Introducing Three Special Additions To Louis Vuitton’s Tambour collection

The Louis Vuitton Tambour collection debuted in 2002, marking the French luxury house's most significant foray into watchmaking. Unlike many fashion brands that merely stamped their logos on off-the-shelf designs, Louis Vuitton took a serious horological approach, acquiring La Fabrique du Temps in 2011, a move that granted them in-house capabilities for advanced movements. The name Tambour, meaning "drum" in French, reflects the case’s distinctive shape, which is thicker at the base and tapers toward the dial, giving it a unique, sculptural presence on the wrist. This design defined the watch until its 2023 redesign, which introduced a sporty integrated bracelet.

At first, skeptics dismissed Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking ambitions, but the Tambour collection quickly gained respect. Over the years, it has evolved into a serious contender in haute horology, with models featuring advanced complications, such as the Tambour Taiko Spin Time, which debuted during the brand’s first appearance at LVMH Watch Week. The latest additions to the collection are the Tambour Ceramic, Tambour Platinum Rainbow, and Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx, offering a bold mix of materials, craftsmanship, and intricate detailing.

The three new Tambour models share the same core design principles but are distinguished by their case materials. The Tambour Ceramic is made from brown ceramic and paired with 18K pink gold accents. In contrast, the Tambour Platinum Rainbow is crafted from platinum, while the Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx uses 18K yellow gold for the case with a dial made from 15 separate slices of Brazilian onyx.

While all three models share the same 40mm case diameter, the overall feel of each is quite different due to the materials used. Platinum is the heaviest and most difficult to work with, while ceramic offers a lightweight yet highly scratch-resistant alternative, and gold sits in between. The dimensions remain consistent, measuring just 8.3mm in thickness, maintaining a sleek and elegant profile. The Tambour Platinum Rainbow goes a step further, featuring 48 inset rainbow-colored stones on the bezel, including sapphires and rubies. The Yellow Gold variant features 48 baguette-cut orange sapphires.

Each model features a unique dial that aligns with its overall theme. The Tambour Ceramic sports a brown dial with 18K pink gold hands, numerals, and indices filled with Super-LumiNova for enhanced visibility. The Tambour Platinum Rainbow features an opaline dial adorned with 11 baguette-cut stones that serve as the hour markers. These gemstones transition through a spectrum of colors, ensuring a vivid visual impact. Meanwhile, the Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx boasts a multi-part dial made from hand-shaped Brazilian onyx, paired with 11 orange sapphire indices. Each model features a time-only display with central hours and minutes, with small seconds.

While the materials and dial designs set these watches apart, they share the same high-performance movement: the in-house Louis Vuitton LFT023.01. This automatic caliber operates at a frequency of 28,800 vph (4 Hz) and is equipped with a 22K gold micro-rotor. It offers a 50-hour power reserve and boasts chronometer certification from the Geneva Chronometric Observatory, ensuring precision within +6/-4 seconds per day.

Each watch comes with a sporty integrated bracelet made from a material that matches the case. While not numbered, the Tambour Ceramic is produced in limited quantities. The Tambour Platinum Rainbow, however, is officially limited to just 50 pieces, and the Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx is also exclusive, with only 30 pieces available.

The Tambour Ceramic is priced at €75,000, approximately AED 288,300, the Tambour Platinum Rainbow is priced at €150,000 approximately AED 576,600, and the Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx is priced at €130,000 approximately AED 499,700.

For more information, you can visit Louis Vuitton’s official website.