Louis Vuitton’s Tambour, the brand’s first-ever watch and a GMT, was first released in 2002 and made an impact with its drum-like case. The Parisian luxury brand has now unveiled the latest model in the line, this time with sleeker aesthetics and two distinguishing characteristics - a new automatic movement and an integrated bracelet. There are two timepieces - one with a silver-grey dial (Tambour W1ST10) and the other with a deep blue-toned dial (Tambour W1ST20). With the new launch, the luxury house has also retired 80% of its current product lineup. The move aims to upscale the products to be unveiled by the brand in the near future. 

The 40mm unisex stainless steel watch features a tone-on-tone profile and an 8.3mm slim case. Complementing the case is the sandblasted bezel which has polished rims and bears the raised and polished letters of the brand’s name. The twelve letters of ‘LOUIS VUITTON’ are placed in line with the twelve-hour markers. Tambour’s hallmark is also present on the bezel. Much like the case, the crown at 3 o’clock is also drum-shaped and polished, and also fluted for a better grip. 

The three-dimensional dial of the watch is capped by a sapphire crystal and comes alive when light reflects off it. At the circumference is the sandblasted outer chapter ring displaying the minutes and then the sandblasted inner chapter ring with alternate baton and Arabic hour markers. At 6 o’clock lies a snailed small seconds subdial and 12 o’clock bears the “LOUIS VUITTON PARIS” logo. The centre of the dial is brushed, which holds the open-worked, tapered-baton hands - these and the hour markers are crafted in white gold. Super-LumiNova® is applied on hands and indices for visibility in the dark. 

Driving the watches is the new and beautifully designed LFT023 calibre which can be seen through the sapphire caseback. The chronometer is certified by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory. The movement’s micro-rotor is crafted with 22K rose gold and beats at a frequency of 4Hz. The power reserve is about 50 hours. This movement for the new Louis Vuitton Tambour is designed by the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, where the brand’s most-skilled artisans work together.

Keeping with its slim aesthetics, the integrated bracelet of the watch, as well as the caseback, is curved to conform to the wearer’s wrist for a comfortable fit. The links are convex from the top and the underside to run smooth against the skin. The triple-blade folding buckle can be found where the polished central link is absent and the end link where LOUIS VUITTON is engraved. The watch is also water-resistant to 50 metres.

The watches will be available to buy from September 2023 and will be priced starting at approx. ₹18,00,000.