The incredible world of Louis Vuitton’s new high horology creations: From Amazon rainforest to outer space

Louis Vuitton may be best known as a trunkmaker and global fashion powerhouse, but in the past two decades it has also built one of the most respected high watchmaking arms in Switzerland. Since the launch of its first Tambour in 2002, the maison has invested heavily in La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, a fully integrated Geneva manufacture where cases, movements, and dials are crafted in-house.

What differentiates Louis Vuitton in high-end watchmaking is its audacity. Rather than simply following centuries-old traditions, the brand fuses technical mastery with its own storytelling heritage — the Art of Travel.

Iconic lines such as the Tambour, Escale, and Voyager have become vehicles for creative expression, while its collaborations with master artisans and independent watchmakers have further cemented its credibility.

Most recently, Louis Vuitton presents four extraordinary new creations, each an ode to craftsmanship, artistry, and adventure. From a rainforest scene and the Parisian landscape to a cosmic voyage and a collaboration with Kari Voutilainen, these watches prove why the maison is now a contender in high horology.

LVKV-02 GMR 6 – Louis Vuitton x Kari Voutilainen

Few collaborations in watchmaking carry as much gravitas as when a powerhouse like Louis Vuitton joins forces with an independent legend. The LVKV-02 GMR 6 is the second partnership between the maison and Finnish master Kari Voutilainen, whose atelier is revered for its uncompromising handcraft.

This travel-inspired timepiece is housed in a 40.5mm Escale case fashioned from tantalum with platinum accents, each surface satin-finished and polished by hand to perfection. Even the lugs — evocative of the riveted corners of Vuitton’s historic trunks — require an hour each to complete.

Hand-guilloche in Voutilainen’s workshop on 18th-century machines, the dial references the Damier checkerboard motif, while its hour circle is rendered in 28 colours — through a process requiring 32 hours and multiple firings —by artisans at Louis Vuitton’s Fabrique des Arts workshop. A day-night disc, engraved and enamelled in saffron and blue, celebrates Vuitton’s monogram flowers and its legacy of travel.

Beneath this artistry beats the hand-wound GMR 6 calibre, built and finished entirely at Voutilainen’s atelier. With dual escapement wheels providing direct impulse to the balance, a Grossmann inner curve to the hairspring, and a retrograde power reserve, the movement is as technically sophisticated as it is beautiful. Each of the five watches will be delivered in a bespoke hand-painted trunk from Vuitton’s historic Asnieres home.

Escale en Amazonie Pocket Watch

Louis Vuitton’s first dedicated pocket watch collection, Escales Autour du Monde, debuts with the breathtaking Escale en Amazonie. This one-of-a-kind creation plunges into the lush landscapes of the Amazon rainforest, transforming the dial into a miniature moving tableau.

When the slide is activated, a wooden canoe stacked with Vuitton trunks glides across the scene, trunks opening to reveal monogram flowers while parrots flutter, a monkey peers from foliage, and a snake slithers sensuously. In total, seven animations and 15 moving elements bring the rainforest alive, overseen by a gold rose compass spinning at 12 o’clock.

Bas-relief engraving on wafer-thin gold layers brings lifelike detail to animals and plants, while paillonne and miniature enamelling produce depth and brilliance across the landscape. The waterfall on the dial alone required nuanced enamel work to capture blur and flow. Even the sapphire glass is enamelled — a first for Louis Vuitton — with miniature foliage to heighten dimensionality.

Powering this theatre is the manual-winding LFT AU14.03 calibre, the most complex movement the maison has ever created. With 555 components, a tourbillon, a minute repeater, and eight days of power reserve, it exemplifies Vuitton’s horological ambitions. The 50mm case, in engraved white gold with a gem-set bezel of 60 stones, further anchors this masterpiece as one of the year’s most daring feats.

Escale au Pont-Neuf Pocket Watch

The second chapter of the Escales Autour du Monde takes us home to the City of Lights. This 50mm Escale au Pont-Neuf pocket watch pays tribute to the maison’s headquarters on the right bank of Paris’ oldest bridge. Against an autumnal backdrop, the dial stages the city, featuring the Pont-Neuf bridge, the Samaritaine building, and a barge transporting Vuitton trunks across the Seine.

Activate the automaton, and 13 elements come alive: The barge sails, trunks open to reveal monogram flowers, sparrows twitch on branches, a compass spins, and flags wave. The scene is framed by a bezel set with baguette-cut sapphires, tsavorites, tourmalines, and diamonds totalling 3.85 carats.

Again, the LFT AU14.03 calibre is the beating heart, here boasting 561 components. Its minute repeater chimes with cathedral clarity, while bevelling across 630 inner angles demonstrates peerless hand-finishing. Every screw, bridge, and wheel is polished and engraved, many taking days or weeks per part. In fact, more than 1,000 hours went into its creation.

What distinguishes the Escale au Pont-Neuf is that it is not only a technical triumph, but a poetic homage to Vuitton’s origins. To accompany the piece, Vuitton has crafted a matching saffron-hued doctor’s bag inspired by a 1906 design, alongside a bespoke trunk.

Tambour Taiko Galactique

The maison’s flagship Tambour line is reimagined for a cosmic journey in the Tambour Taiko Galactique. This spectacular minute repeater with cathedral gongs and automata transports wearers from earth to moon, combining horological prowess with celestial artistry.

On the dial, an astronaut plants a saffron Vuitton flag on lunar soil as satellites, solar panels, shooting stars, and the sun itself animate in synchronised motion. Each element has been sculpted and engraved by hand, with four enamel techniques — paillonne, cloisonne, miniature, and grisaille — employed to create depth and vibrancy.

The earth appears in layers of green, blue, and white enamels, while the moon’s chiaroscuro (contrasting light and shadow) surface is realised through grisaille. Even the astronaut’s monogram flowers are hand-painted in miniature enamel.

The LFT AU14.02 calibre inside comprises 459 components and offers 100 hours of power reserve. Its automata, activated by a slide set with blue sapphires and topazes, synchronise with the cathedral gong chime for an immersive spectacle.

The 46.7mm titanium and white gold case — futuristic with hollowed lugs and a crown at 12 o’clock — underscores Vuitton’s bold aesthetic. A blue rubber strap embossed with LV motifs ties this narrative to the house’s contemporary design language