Louis Vuitton Brand
Louis Vuitton Introduces Its New Tambour Taiko Spin Time Watch
Luxferity, 22.01.2025
A Horological Icon
A complication unique to Louis Vuitton, the Spin Time is synonymous with the Maison. The three-dimensional, dynamic display has been part of Louis Vuitton’s Haute Horlogerie collection since 2009, when the avant-garde time display became the first movement developed by La Fabrique du Temps for Louis Vuitton. The ingenious jumping hours display was devised by La Fabrique du Temps founders Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, who were inspired by the flap displays of airports and train stations.
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With the complication having established itself as an iconic pillar of Louis Vuitton watchmaking, the Maison now debuts the Tambour Taiko Spin Time, an entirely new collection of watches – all limited editions – developed from the ground up to carry the complication into its next generation. In a first for the complication, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time collection is entirely powered by in-house movements developed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton expressly for the collection.
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A return to the origins
The concept of the Spin Time emerged in 2007 from the talented minds of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, veteran watchmakers who founded La Fabrique du Temps as a specialist in complicated movements. Having cumulatively spent decades at some of the most prestigious watchmakers in Switzerland, the pair were well versed in classical Haute Horlogerie. But Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini were also looking to innovate and invent in order to enrich their vision of watchmaking.
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Inspired by the overhead flap displays that show timetables in airports and railway stations, the duo devised the Spin Time as an unprecedented three-dimensional reinterpretation of the traditional jumping hours complication.
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Serendipitously, Louis Vuitton was just then seeking a new complication that would both define and expand its Haute Horlogerie repertoire, one that had to be both innovative and intimately linked to travel.
Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini proposed the Spin Time, beginning a relationship with the Maison that would culminate with the integration of La Fabrique du Temps into Louis Vuitton in 2011. That would mark the genesis of Louis Vuitton watchmaking in Geneva, a vision that would come into fruition in 2014 with the inauguration of the manufacture in Meyrin, which today encompasses the manufacturing of dials, cases, and complicated movements, as well as metiers d’art.
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“Without Spin Time, we would not have embarked on the challenge of entering high watchmaking in this manner,” says Jean Arnault, Watch Director of Louis Vuitton, “And consequently, we would not have integrated La Fabrique du Temps, which is a founding moment for our watchmaking.”
The Tambour Spin Time made its debut in 2009, establishing Louis Vuitton as a maker of not merely timepieces, but creative complications. In the years since, the Spin Time has evolved into a diverse range of timepieces that symbolise Louis Vuitton’s vast repertoire of materials and complications.
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A new era
Sixteen years after the seminal moment that saw the birth of the Spin Time, Louis Vuitton presents the Tambour Taiko Spin Time.
Still centred on the patented three-dimensional jumping cubes display, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time is nonetheless an entirely new collection, comprised of six limited-edition models, each conceived from the ground up as the ultimate refinement of the complication. The collection debuts in 39.5 mm and 42.5 mm sizes, both sharing the same Tambour Taiko case. The 39.5 mm version is completed by a discreet, solid case back, while the 42.5 mm model is equipped with a display back that reveals the in-house calibre.
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To underline the unity of the inaugural Tambour Taiko Spin Time models, all six variants are presented in 18k white gold cases with dials dressed in a dolphin grey hue that is restrained yet powerful and instantly recognisable. All the cubes are finished in the same dolphin grey hue, except for the cube indicating the current hour that displays a face in light grey. Although most elements of the dials are in the same shade, each detail is finished with varied techniques ranging from sunburst to hawk’s eye, resulting in a nuanced, multi-tone appearance that varies with the light. The artful use of colour and texture is enhanced in the jewelled Spin Time models, where the grey-blue palette extends to a dial of hawk’s eye. A form of grey-blue quartz prized for its lustrous colour and delicate graining; the mineral is being employed for the first time in Louis Vuitton watchmaking.
Reimagining the Tambour
Borrowing from the graceful, concise lines of the Tambour launched in 2023, the Tambour Taiko case asserts itself as a new design with sculpted, integrated lugs that depart radically from the strap attachment of the original.
Révélation
Continuing with the design language established by the Tambour of 2023, the Tambour Taiko adopts the familiar case middle of the original design, but evolves the form to incorporate integrated lugs to create a sleeker form that is both contemporary and elegant. In fact, the Tambour Taiko also incorporates the finer stylistic elements of the 2023 Tambour, right down to the indices, hands, typography, and even the historically-inspired “Fab. En Suisse” label.
The landmark drum-shaped case outline has been preserved, while being refined and reworked for both elegance and ergonomics. The Tambour Taiko was conceived to be slimmer in profile, which was achieved with careful case design that incorporates an inflection point in the cross section that continues into the domed case back.
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Named after taiko, the drums used for ceremonial occasions in Japan, the new case is elegant, modern, and exceptionally complex to finish. In fact, the Tambour Taiko is one of the most complex watch cases ever produced by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, requiring the most skilled artisans and technicians.
Designed to showcase the art of case making that La Fabrique du Temps has mastered in-house, the Tambour Taiko case is a masterclass in the interplay of mirrored and satin surfaces, as well as relief and recessed elements. Staying true to today’s Tambour design codes, the bezel features polished relief letters, spelling out “LOUIS VUITTON”, which sit within a sandblasted channel, while the case flanks are carefully satin brushed.
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La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s case makers rose to the challenge of realising the uncommonly complex lugs, each of which is composed of two elements – both machined to a tolerance of 0.1 mm, equivalent to a human hair – that nestle together perfectly before being secured with screws to the case middle.
The hollowed, sculptural form of the lugs posed an especially difficult task to finish perfectly, dictating mirror polishing on the outer surfaces and fine frosting on the concave hollow.
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Surmounting this challenge called for outstanding know-how both traditional and modern: the mirrored surfaces are polished by hand on a beechwood wheel coated in diamond paste, while the hollows are frosted by laser – the same technique is also employed to frost the recessed channel of the bezel without marring the polished relief letters.
A landmark family of calibres
Importantly, every model in the Tambour Taiko Spin Time collection is equipped with an in-house calibre developed from the ground up specifically for the line. Conceived and manufactured entirely at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the new family of Spin Time movements secure Louis Vuitton’s status as a vertically integrated watch manufacture in Geneva, the traditional heart of haute horlogerie in Switzerland.
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Moreover, the family of movements builds upon the distinctive aesthetic style introduced with the LFT023 movement found in the Tambour 2023. All calibres in this family share the new aesthetic codes first established with the LFT023, including the solid-gold rotor, which is meticulously decorated with a stylised LV in a repeating motif. This rotor, along with the micro-sandblasted bridges, polished edges, and chamfers, offers a resolutely contemporary look while maintaining a clear connection to the watch’s overall design language. The circular-grained mainplate pays homage to traditional movement decoration, while the use of colourless, transparent jewels, instead of the conventional magenta movement rubies, reinforces the avant-garde, modern aesthetic of the calibre.
Each of the four calibres are distinct, but they have in common several technical elements, including a sophisticated movement architecture that brings with it automatic winding, a 45-hour power reserve, as well as a balance wheel beating at a stable frequency of 4 Hz. And to underline the attention to detail in the construction, each of the movements is bestowed with an 18k pink gold oscillating weight bordered by an engraved repeating “V” motif.
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Beyond their intrinsic technical sophistication, the new calibres were also conceived to enrich the visual poetry of the Spin Time complication. To that end, the cubes themselves were reworked. While past generations of the Spin Time utilised cubes with straight edges, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time employs cubes composed of four gently curved faces, giving each cube a cushion-shaped profile.
Barely apparent without magnification, this subtle reprofiling of the Spin Time cube enhances the play of light off its surfaces, with the finishing touch being the mirror-polished nail mounted on the top of each cube. This reworking of the cubes reflects the utmost attention to detail that was integral to the development of the Tambour Taiko Spin Time.
The new Spin Time not only enjoys a stylistic makeover, but also boasts a redesigned mechanism built on a newly patented mechanism that improves on the original Spin Time concept. The upgraded complication operates on the same principle: the instantaneous jump of two cubes simultaneously – when the prior hour disappears, and the current hour appears.
To achieve this, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton engineers conceived a patented Maltese cross gear positioned at the base of each cube. Unique in having teeth on its inner edge, the Maltese cross gear is part of a system that also allows for convenient setting of the time. The jumping hour display can be adjusted backwards and forwards without damage to the movement, a noteworthy achievement for the jumping hours complication, which traditionally can only be set forwards.
Tambour Taiko Spin Time
The purest embodiment of the complication is the Tambour Taiko Spin Time 39.5 mm powered by the LFT ST13.01 movement. Here the LFT ST13.01 is paired with a dial that frames the cubes of the jumping hours to create a clean, legible display. Compact and easily wearable, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time 39.5 mm is conceived as the most versatile of the collection. With its 18k white gold case water resistant to 100 m, the watch complemented by an integrated rubber strap that is totally waterproof, giving it a sporty chic style. A jewelled version gains 4.3 carats of baguette-cut diamonds on the lugs and dial, matched with a dial centre in hawk’s eye.
Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air
With its more generous format of 42.5 mm, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air is “floating” display with each of its cubes seemingly levitating within the case while the movement is suspended right at its centre. The mechanism is lodged at the centre of the timepiece, allowing the cubes to float like satellites, suspended between the calibre and the case. Inside beats also the LFT ST13.01, with the cubes mounted on longer shafts to support the levitating display.
The jewelled model is set by hand with over 1,000 diamonds arranged in a snow setting on the lugs, cubes, and dial centre, along with a hawk’s eye chapter ring.
Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air Antipode
A landmark for its innovative worldtime display, the Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air Antipode combines the unique jumping hours mechanism with a world-first travel time complication. Developed entirely by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the Antipode complication indicates the time across the world’s 24 time zones simultaneously with a day-night indication, presenting them in a legible, intuitive manner.
A complication never before executed in watchmaking, the Antipode offers a singular way of reading the time across the world. A conventional hand points to the minutes, while the hours are indicated by an arrowhead pointer in yellow inspired by the stitching on Louis Vuitton leathergoods. The pointer is mounted on a rotating disc bearing a world map, a graphic reference nod to the Antipode world time complication. Local time is indicated with the minute hand and the yellow pointer for the hours, while world time is indicated by the 12 cubes of the Spin Time mechanism that encircle the world map disc. The hour numeral adjacent to each cube indicates the time in the two cities on each cube.
This ingenious twist of two cities on each cube sets the Antipode apart from a traditional world time mechanism. The technical ingenuity of the patented complication belies the simple, practical interface that makes it easy to track multiple time zones at a glance. The background colour of each city provides the day-night indication. Since each of the cubes bears the names of two cities, together the 12 cubes represent the 24 time zones around the world. The city pairs on each cube are exactly 12 time zones apart. For instance, Los Angeles and Dubai are 12 hours apart. As a result, the two cities occupy the same cube, reflecting the fact that midnight in Los Angeles is midday in Dubai. Unique in watchmaking, this display of opposite time zones inspired the model name “Antipode”.
Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air Tourbillon
The Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air Tourbillon is an unparalleled combination of two major complications put together. A perfect expression of Louis Vuitton’s unique watchmaking DNA, this amalgamates the floating display of the Spin Time Air with an eminently traditional, chronometric mechanism, the flying tourbillon. Accomplishing the combination of both complications was a significant challenge for the movement development workshop at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, which had to accommodate both the Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air and Air Tourbillon mechanisms within the tight constraints within the restricted, central volume of the case. With much of the peripheral volume occupied by the cubes, clever engineering was required to have both the automatic base movement and flying tourbillon positioned in the centre.
In the centre of the dial is a flying tourbillon performing its mesmerising dance of one revolution per minute. Made of steel and finished entirely by hand on all surfaces, the tourbillon cage takes the form of a Monogram flower. To highlight the artistry of decoration in the tourbillon assembly, the steel lower plate of the tourbillon is highly polished, turning it into a mirror to show off the underside of the tourbillon components.
Incorporating a flying tourbillon into the LFT ST05.01 movement called for extensive reengineering of the base calibre. Not only was the going train rearranged to locate the tourbillon on the dial, but the minute hand also had to be situated under and around the tourbillon.
- Tambour Taiko Spin Time
W9WG62
Movement
• LFT ST13.01 calibre: self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Functions: Hours with spin time display, minutes
• 29.3 mm diameter
• 7.7 mm thickness
• 18-carat pink gold oscillating weight
• 246 components
• 45-hour power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations/hour
• 35 jewels
Case
• 18-carat white gold, satin-brushed case, sandblasted with polished letters bezel, double-finish hollowed lugs with mirror polish and sandblasting.
• 39.5 mm diameter
• 12.15 mm thickness
• Closed case-back
• Water-resistant to 100 meters
Dial
• Sunray dial
• 18-carat white gold minute hand
• 18-carat white gold indexes
Strap
• Dolphin grey rubber strap
Buckle
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle
- Tambour Taiko Spin Time
W9WG52
Movement
• LFT ST13.01 calibre: self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Functions: Hours with spin time display, minutes
• 29.3 mm diameter
• 7.7 mm thickness
• 18-carat pink gold oscillating weight
• 246 components
• 45-hour power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations/hour
• 35 jewels
Case
• 18-carat white gold, satin-brushed case, polished bezel and lugs set with 68 baguette-cut diamonds (3.39 cts)
• 39.5 mm diameter
• 12.15 mm thickness
• Closed case-back
• Water-resistant to 100 meters
Dial
• Hawk’s eye dial
• 18-carat white gold minute hand
• 12 baguette-cut diamonds (0.13 ct) indexes
Strap
• Dolphin grey rubber strap
Buckle
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle set with 14 baguette-cut diamonds (0.78 ct)
Total gemsetting
• 94 baguette-cut diamonds for a total of 4.30 carats
- Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air
W9WG41
Movement
• LFT ST13.01 calibre: self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Functions: Hours with spin time air display, minutes
• 29.3 mm diameter
• 7.7 mm thickness
• 18-carat pink gold oscillating weight
• 246 components
• 45-hour power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations/hour
• 35 jewels
Case
• 18-carat white gold, satin-brushed case, sandblasted with polished letters bezel, double-finish hollowed lugs with mirror polish and sandblasting.
• 42.5 mm diameter
• 12.45 mm thickness
• Open case-back
• Water-resistant to 50 meters
Dial
• Sunray dial
• 18-carat white gold minute hand
• 18-carat white gold indexes
Strap
• Beige calf leather
Buckle
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle
- Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air
W9WG31
Movement
• LFT ST13.01 calibre: self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Functions: Hours with spin time air display, minutes
• 29.3 mm diameter
• 7.7 mm thickness
• 18-carat pink gold oscillating weight
• 246 components
• 45-hour power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations/hour
• 35 jewels
Case
• 18-carat white gold, polished lugs and case set
with 909 brilliant-cut diamonds (2.92 cts),
sandblasted with polished letters bezel
• 42.5 mm diameter
• 12.45 mm thickness
• Open case-back
• Water-resistant to 50 meters
Dial
• Hawk’s eye dial set with 118 brilliant-cut
diamonds (0.26 ct)
• 18-carat white gold minute hand
• 18-carat white gold indexes
• Cubes set with 96 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.48 ct) and 96 black brilliant-cut diamonds (0.56 ct)
Strap
• Beige calf leather
Buckle
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle set with 17 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.36 ct)
Total gemsetting
• 1236 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total of 4.58 carats
- Tambour Taiko Spin Time Antipode
W9WG21
Movement
• LFT ST12.01 calibre: self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Functions: Worldtime with spin time air day and night display, minutes
• 34.8 mm diameter
• 8 mm thickness
• 18-carat pink gold oscillating weight
• 271 components
• 45-hour power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations/hour
• 36 jewels
Case
• 18-carat white gold, satin-brushed case, sandblasted with polished letters bezel, double-finish hollowed lugs with mirror polish and sandblasting.
• 42.5 mm diameter
• 12.45 mm thickness
• Open case-back
• Water-resistant to 50 meters
Dial
• World map in galvanic growth
• 18-carat white gold minute hand
• 18-carat white gold indexes
Strap
• Beige calf leather
Buckle
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle
- Tambour Taiko Spin Time Flying Tourbillon
W9WG11
Movement
• LFT ST05.01 calibre: self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Functions: Central Flying Tourbillon, hours with spin time air display, minutes
• 34.8 mm diameter
• 9.42 mm thickness
• 18-carat pink gold oscillating weight
• 283 components
• 45-hour power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations/hour
• 40 jewels
Case
• 18-carat white gold, satin-brushed case, sandblasted with polished letters bezel, double-finish hollowed lugs with mirror polish and sandblasting.
• 42.5 mm diameter
• 12.45 mm thickness
• Open case-back
• Water-resistant to 50 meters
Dial
• Dolphin grey dial with an opaline and azur finish
• 18-carat white gold minute hand
• 18-carat white gold indexes
Strap
• Beige calf leather
Buckle
• 18-carat white gold pin buckle
