DRUMMING UP HYPE

Louis Vuitton’s refreshed watchmaking division has been making waves for all the right reasons and their latest collaboration is another step in the right direction.

- DANIEL GOH

Ever since Jean Arnault grabbed the reins of Louis Vuitton's watchmaking division back in 2021, he has been steadily marching to the beat of his own drum. Despite his age, being only 25 and the youngest son of Bernard Arnault, he has still managed to overhaul the brand's direction and is now poised to assert itself in a space that has long been ultra-competitive. With the launch of the new Tambour earlier this year, many in the watch enthusiast community have now started to perk up, and like meerkats on a savanna plain, turned their heads towards Louis Vuitton's direction.

It is not a fluke if that's what you're thinking. Under the young Mr Arnault's leadership, Louis Vuitton is committed to not just competing in the serious watchmaking space but also dedicating resources to help it grow. Their newly launched Louis Vuitton Watch Prize celebrates creative talent and hopes to nurture future generations of watchmakers, and even has a jury comprised of some notable names in the watch industry including Micheal Tay, Auro Montanari, and Rexhep Rexhepi.

Jean Arnault is slowly assembling all the building blocks Louis Vuitton needs as a foundation if they want to seriously compete for attention in the watch enthusiast space. Having a great product and a fantastic brand philosophy is one thing, but one of the most precious commodities within this community is respect. To that end, Louis Vuitton is choosing to work with renowned independent watchmakers producing a series of collaborative timepieces. Which brings us to this watch. Two years ago, you wouldn't even mention these two names in the same sentence, and yet Louis Vuitton and Rexhep Rexhepi have come together to create a fantastically intriguing timepiece, the LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie.