Louis Vuitton : A GMT marching to the beat of its own Tambour !

Tambour éVolution

Case : steel with bezel and crown insert in Black MMC, also available with 18K pink gold bezel, lugs, crown and pushers in a GMT chronograph day/night version Diameter : 43 mm (GMT, day/date) 45 mm (GMT chronograph, day/date) Movement : mechanical self-winding (42h power reserve, Calibre LV71 and LV92 in chronograph version),  LV-signed oscillating weight visible through the sapphire case-back Functions : hours,  minutes, seconds, GMT day/night, GMT chronograph day/night Dial : black, multi-layered with three concentric decorative techniques Water resistance : 100m Bracelet : steel

As Louis Vuitton prepares to celebrate its 160th  anniversary next year, 2013 is already brimming with symbolism for the brand with the famous monogram. The summer will see the brand colours sailed in the Louis Vuitton Cup held in July, followed in September by the America’s Cup of which it is the official timekeeper.  This spring already, Louis Vuitton is unveiling the brand-new Tambour, the Tambour éVolution, of which the now two-tone case and taut lines incorporate a new crown. The travelling DNA of the cult luggage maker is reflected in the bright red hand indicating the second time zone on the GMT version, while the Tambour éVolution also naturally comes in a GMT version enriched with a chronograph function. Both self-winding and available in steel or pink gold, they feature several standout characteristics, of which the most visible are the black dial and the bracelet. The Tambour éVolution model is indeed the first Louis Vuitton watch to be available exclusively on a metal bracelet. Those accustomed to the distinctive shape of the case will note the use of black MMC stemming from the world of Formula 1 motor-racing and the space industry. This high-tech composite delivers extreme resistance and lightness, whether for the case in a pink gold version or the bezel in the steel version. Finally, the tradition eight-sided crown of the Tambour has been transformed into a resolutely more ergonomic screw-locked nine-ribbed crown bearing the V for Vuitton, and for victory. Beneath the dial featuring three concentric snailed, satin-brushed and matt opaline treatments, a self-winding Manufacture calibre displays its oscillating weight cut out to form the Monogram motif and revealed through the sapphire back of the case that is water-resistant to 100 metres. Anyone hesitating between the GMT function only or the chronograph/GMT combo may decide to base their decision on size, since the latter boasts a generous 45 mm compared with 43 mm for the former.


Brice Lechevalier is editor-in-chief of GMT and Skippers, which he co-founded in 2000 and 2001 respectively. He has also been CEO of WorldTempus since it joined the GMT Publishing stable, of which he is director and joint shareholder. In 2012 he created the Geneva Watch Tour, and he has been an advisor to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève since 2011. Also closely involved in sailing, he has published the magazine of the Société Nautique de Genève since 2003, and was one of the founders of the SUI Sailing Awards in 2009 and the Concours d’Elégance for motor boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2015.

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