Time After Time

LOUIS VUITTON CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF THE TAMBOUR WITH A NEW LIMITED EDITION MODEL AND A NEW AMBASSADOR ACTOR AND DIRECTOR BRADLEY COOPER

- RENEE BATCHELOR

In the world of watches, numbers matter. Whether it's the choice of Roman or Arabic numerals on the dial, the diameter of a watch that seems to wax and wane with the trends, and even the number of hours of battery reserve there are numbers are among the fundamental drivers of what makes a timepiece look, feel and work the way it does. Another important number for any watchmaker? The anniversary of its founding date or the birth of a key model.

It has been 34 years since Louis Vuitton first renowned as a trunk-maker and then a luxury fashion house - started making watches. Its initial reference, the Louis Vuitton LVI, featured a quartz movement exclusively developed by IWC and included a retrograde date, moon phases and 24 time zones. In 2002, the brand made its first serious foray into watchmaking by founding a department dedicated to it. It was also the year that Louis Vuitton introduced the Tambour - a drum-shaped watch that has remained one of the key timepieces of the house. With its recognisable round case sculpted from a block of metal along with its signature applied horns, a new watch icon was born.