Nearly two decades have passed since the invention of Louis Vuitton’s Tambour timepiece, a modern classic with a design rooted in the House’s DNA.
This year, the Tambour Curve and the new Tambour Moon Dual Time opened new chapters with masterful pieces.
The Tambour Curve Flying Tourbillon Poincon de Geneve watch’s case is made of titanium and Carbostratum, a high-tech material composed of over 100 layers of carbon and developed exclusively for Louis Vuitton.
With a stretched and elongated shape, its convex surface is attached to the caseband whose continuous curve blends perfectly into the applied horns which fit to an integrated strap, either in rubber or mixed media rubber and alligator.
The Tambour Moon Dual Time combines aesthetic sophistication with attractive functions, and is a new model for both men and women which presents multiple innovations.
A sporty green offering
A fresh release, the brand presents a new version of the emblematic watch in the form of the Tambour Damier Graphite Race, which represents the ideal combination of sport and style.
With graphic lines set against a dial featuring the iconic, masculine Damier canvas check, featured against the depth of black is an an eye-catching reinterpretation of the Gaston V signature in an energetic hue of green.
The watch comes in two versions: the first with hours and minutes, and the second version which includes a chronograph.
In 2002, the Tambour made its debut in the world of watches, marking the beginning of an adventure which would turn into a true saga.
Unique and recognisable, the Tambour was a whole new type of watch shape, drawing inspiration from the drum, which is what Tambour means in French.
Inspired by the instrument’s singular shape, the watch tells time like the percussion sets the tempo of music.
Sculpted from a block of metal, the case was round but also generous and sturdy, while its caseback, adorned with the original Monogram pattern, was slightly larger than the bezel.
The 12 letters of the Louis Vuitton name were engraved on the edge of the case matching up with the index and digits that brought to life a brown dial, which is a tribute to the iconic Monogram canvas.
Clever construction
In addition to its visual appeal, the Tambour watch features inner workings worthy of traditional Swiss know-how.
Innovative complications came one after another, including a Tambour featuring “Worldtime” to simultaneously display the time in all 24 time zones, culminating in the holy grail of timepieces: a minute repeater and the unveiling of the first Louis Vuitton movement equipped with a tourbillon escapement.
The Tambour Spin Time also offers an exclusive complication, with a new way to tell the time.
Instead of a central hand, the Spin Time uses rotating cubes which spin around in place, instantly and independently.
Other iconic watches include the Tambour Diving watch, the Tambour LV Cup, the Lovely Cup, the Tambour Bijou, which has since evolved alongside its masculine counterparts, and a jewellery version, the Tambour Bijou Secret.
A unique feature of the Tambour Bijou Secret is a dial embellished with a pointed petal Monogram flower, which can be hidden or revealed behind the decorative cover featuring a round Monogram flower.
A fresh identity
Rooted in creativity, the Tambour watch revealed its new identity in 2013 with the Tambour Slim, which featured a pared down and inverted shape while keeping perfectly in line with the original design.
The drum was reversed so that the bezel was slightly larger than the caseback, and to make room for a large opening, lighter material was used.
The watch dials were crafted with meticulous attention to detail from mother-of-pearl, engraved and bearing diamond indices, not to mention extraordinary mechanics including a diamond-surrounded tourbillon carriage.
A separate collection also available in miniature version, the Tambour Slim Bijou was barely 21mm in diameter with straps recalling the leather goods designed by the brand’s artistic director of women’s collections Nicolas Ghesquière.
In 2017, the Tambour took on a new identity as Tambour Moon, with a bold decision to chance its shape yet again.
While the case remained characteristically round, the curve of its caseband was reversed. Still held by the essential applied horns, this time it had a unique inward curve, giving the watch a new crescent-shaped profile.
The Tambour Moon automatically multiplied, with a smartwatch version for men and women, known as Horizon, offering a connected experience, while the exclusive version transformed into a grand complication with the Mystérieuse Flying Tourbillon.
With mechanics that seem to float in mid-air, it offered an optical illusion with, for the first time in watchmaking history, an entire movement suspended using ingeniously superimposed sapphire discs, for a fascinating trompe l’oeil.
The Tambour is indeed a watch that connoisseurs will love and the new versions are certainly eye-catching and will captivate timepiece lovers everywhere.
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