luce, and I think that makes it even better. It’s in a 40mm Aquanaut case, which Patek refers to as its ladies’ line. The last few years, Patek’s added the Travel Time 5269R and the “Rainbow” chronograph 5968R, and now Patek’s adding a sportier, non-gemset watch to its lineup of smaller Aquanauts. And I might just love it.

Patek only introduced the annual calendar in the 1990s as a practical (and cheaper) alternative to more complex calendars, so it’s a natural fit for a smaller Aquanaut. Instead of the brown seen in the chronograph, the dial is a soft blue-grey that’s a monotone across the entire dial. There’s a composite strap to match. Patek’s put the moonphase under 12 o’clock, and the month and day sit at 9 and 3 o’clock, respectively

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Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300

Let’s cut to the chase: Patek Philippe’s Grandmaster Chime is one of the most ridiculous watches in existence. It comes with two reversible dials and is tricked out with almost every complication in existence. A version of the Grandmaster Chime, known as the 6300, set the record for most-expensive ever moved at auction when it sold for $31 million in 2019. When Jay-Z wore a version of it out in 2019, heads exploded in the watch world. A world record at auction and a Jay-Z cosign? The 6300 has everything it needs to submit its credentials for world’s coolest watch. But that apparently wasn’t enough for Patek, who have just announced two new versions of the 6300.  The new 6300s will only enhance its reputation as the holiest of grails. Patek took a different approach with each. The first is the subtler of the two: both dials are a rich cocoa brown, but the case features both white and rose gold, a first for this particular watch. It’s hard to make a watch that combines two types of gold look understated, but that’s what this model does.

The other 6300, which features multiple emerald-set tracks around the bezel, is anything but understated. The numbers here are jaw-dropping: 118 baguette-cut emeralds and 291 baguette-cut diamonds. There are 28.41 total carats on this watch. This is the type of treasure they base an entire Oceans movie on.  The headliner might be these very high-end Grandmaster Chimes, but the rest of the Patek collection is notable, too, for being so sporty. Last year, Patek seemed to pointedly remove itself from the sport watch conversation, saying RIP to the beloved 5711 Nautilus and skipping new models from that line and the Aquanaut, Patek’s other sport collection. Patek is making another 180 this year, expanding the Aquanaut line, the even more casual and athletic little brother to the Nautilus, with three new grown-up additions. The first is simple, with a brown-dial version and a chronograph. Things escalate quickly from there. Patek used rose-gold for all three of the new Aquanauts, which goes particularly well with the navy-dial model bolstered with an annual calendar and moonphase. The last of the trio is – why the hell not? – set with 48 diamonds on the bezel.  Our favourite of the new Pateks, though, are the three colourful Calatravas. Patek debuted this reference in 2020 to celebrate the opening of a new manufacturer and is now expanding the range with more casual watches. I always appreciate when the always-elegant Patek gets a little loose – it’s like seeing James Bond change out of his tux and into his Barbour jacket. Each new Calatrava comes with a different accent colour: red, sky blue, and yellow. The red and yellow, in particular, have a delightful racing bite to them.

With this collection, Patek was apparently hellbent on proving it can do sport watches as well as anyone. It quickly pivots from the world of racing to pilot watches. The reference 5924 takes Patek’s Pilot-style watch, with those chunky can’t-miss numerals, and adds a chronograph for the first time. The watch comes in standard navy but I really love the khaki-green model. And if you’re more comfortable in the plane’s cabin than the cockpit, Patek also has a new GMT. The brand’s spin on the travel-time complication features the 24-hour markers set straight onto the dial.  Patek Philippe’s full-throated re-commitment to sports permeates the entire collection. This year, even the fancy watches are imbued with a certain je ne sais sport. Patek’s two collections are divided into two categories, one of which is home to only the ritziest of pieces and described as the “Rare Handcraft” selection. Here is a version of the Calatrava with a miniature painting done entirely by hand. This rare, painstakingly done art features a red racecar inspired by the 1948 Nations Grand Prix.

To start, the new Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300GR-001 is a mixed-metal version of the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, launched in 2014 as a limited edition before joining the current collection in 2016.

The Grandmaster Chime is Patek’s most complicated timepiece with 20 complications including five chiming modes, an alarm that strikes a pre-selected time, and a date repeater that strikes the date on demand.

The Ref. 6300GR-001 is rendered in white and rose gold. It has two brown opaline dials and a hand-guillochéd “Clou de Paris,” or hobnob pattern, on the side showing the time of day. The rich chestnut brown alligator strap is closed with a white and rose gold mixed metal buckle.

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Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-Hour Travel Time 5224R

Earlier today, we introduced you to the Patek Philippe Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5924G, a new take on a watch from Patek that combines a chronograph with a travel time function, the latter a complication that’s become something of a signature for the brand. Well, here’s that signature complication in another form: the Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time ref. 5224R-001. It’s a travel time, but distinguished by its 24-hour display.

The new Patek Philippe Calatrava 5224R keeps home and local time with two central hands that track a 24-hour dial. Patek has produced 24-hour dials like this in past – notably for Gondolo pocket watches, one of which now sits in the Patek Philippe Museum – so it’s a nice historical nod to revive the 24-hour indication in a modern reference. You’ll also notice that noon is placed at 12 o’clock, not 6 o’clock as would usually be the case. Patek says this is to ensure visibility during the daytime hours.

The rose gold case measures 42mm, and the curved, double-stepped lugs look to give the watch a thin profile, especially on the wrist (the photo below is the 5224R on James’ wrist). Since the dial is large, its contrasting finishes – circular striated center, circular, satin-finished hour track, and a snailed small seconds – give the design balance.

Making the 24-hour display possible is the new caliber 21-260 PS FUS, a micro-rotor movement with 48 hours of power reserve. Instead of using pushers to adjust the dual-time zone display, as is common in other Patek travel times, the new ref. 5224R features a new, patented three-position crown. The middle position allows setting of the local time in either direction in one-hour steps, while the outermost position allows simultaneous setting of home time and local time. All is visible through a sapphire caseback. It comes on a blue nubuck strap, which dresses down the Calatrava just a touch. It’ll cost CHF 48,500; for reference, the Aquanaut Travel Time costs CHF 53,000 in rose gold.  Nowadays, few brands are doing a travel watch like Patek Philippe, and this iteration balances dressy and sporty. The large 24-hour display feels like a throwback not only to that Patek pocket watch, but also to the oversized aviator’s watches from the mid-20th century that collectors love (like this one from Universal Geneve). But instead of a chronograph, we’ve got a travel time, arguably more useful for the modern jet-setter.

The entire package looks considered and put together. The blue dial is vibrant, with a variety of finishes so as not to overwhelm your eye.

Of note, the new movement does away with any pushers – previous travel times from Patek (like the 5524) had large pushers, so this makes for a case that looks completely balanced. A real Calatrava, in other words.

Patek says the rose gold numerals and indices are hand-applied, and the numerals and syringe hands are filled with lume. Again, it’s a balance between traditional and sporty, much the same way the new 5224R balances traditional inspiration with a modern complication.

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Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Air

Louis Vuitton has the advantage of not historically coming from an haute horlogerie background. This leaves the brand best known for its leather and high fashion lots of latitude to play with watches. And Louis Vuitton definitely uses this advantage to create some very unorthodox timepieces.

For fans of traditional high watchmaking, this can be slightly disorienting. But for fans of Louis Vuitton and those with a broader vision of haute horlogerie it can be a revelation. Which side you fall on is entirely up to your own taste and sensibilities.

And while taste is subjective, the quality of a piece of high watchmaking may never be in question. This crossroad is precisely where Louis Vuitton excels. Using the best materials, traditional watchmaking techniques, and most inventive watchmakers, Louis Vuitton successfully plays with unique design and unusual shapes.

One thing I find fun about Louis Vuitton is its innate sense of playfulness and devil-may-care attitude – something all too visible in 2021’s Carpe Diem, an automat created precisely to be audacious and whimsical. It was generally well received, even by traditionalists, which led to it winning a prize at the 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Louis Vuitton is definitely unique in the way it concentrates on both its movements and its design – delightfully and with a passionate attitude toward both.

The brand’s unusual approach has really characterized it since at least 2009 when it began working with La Fabrique du Temps, the very creative complication specialist founded by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. By 2011, Louis Vuitton had purchased La Fabrique du Temps and by 2014 had consolidated its La Chaux-de-Fonds- and Geneva-based supplier holdings – including dial making and La Fabrique du Temps – into one facility in Meyrin, whose sole purpose is to create and craft Louis Vuitton’s inventive high watchmaking.

Here 16 watchmakers and a host of other technicians, designers, and creative heads work together to produce 300-400 high watchmaking timepieces per year, many of which are bespoke commissions for private clients.

Today, this creative attitude is obvious in speaking with the leadership of the brand in the watch sector. But even more astounding is the ease with which Michel Navas, head of La Fabrique du Temps, has embraced the attitude and ideology of the youthful Jean Arnault, now 23 years old and marketing director of Louis Vuitton’s watches and wearables.

While we have not yet seen the fruits of their clearly mutual admiration – Arnault has definite ideas for the future as does Navas – the Tambour Spin Time Air Quantum seems to fit right in with all I’d heard from the duo over the course of the two days the brand spent introducing its 2022 high watchmaking pieces. Arnault and Navas haven’t revealed plans for Louis Vuitton’s high watchmaking future, but one thing is certain: they do plan to continue to be surprising and to appeal to today’s consumer. And this is likely to result in slightly different products than what we’ve seen thus far.
It’s been 20 years since Louis Vuitton introduced its Tambour collection in 2002.

Tambour is French for “drum,” and the brand christened the collection with this name because of its case shape. As Louis Vuitton isn’t originally a watch brand, it is all the more impressive that it was able to create a design like this that really works for it.

While the cases of the Tambour line look big – huge in some circumstances (see the above-mentioned Carpe Diem) – their signature short lugs and smooth case back allow the case to wear very comfortably on the wrist despite the size.

And let’s be truthful here: it’s my opinion that people buying watches from this brand want their watches to be noticed. The size and shape of the Tambour case all but guarantees that.
Which brings me to the latest timepiece by Louis Vuitton: the Tambour Spin Time Air Quantum, a watch designed to continue the clever Spin Time Air concept while bringing two noticeable things to the table that weren’t there before: a slightly more toned-down Tambour case and micro-electronically lit luminous cubes.

The Louis Vuitton Spin Time is Louis Vuitton’s take on the traditional jump hour. Introduced in 2009, it foregoes the traditional “jump disk” display to instead show the time by cubes that turn to reveal the time. This makes the display wildly three-dimensional.

The Louis Vuitton Spin Time displays the hour very creatively: 12 cubes on the dial spell out L-O-U-I-S-V-U-I-T-T-O-N. The one displaying the current hour is shown in opposite colors. This cube turns around when the hour passes, returning to its uniform color, at which point the next cube revolves to display the ensuing hour. The minutes are displayed by a central hand.

The result is a Louis Vuitton Spin Time watch that is easier to read than might be expected, has its own distinct character, and is – well – fun. Caliber LV 68 was developed by La Fabrique du Temps to appear as if it floats within the case, an effect heightened by the inky drum-shaped housing and the luminous cubes, which really push the watch forward into a new place as something that could well appeal to a younger crowd.

The 12 cubes on the Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Air Quantum spelling out L-O-U-I-S-V-U-I-T-T-O-N illuminate on demand, activated by pushing a button in the crown. Micro electronics light up the cubes, a dozen tiny light-emitting diodes (LED) placed directly on the top face of each cube, lighting up the Spin Time display from within, illuminating each cube individually. The Spin Time cubes are usually milled from aluminum for lightness, but in this case they are crafted in fused silica, a glass made of almost pure silicon dioxide, in a laborious manufacturing process that involves much higher working temperatures than the manufacture of usual glass. Fused silica is most often used for precision applications like optical lenses and semiconductors.

The precision electronics assembly comprising a ring of 12 LEDs, an integrated circuit, and two batteries is adroitly hidden under the flange. The system can be activated six to seven times every day for three years before these batteries will need replacing. A subtle ring at the base of the crown acts as a battery-level indicator and lights up along with the cubes when the button is pressed. Conversely, it flickers when it’s time for the batteries to be replaced.

The cubes remain lit as long as the pusher is held and remain so for another three seconds after the wearer has stopped pressing the button.
The luminous display of the Tambour Spin Time Air Quantum is offset by a matte-black DLC-coated titanium case and the barest hint of gearing in the center. The movement containing a modern interpretation of Maltese Cross gearing to perform the jump functionality is covered by a visible plate that has been traditionally finished with côtes de Genève. But in a twist worthy of this watch, the plate and its pattern are coated with jet-black DLC and overlaid with the Louis Vuitton Monogram in yellow Super-LumiNova.
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Air watch is the latest addition to the family that put this famous French “fashion” brand on the watchmaking map. While I don’t think the Tambour range qualifies for iconic status, it’s pretty darn close. Perhaps that’s more because of what it means for the brand than the industry en masse, but it could be argued that the Tambour added another valuable chapter in the history of fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Hermés, and Bulgari being taken seriously.

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Louis Vuitton Voyager Tourbillon

While most popular Louis Vuttion watches come with a version of the brand’s iconic Tambour case (which itself has sub-variants, including the Tambour Curve and the Tambour Moon), there are other attractive options, as well, including the Louis Vuitton Voyager case, which is the base of these two high-end minute repeater tourbillon watches. I will be the first to admit that the Voyager case looks a bit off when pictured off the wrist, but on the wrist, I found it to be delightfully elegant and also very comfortable. While lower-priced Louis Vuitton Voyager watches are available, here we find the Voyager case as the base for some very lavish luxury products in the Louis Vuitton Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillons.
The two Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon watches here include one model in 18k rose gold and another in 18k white gold with a case and dial decorated with what I believe are green tsavorites. I particularly like the style of the settings. On the case, baguette-cut stones elegantly emphasize the case shape while tapering off toward the sides, resulting in an attractive visual design. More stones are placed on the deployant clasp and also used as the hour markers on the sapphire crystal dial that sits over a lovely reveal of the complex minuter repeater mechanism. The cases are 42mm-wide, not particularly thick at just 9.7mm, and water-resistant to 30 meters. Other versions of the Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon exist, including versions with diamond-decorated cases. A lot of the pieces are produced on order only and, accordingly, customers have different decorative and color preferences.
Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps manufacture in Geneva is where these watches are engineered and built. The team there has loads of high-complication experience, including with all manner of tourbillons and chiming systems. While the execution of this movement is very traditional, it is also very beautiful and practical. The movement is known as the Louis Vuitton caliber LV100 movement and it is manually wound and comprised of 342 parts. The movement operates at 3Hz with a long power reserve of 100 hours. The movement includes the time with seconds indicated as part of the asymmetrically-placed flying tourbillon regulation system that pokes through the dial via its own window and is complete with a Louis Vuitton “V” shaped tourbillon bridge.

Of course, there is also the minute repeater complication, activated via the sliding lever of the left side of the case. The minute repeater is a full cathedral-style system, which means it has more notes and sounds more impressive. The movement is designed so that while the hammers and gongs are placed on the rear side (which you can view through the sapphire crystal exhibition window), the rest of the moving parts of the minute repeater are featured on the dial-side of this Voyager dial and offer a fun animation to watch when the minute repeater complication (which chimes back the time to the user) has been activated. Personally, I really like how the open/skeletonized dial reveals the beautifully hand-decorated movement but is also very legible. Too many watches of this ilk offer impressive presentations but poor utility. I don’t like the idea that you can’t wear your otherwise exotic high-end timepieces for daily time-telling purposes. Given the relatively compact size and practical nature of the Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, I would certainly say that this is an otherwise highly exotic watch that is suitable for daily wear (if you are that type of person). I, for one, just love how the case feels on the wrist when admiring the minute repeater mechanism through the dial while reading the time. Note that the repeating horizontal lines on the dial are part of the core Voyager watch product that normally has a solid dial.
Louis Vuitton has a truly prolific volume of both minute repeater and tourbillon watches with a variety of combinations of each. I do enjoy how the brand’s watchmaking division is both playful and serious in its product executions. We’ve covered Louis Vuitton watches of all price points quite a bit, and I think what defines most all of them is a dedication to both traditional watchmaking techniques and strong levels of unique personality. The Voyager case should not be passed over, and you can see just how high-end they can go with these two versions of the Louis Vuitton Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon.

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Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Monogram Dentelle

According to the Vogue Business Index (summer 2022) and Forbes, French fashion house Louis Vuitton is the world’s most valuable luxury brand. As the undisputed king of luxury, Louis Vuitton is associated in every corner of the globe with high-quality leather goods and accessories emblazoned with the iconic LV monogram. Somewhat surprisingly, given its presence on the market since 1854, Louis Vuitton only started making ‘serious’ watches twenty years ago. In a departure from some luxury emporiums that prize design over substance, Louis Vuitton took the bull by the horns and decided that its watches had to be as good on the inside as out. Louis Vuitton’s first watch, the Louis Vuitton Tambour, and its incursion into big-league watchmaking consolidated with the acquisition of La Fabrique du Temps have resulted in a unique, potent design that is impossible to confuse with anything else on the market. The Tambour, which means drum in French, marched out with its distinctive drum-shaped case and a GMT complication in 2002. Coming up for its 20th anniversary this year, the Tambour returns with iconic LV livery and a high-frequency chronograph movement based on Zenith’s El Primero calibre: meet the new 200-piece Tambour Twenty Limited Edition.

For 2021, Louis Vuitton Tambour introduces a third generation to its line of Tambour Diver watches  with the Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver collection. Today, I go hands-on with the black and yellow Tambour Street Diver Neon Black reference QA122 (debuted on aBlogtoWatch here). It’s a pretty great-looking watch that continues a legacy of some of the most lovely and quirky dive watches, from one of the world’s most popular luxury brands.

Even though LVMH (which Louis Vuitton is part of) owns a variety of watchmakers, including Hublot, BVLGARI, Zenith, and TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton also makes watches and has been since 2002. Many of these watches are in the under-$10,000 range, but once in a while, Louis Vuitton creates some really spectacular stuff that can be priced into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Closer to earth is the new Tambour Street Diver collection, which isn’t cheap but comes with a lot of style and refinement (you know, a lot like other Louis Vuitton gear).

Would you think of Louis Vuitton Tambour as a maker of high-tech diving watches? No? Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, their history of watches has been a lot more dramatic than a simple diving watch, but it’s true. It was in mid-2021 when we saw the Tambour Street Diver, a watch with a strange name and a design inspired by Super Compressor divers of old. Now, to follow the watches from 2021, Louis Vuitton releases two new watches as a part of the Tambour Street Diver collection, and these ones have chronographs.

I quite like the look of these watches; they have some diving elements to them but aren’t afraid of mixing up other design cues. I guess you could say the design is progressively modern thanks to the writing on the rubber strap and the contrast between the dial colour and the neon-like accents.

These watches definitely won’t go unnoticed. They’re 46mm x 14mm, so not quite Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph chunky but closer than you think. Both watches are made of stainless steel with colouration coming from a PVD treatment. It’s interesting that Louis Vuitton chose to make the blue model silver and blue, while nearly all parts of the black version are PVD black except for the lugs, pushers and crown. One thing to note is that the water resistance is 100m, that’s plenty for swimming mind you. Perhaps Louis Vuitton realised that its clients probably wouldn’t go scuba diving ever and so left it to the minimum 100m required by ISO to call a watch a Louis Vuitton Tambour diving watch.  Inside the new Tambour Streed Diver Chronograph watches is a self-winding ETA 2894-2 movement. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Louis Vuitton being a watchmaker, you might be surprised by this movement choice, especially given the price. It should be noted that while Louis Vuitton is a watchmaker and has been for a while, it’s not necessarily a movement maker, I seem to recall quite a few of their watches having off-the-shelf movements. While it might lose some horological prestige in your mind, it will make servicing the watch easier down the line, especially if Louis Vuitton decides it doesn’t want to make watches anymore. This chronograph movement has a 4Hz beat rate and a 42-hour power reserve.