2,173 articles · 159 videos found · page 6 of 78
Monochrome
Louis Erard’s collaborative series continues to grow with playful yet serious partnerships, and this time, the brand once again teams up with Vianney Halter for a bold new chapter in their Régulateur line. Dubbed “World Tour”, the project reinterprets the Steampunk-inspired Régulateur through a silver monochrome base design, then spins off a series of colour-coded […]
Time+Tide
Limited to 99 pieces, each of these Gothic hand-engraved watches is the result of over 50 hours of work, with each watch being unique.The post Louis Erard joins forces with artisanal engraver Maksym Shavlak on the surprisingly affordable Gravée Main appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
There’s no stopping Manuel Emch’s relentless drive to democratise watchmaking by producing highly original content and métiers d’art dials, thanks to collaborations with designers, artists, studios and artisans for Louis Erard. The latest collaboration is a surprising marriage of traditional embroidery executed with a machine designed to bond microcircuits reprogrammed by Wire Art, Switzerland, to […]
SJX Watches
Louis Erard’s niche is making either watchmakers or techniques affordable – the Gravée Main is hand engraving priced accessibly. The watch is entirely engraved by hand, across the bezel, case, crown, and buckle, with a classical leaf motif by Maksym Shavlak, a watchmaker and engraver from Ukraine. The resulting look is a blend of Gothic and Baroque, but the underlying watch retains the usual dimensions and movement of Louis Erard, while the dial is glossy black lacquer that evokes fired enamel. Initial thoughts I appreciate Louis Erard’s consistent focus on making interesting names or techniques affordable; its recent Damascus steel regulator being an example. Some micro-brands or one-man shops do the same for slightly less, particularly for certain decorative techniques, but without the finesse of Louis Erard. A good deal of credit for this goes to Manuel Emch, who oversees Louis Erard and lends his eye to the brand’s creations. The Gravée Main sits squarely in the sweet spot where Louis Erard excels. Admittedly, the ornate look is not for everyone, some might even find it tacky. But I like it; the look is appealing and the execution shows attention to detail. The tone-on-tone lacquered dial is a smart complement to the elaborate case. And that attention to detail is also evident in the engraving, which continues onto both the crown and buckle, which are sometimes overlooked. Price-wise the Gravée Main is pricier than the typical Louis Erard limited edition, bu...
Monochrome
Louis Erard has spent the past few years building a reputation as the brand that dares to bring métiers d’art to a broader audience. Where traditional crafts are usually reserved for expensive timepieces, Louis Erard has worked to democratise them, presenting limited series in grand feu enamel, hand-guilloché, and even wood marquetry. Each of these […]
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Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, our series of lists covering the best watches of the first half of the year comes to an end. We have reviewed the main categories over the past few weeks and will conclude our recap with our five most surprising watches of the first six months of 2025. We’ve […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Most Surprising Watches Of The First Half Of 2025 - Featuring Richard Mille, Louis Vuitton, And More to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Borna highlights 5 up-and-coming watches from makers you might not have heard from before, all gunning for LV's prestigious new prize.The post The 5 up-and-coming artisans to look out for in Louis Vuitton’s Independent Creatives Prize 2025 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
The second edition of biennial Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives is now well underway, and the 20 semi-finalists have been announced. The candidate pool is exceptionally diverse, with makers hailing from eight different countries and espousing a variety of different product philosophies. The watch prize is the brainchild of Jean Arnault, who leads Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking initiatives. A passionate supporter of independent watchmaking, Mr Arnault created the watch prize in 2023 to recognise talented watchmakers and designers and give one lucky winner a helping hand. Raúl Pagès won the first edition of the watch prize. Image – Louis Vuitton Initial thoughts I try not to put too much stock in the various prizes that are handed out in the watch industry. Many such contests suffer from a lack of participation, a problem that makes it difficult to take the results seriously. That said, it’s worth paying attention to the Louis Vuitton watch prize for a few reasons. First, it’s unusually inclusive, welcoming entrants from all over the world, ranging from journeymen watchmakers like Bernhard Zwinz and David Candaux to emergent Chinese brands like Behrens and Fam Al Hut. Second, the candidate pool is not sub-divided into arbitrary categories, meaning there’s plenty of competition to keep things interesting. Finally, the outcome is meaningful – the winner gets a €150,000 cash prize and a one-year mentorship at La Fabrique du Temps with Michel Nava...
Deployant
Louis Vuitton announces 20 semi-finalists for the 2025-2026 edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives
SJX Watches
The signature complication of Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking, the Spin Time is a jump hours with a twist that is now 16 years now. Earlier this year, the complication was given a major technical and aesthetic update with an all-new collection, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time, featuring a new case and a new movement family – both developed and produced in-house. The flagship model is the Tambour Taiko Spin Time Flying Tourbillon that combines the jumping hours with a central flying tourbillon – a logical use of the peripheral arrangement of the time display. Though the most complicated (and expensive) of the line, the Flying Tourbillon has all of the key elements of the Tambour Taiko, including the redesigned case and a new movement made by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), Louis Vuitton’s Geneva watch manufacture. Initial thoughts Whether or not you like the watches themselves, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time collection is a statement of intent by Louis Vuitton. The brand has made substantial investment in vertical integration and manufacturing, essentially watchmaking, and the Tambour Taiko line-up is proof of that. More specifically, the family of movements that underpins the Tambour Taiko illustrates the industrial-haute horlogerie capability that Louis Vuitton has developed in a relatively short period of time, the very sort of competence required to build a high-end watch brand at scale. The movements in the Tambour Taiko collection now number three, but are all part of the s...
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Worn & Wound
Many watches are designed to perform specific tasks or serve specific purposes beyond telling the time. Divers have bold markers and ratcheting bezels, pilot watches are oversized and might include a second time zone, track watches feature chronographs or tachymeters, etc, and then, there’s the Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin Time-Eaters. Featuring a giant eyeball for the hour hand, a spinning set of teeth for the seconds, and a double-sided arm that’s giving a one-finger salute, they don’t seek to fulfill a practical purpose. Instead, I’d classify them as “memento absurdum,” which is to say, objects that remind you of the absurdity, whether in life or watch collecting. If you’re thinking, “Now, wait a second, didn’t they just come out with a new Time Eater like a few days ago?” you’d be correct. A 42mm model with a navy blue chapter ring and a darker silver than previous versions, it was a handsome, if iterative, addition. But the Time-Eater is back once again, this time with a substantial change: it now has a tourbillon. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Louis Erard use a tourbillon movement, specifically the “affordable for a tourbillon” BCP T02 by Olivier Mory, which appeared on a few of their Alain Silberstein collabs. The Time-Eater Tourbillon (TET from here out) is basically a reedition of one of the first two Time-Eaters, which was initially introduced in either a 39mm case with a purple chapter ring, or a 42mm case with a green ch...
SJX Watches
Translating as “Stopovers Around the World”, Escale Autour du Monde is Louis Vuitton’s collection of unique and lavish minute repeating pocket watches. The collection now counts two watches: Escale en Amazonie that depicts the heart of the rainforest, while the just-launched Escale Au Pont-Neuf is set just outside Louis Vuttion’s headquarters in Paris. Each timepiece is unique and powered by a new, purpose-built repeating movement with automata, also known as jacquemart, tourbillon, and an eight-day power reserve. Aside from watchmaking complications, the pocket watches also boast elaborate decoration, namely enamel and hand engraving, encapsulating the many crafts and skills possessed by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the Louis Vuitton manufacture in Geneva. The LFT AU14.03 Notably, the Escale Autour du Monde is actually Louis Vuitton’s second haute horlogerie pocket watch offering. The collection follows last year’s Asnières-themed pocket watch that was actually powered by a wristwatch repeater movement. The pocket watches of Escale Autour du Monde retain the same 50 mm diameter as the Asnières but with the LFT AU14.03 calibre within was developed from the ground up as a pocket watch movement. Escale en Amazonie (left), and Escale Au Pont-Neuf Initial thoughts Usually, modern pocket watches either rely on wristwatch movements (like the Escale à Asnières from last year) or near-century-old ebauches completed in the modern day. Louis Vuitton didn’t take th...
Monochrome
The Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin Time Eater Tourbillon marks the evolution in the ongoing collaboration between the Swiss indie brand and master watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin. Building on the success of the previous “Time Eater” regulator models, part of Chaykin’s expressive Wristmons universe, the new model introduces a tourbillon with regulator display to the series […]
SJX Watches
Having collaborated on several iterations of the affordable “Time Eater” regulator, Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin now close the chapter on the model with something more complicated. The Time Eater Tourbillon Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin tells the time regulator style – retaining the trademark “eyeball” hours from the Russian independent’s Wristmon series – but inside the “mouth” is a one-minute tourbillon. At CHF19,900, the Time Eater Tourbillon is pricier than the earlier time-only models, but still relatively accessible as such things go, thanks to a no-frills, but Swiss, tourbillon movement inside. Initial thoughts I liked the original Time Eater regulator because the design captures the Konstantin Chaykin style but makes it affordable at about a fifth of the price of a Wristmon. The Time Eater Tourbillon is less affordable, but still priced a little less than a Wristmon, so it is still a value proposition. More broadly, it’s a good thing that Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin are ending the Time Eater series. After three time-only regulator launches and this tourbillon, the concept has probably reached an optimal point of just enough and not overexploited. Rolling eye whimsy The Time Eater Tourbillon will be available in two variants: a green-accented model as pictured here that’s limited to 78 pieces, and one in blue that’s limited to 28. The former will be available from Louis Erard and its retailers, while the latter will only be so...
Fratello
Let’s start with a riddle. What has one eye, one mouth, two hands, and a rebellious soul? You got it - the Le Régulateur Louis Erard × Konstantin Chaykin Time Eater III. The million-dollar question is whether humor belongs in luxury watchmaking, but when it looks good, it doesn’t matter if you think the watch […] Visit Introducing: The Le Régulateur Louis Erard × Konstantin Chaykin Time Eater III - Don’t Fight The Regulator WristMonster; Wear One! to read the full article.
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Worn & Wound
Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin, the only Russian member of the AHCI, have teamed up once again for a new batch of their hit “Time Eater” collaboration. It’s been about two years since their first collaboration, which was an immediate hit for both parties and sold out quickly. A follow up limited edition came a few months later, this one much darker in tone, both in terms of the dial and case, and also the mood of the piece- that bloodshot eye really leaves an impression. For their third release, Chaykin and Louis Erard have returned to their original idea, offering a pair of watches that fans of the original who might have missed out will likely be quite interested in taking a look at when they go on sale in a few days. The fact that this collaboration exists at all is one of the things we like most about Louis Erard as a brand. They’ve really found a niche in developing limited edition projects with interesting collaborators both in and outside of the watch industry. A watchmaker like Konstantin Chaykin, who has risen to prominence in recent years with his “Wristmons” series of watches, makes watches that are likely out of reach for most collectors. But through Louis Erard, Chaykin, along with watchmakers like Stefan Kudoke and Vianney Halter, brings his design ethos down to earth, making it approachable to enthusiasts who admire his work but would never be able to spend tens of thousands on a single piece. Together with Louis Erard, Chaykin has essentia...
Monochrome
Watchmaking is generally considered serious business. Luckily, there are more and more brands that embrace humour. Which is not to say they are not serious about their watches; far from it. Louis Erard, under the inspired leadership of Manuel Emch, is one such brand, enlisting famous designers like Alain Silberstein to enliven models with his […]
SJX Watches
Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin are closing their “Time Eater” collaboration with the final pair in the series, the Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin III Blue and Red. Retaining the familiar “cyclops” regulator dial inspired by the Russian watchmaker’s Wristmons, the new pair will be the last collaboration between the two in this format. Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin are working on future collaborations, but those will be in a different style. The blue version is 42 mm and available only from Louis Erard, while the red model is 39 mm and will be sold only by Konstantin Chaykin. The 42 mm model in blue Initial thoughts Louis Erard has done a great number of collaborations with independent watchmakers, but the Konstantin Chaykin Time Eater ranks amongst the best of them. Like the second Vianney Halter collab, the Time Eater captures the spirit of the watchmaker’s original creation while being affordable. I look forward to the next collaboration with Mr Chaykin, because I am sure it will be interesting. Admittedly the latest pair are only a cosmetic tweak on the earlier editions, but the Time Eater is still an appealing concept that’s priced right. Both versions adopts the standard Louis Erard regulator case, which makes it a little too thick, but that’s an acceptable compromise for affordability. The two are the third Time Eater project, and Louis Erard chief Manuel Emch has confirmed they will close the Time Eater regulator series. The ...
Monochrome
Following the acclaimed Carpe Diem and Opera Automata, the third chapter from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton series brings the Bushido code to life – mechanically and artistically – through a hypnotic automaton performance. With the Tambour Bushido Automata, Louis Vuitton ventures into the world of ancient Japan, remembering the discipline, honour, and artistry […]
SJX Watches
While the most valuable lot at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction will likely be the Breguet Sympathique clock no. 1, the sale also includes a few unexpected and interesting lots. One standout is the Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time “Only Watch”, a unique piece created for the Only Watch charity auction in 2019. Consigned by the original owner – who is a prominent collector whom I greatly respect – the Spin Time is a flamboyant, gem-set take on Louis Vuitton’s signature complication. The centrepiece is a miniature enamel dial by Anita Porchet depicting a motif inspired by tattoo art. This unique Spin Time originally sold for CHF280,000 at Only Watch 2019. Now carrying an estimate of CHF40,000-80,000, the watch will go on the block at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction taking place on May 10, 2025. Initial thoughts I was a fan of this Spin Time when it was first revealed in 2019. In fact, I bid on it at Only Watch, but I was laughably uncompetitive and far from the CHF280,000 hammer. In contrast to the latest generation of Spin Time that is both refined and discreet, this watch is over the top and I like it because of that. The aesthetic is a lot, maybe too much, but it works. Most importantly, the watch is not just about extravagant styling. The dial is the work of Anita Porchet herself, combining both miniature painting and champleve. Certainly the motif is not for everyone, but the quality of craft is unmistakeable. A rose among the thorns This unique Spin Time...
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Time+Tide
In these past seven days, we’ve seen a focus on high watchmaking from both independents and big brands alike.The post New releases from Louis Vuitton, Hanhart, Massena LAB x Raúl Pagès and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Regarding watchmaking, Louis Vuitton is best known for its Tambour models. These integrated bracelet models were reinvented in 2023 and capitalized on the 2011 purchase of La Fabrique du Temps. While some hardcore watch fans have taken time to accept the brand as a watchmaker, it’s becoming harder to ignore the products. Now, Louis Vuitton […] Visit Introducing: Louis Vuitton High Watchmaking Novelties to read the full article.
SJX Watches
After voyages through the cultures of Europe, China, and Japan, Louis Vuitton sets course beyond the terrestrial realm. The Tambour Taiko Galactique is a minute repeater with automata depicting an astronaut on the Moon. With its newest creation, Louis Vuitton once again marries artisanal decoration with high-end mechanics – all accomplished in-house at its manufacture in Geneva, La Fabrique du Temps (LFT). Initial thoughts For several years now, Louis Vuitton has endeavoured to preserve and perpetuate traditional watchmaking and related crafts. From the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives to its collaborations with independent watchmakers, and the massive, nine-figure investment in its Geneva manufactures and the vertical integration of metiers d’art, Louis Vuitton is a large luxury brand, the world’s biggest in fact, but still remains in touch with artisanal horology. The latest launch from the French marque is a minute repeater that defies traditional dogma. With the Galactique, Louis Vuitton pays tribute to both the space age and classic watchmaking by dressing an otherwise traditional complication in a space-themed attire. It is literally a “Moonwatch”, but of another type. The lunar-centric watch is appealing, a little whimsical, and well-executed, with consistent design choices unifying the case and dial. The only decidedly classic element is the movement that is visible through the case back. An artful dial The centrepiece of the Gala...
Time+Tide
The calm after the storm: that’s how I would describe the state of the week... Although there were plenty of big watch releases!The post New releases from Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, Louis Moinet and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Independent watchmakers can apply for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize until April 15th. It will be the second edition of this competition that takes place every other year. For the last edition, more than 1,000 artisans submitted their creative projects. In the end, the jury selected the Régulateur à Détente RP1 watch from the Swiss […] Visit Only A Few Days Left To Apply For The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize to read the full article.
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