Created in 2002, the Tambour marked Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking debut. Numerous variations have since been released for both men and women, all while retaining its distinctive features. Now widely considered an icon, it is an ambassador for Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking prowess. Fifteen years after its creation the Tambour has not been replaced, but celebrated through a new version that respects its essence: the Tambour Moon.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon
This new expression of the Tambour for men and women adheres to the aesthetic codes that made the original such a resounding success: a beautifully rounded case recalling the shape of a drum, applied horns to preserve the perfect circle of the case, the twelve Louis Vuitton letters engraved on the edge, a clever play on light and reflections, and the singular shape of the case that widens at its base so that it can sit comfortably on the wrist.
“I asked our designers to create a new Tambour Collection to celebrate its 15th anniversary,” explained Hamdi Chatti, CEO Louis Vuitton Watches and Jewelry. “The case is still a perfect circle, with no lugs or steps on the watch’s silhouette, but the profile of the case has changed from convex to concave, which gives it a slimmer look while keeping the beauty of the original design,” he notes.
All the previous convex references remain in the collection, with the addition of several stunning new Tambour Moon concave references for both men and women.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon
One of the timepieces debuting the new collection is the Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon “Poinçon de Genève” – a new Haute Horlogerie creation showcasing a skeletonized tourbillon movement certified with the prestigious Poinçon de Genève. The flying tourbillon has a delicately open-worked carriage, giving the impression of extreme lightness.
The women’s collection comprises a 28mm Moon Star Second model, with a stainless-steel case and a choice of black or while dials, as well as 35mm and 39.5mm Moon Star Chronograph models, also in stainless steel, with or without mother-of-pearl and diamonds. All the women’s models are powered by a quartz movement and feature the Louis Vuitton monogram as their small seconds hand at 6 o’clock.
The men’s models, on the other hand, are all powered by self-winding mechanical calibres. Naturally, for a brand inspired by travel, the Tambour Moon comes with a GMT complication housed in a 41.5mm case in stainless steel or two-tone stainless steel and rose gold. Here too, the choice of dials is classic, with black and silver versions available with a sand-blasted matte finish and a contrasting GMT scale with an oversized yellow “V” as the indicator for the second time zone. A chronograph version is also available with a 44mm diameter stainless-steel case and a matte finished black dial.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon
