Element Of Surprise

At Louis Vuitton, high watchmaking isn’t complete without a touch of creativity.

- Celine Yap

In addition to the many fun, trendy fashion accessories that have become a huge hit with the legion of Louis Vuitton fans, the French maison has also come into its own with Haute Horlogerie – a market segment that is a notoriously ‘tough nut to crack’. To some extent, this can be attributed to its 2012 acquisition of La Fabrique du Temps.

Formerly situated in La Chaux-de-Fonds – and resident in Geneva since 2014 – La Fabrique du Temps lent its watchmaking finesse to the brand, and enabled it to establish itself as a legitimate player in the world of Haute Horlogerie.

Combinations of terms such as ‘flying tourbillon’, ‘minute repeater’ and ‘world timer’ are now regularly bandied about in Louis Vuitton’s high watchmaking lexicon.

But at this point in the Haute Horlogerie game, Louis Vuitton couldn’t simply create a very complicated watch and call it a day. Not even if the complicated watch in question featured multiple high complications, and not even if it was superbly finished.

As a fashion house, it has to work extra hard to prove its mettle, and the Louis Vuitton difference comes from within. This is why you always see a distinctive Parisian flair in all of its timepieces, from the smallest trinkets to the horological heavyweights. Travel is a beloved theme at the house, but the spirit of exploration and adventure, and the thrill of discovering something new, is even more so.