Dive Deep

Word on the street is Louis Vuitton is carving its own path in the world of watchmaking, and on its own terms, with the Tambour Street Diver

- Jonathan Ho

LOUIS VUITTON IS RARELY QUIET. It has been wont to make big splashes when it comes to high fashion. Yet ironically, despite the name of its iconic collection of drum-shaped Tambour timepieces, the Maison has been especially content to march quietly to its own beat. That is until it took a recent plunge with a new line of colorful sporty dive watches.

If there’s a luxury house in the world that truly understands the importance of provenance, Louis Vuitton would be it. Having built its reputation on a foundation of the world’s best-made and most functional travel trunks, it has since parlayed that legitimacy to become a leading French luxury goods emporium. Hence, it would not be incorrect to surmise, that while not many would associate Louis Vuitton with high-end mechanical wristwatches, the Maison would indeed take its time, as it did with trunks centuries ago, with watchmaking, working carefully and steadfastly to establish its credibility.

Therefore, it was with little surprise that then vice president of watches and jewelry at LV, Hamdi Chatti turned to Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas, two renowned independent watchmakers with a flair for developing complications, eventually acquiring the pair’s specialist La Fabrique du Temps atelier in 2012.

From High Fashion To High Watchmaking