Louis Vuitton continues to develop its iconic “Tambour” design with the addition of this new ultra high-end model, the Tambour Minute Repeater.  It’s no secret that I am a fan of the Louis Vuitton Tambour watches, and my take on this model is that by adding a complication as exclusive as a minute repeater to the Tambour lineup, Louis Vuitton sends its strongest message yet as to its desire to be appreciated not just for its fine luggage and luxury accessories.   Production by special order only.

LV Look-back: Tambour Spin Time, Tambour Diver, Voyagez Tambour Chronograph, Tambour Diver for ONLY WATCH 2011)

Louis Vuitton Tambour Minute Repeater

44mm white/pink/yellow gold case, manual wind mechanical Louis Vuitton Caliber 178, smoked sapphire crystal displays (front and back)

Continuing my previews of the ONLY WATCH 2011 Charity auction (see them all here), here’s Louis Vuitton’s contribution:  the “Tambour Diver Chronograph.”  For the third consecutive ONLY WATCH event (2007, 2009 and now 2011), Louis Vuitton has enlisted the support and inspiration of young Paul Pettavino, a young boy afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  The watch comes in a custom Louis Vuitton Trunk with “Damier Graphite” style canvas, personalized by Paul Pettavino with a message and a nautical sound record realized by Paul Pettavino.  Pretty cool looking dive watch!

FLASHBACK:  Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time for Only Watch 09

Louis Vuitton Tambour Dive Watch for ONLY WATCH 2011

Unique Piece

44mm black PVD-coated white gold case, automatic column wheel chronograph movement, 100 meter water resistance, on orange rubber strap

dial close up:

note the “L O U I S V U I T T O N” lettering around the outer edge of the case

“Only Watch” is a biennial charity auction of one-of-a-kind watches created by many of the most renowned watch brands in Switzerland.  This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II.   All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research which is why many of these watches go extraordinarily high prices.

Starting today Perpetuelle will begin its coverage of Only Watch 2011.  Stay tuned in because over the next few months, you will get to see awesome “piece unique” watches from each of the participating brands for the 2011 event:

Click through to see our in-depth preview of each watch:

• Harry Winston Midnight GMT Tourbillon
• Patek Philippe Ref 3939A Minute Repeater
• Urwerk UR-103 “Phoenix”
• Romain Jerome “Rock the Rock”
• Hublot Oceanographic 4000m dive watch
• MB&F HM-4 “Flying Panda”
• TAG Heuer “Monaco Mikrograph”
• Bell & Ross Pink Gold “Casino”
• Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver Chronograph
• Blancpain Villeret Grand Decoration
• Piaget Altiplano Skeleton
• Breguet Reveil Musical Watch
• Audemars Piguet Gstaad Classic
• Jaquet Droz Petit Heure Minute
• Van Cleef & Arpel “From the Earth to the Moon” Watch
• Girard-Perregaux ww.TC
• Corum Golden Bridge Automatic Titanium
  
• Vulcain Anniversary Heart Watch
• Chanel J12 Marine Watch
• Franck Muller “Totally Switzerland”
• Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo
• Vacheron Constantin “Dove” Watch (M.C. Escher-inspired)
  
• Zenith El Primero “Destro” watches
• Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph
• Ikepod Red Hourglass by Marc Newson
• Bovet Fleurier, Celsius, Chaumet, Chopard, De Bethune, Delacour, De Witt, Frédérique Constant, Hermès, Laurent Ferrier, Maurice Lacroix, Richard Mille
  

Only Watch 2011 will be held September 24, 2011 and managed by watch auction house Antiquorum.  But you don’t have to wait this long — because part of the excitement leading up to the September 24, 2011 event is the release of each participating brand’s special edition watch.

ONLY WATCH 2009

If you are interested in looking back, I covered the Only Watch 2009 auction extensively including blogging about several of my favorites inlcluding:  Piaget Emperador Coussin, MB&F Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau Jump Hour, Louis Vuitton Tambour, Chanel J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain 500 Fathoms.   You can see all 34 “Only Watch 2009″ watches here on the Perpeuelle World Watch Forum.  The Only Watch 2009 auction was hosted by Patrizzi & Co.

Haute couture or haute horlogerie?

I’m no Fashionista, but what can I say, I’m a fan of Louis Vuitton’s Tambour watches.  The design is very unique, and even though the Louis Vuitton fashion influence is strong, their watches are more than just a fancy case around a cheap movement (a la Gucci watches, for example).  The Tambour’s modicum of eccentricity is what I like most.  This particular model is a straight-3 chrono with tachymeter and date function.  Price – about $6,000, it will be available June 2011.   What about you?  Is this just another overpriced fashion watch, or do you also have some appreciation for Louis Vuitton’s timepieces?

Louis Vuitton Voyagez Tambour Chronograph Watch

44mm steel case, 3-dial chronograph + date function, carbon fiber strap

News from Dubai…

This new Tambour diver from Louis Vuitton will hit Louis Vuitton boutiques in January 2011.  A refresh of a model first introduced in 2005, the watch comes in a few combinations:  steel case/black dial (men’s 44mm and women’s 39.5mm sizes), steel case/blue dial, and a limited edition pink gold case/blue dial/red bezel.  The more discerning eye may appreciate the skeletonized hour and minutes hands, as well as the “dive flag” motif for the small seconds subdial at the 6 o’clock position.  There is also a unidirection bezel which is set with “LOUIS VUITTON” letters in rubber to make for easier grasping of the bezel — if you look closely you can see this in the photo below.

Louis Vuitton Tambour Diving II

44mm/39.5mm steel or red gold case, unidirection rotating bezel, “L O U I S V U I T T O N” rubber bezel markers, 300m water resistance (100m for the 39.5mm case), rubber strap

The full lineup:

Kinda cool…

This is the new “Spin Time” from Louis Vuitton.  Before you scoff at the “Louis Vuitton” label let me tell you that this watch has a cool way of telling time that deserves a look.   The Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time watches have no hour hands.  Instead they use a system of rotating cubes.  That is, at any given hour, 11 of the 12 cubes are “blank” and one cube shows you what hour it is.

Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time

44mm white gold case — price: $47,000

Upon seeing this watch I immediately thought of another watch with no hour hands — Frederic Jounvenot’s “Helios”.  Though not identical, the ideas behind these two watches are similar — both rely on a system of “rotating” hour markers.   I wrote about Jouvenot’s Helios back in March — you should click through and watch the 30-second video about the Helios and you will see what I mean by similar and see if you agree.  Urwerk and others also utilize the concept of a “rotating” hour or minute marker in some of their watches as well.

One drawback I see with this watch is its price — $47,000.  Ouch! There is also a  39.5mm white gold women’s version — with diamonds, of course — priced at $74,500.  Double Ouch!  I could buy a nice Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet for these prices. Even so,  it remains a given that the Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time is an interesting and unique way of keeping time, which is why I show it to you today!

Louis Vuitton Again Teams Up With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Afflicted Youth

Below is Louis Vuitton’s unique piece for Only Watch 2009.  Although I am not much a fan of the “fashion watch” segment, this is a special watch for a special event, and it has the input and influence of a very special person – so I think it is more than appropriate to give this watch some accolades.

Unlike other manufactuers whose effort for Only Watch 2009 has been subject of some criticism, it is undisputable that Louis Vuitton’s watch has real meaning in relation to the cause of the event – Louis Vuitton’s special collaborator is Paul Pettavino, a young boy afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (pictured below).  Paul Pettavino also contributed to Louis Vuitton’s Only Watch piece for Only Watch 2007.

As for the watch, the neat and unique thing about this watch, which you can see below, is that instead of having hands for the hours the watch has cubes that turn at every hour position – so as you see the watch below it is showing the time “10:10.”  There is also a second time zone, or GMT, function.

Two thumbs up to Paul Pettavino and the Louis Vuitton watch design team!

Pictured:  Benoît-Louis Vuitton and Jean-Philippe Martin of Louis Vuitton with Paul Pettavino in 2007

Photo source:  Antiquorum.