By Maria Doulton in London
While I was in Baselworld I spent time with Louis Vuitton and discovered the new men’s and women’s watches presented this year. For women there are more watches than ever to chose from, starting with the everyday Louis Vuitton Tambour Monogram that comes on a practical steel bracelet through to the dressier brand new Louis Vuitton Emprise range available in a variety of diamond-setting options for a chic Parisian look.
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Monogram Forever is one of my favourite watches from this house, with the flower logo in mother of pearl against the mirror-polished dial. The watch is feminine and has all the allure and grace of a jewel. Likewise, the new Louis Vuitton Tambour Monogram Infini and Tambour Spin Time Galaxie re-work motifs associated with the house’s jewellery collections, such as the star and the flower and give them a new twist.
I also take a closer look at the spectacular diamond-set Louis Vuitton Damier Absolu and Dentelle de Monogram jewellery watches that add to the growing number of women’s watches in Baselworld this year.
The highlight for men is the Louis Vuitton Escale World Time, which adds a bright and exciting look to this most classic of complications. The hand-painted dial reflects the re-think that this highly complex mechanism has undergone.
I had the chance to ask Hamdi Chatti, head of watches and jewellery at Louis Vuitton, what his favourite watch is this year. His answer was surprising: it is not one of the new men’s complications but the women’s Emprise, a watch he is particularly proud of
So while Louis Vuitton has only been making timepieces for a decade, the house is proving that it is capable of transferring the success of its leather goods and clothes into the world of watches.
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The Louis Vuitton Tambour Monogram Infini features the iconic Louis Vuitton flower logo in mother-of-pearl against the mirror-polished dial.
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Louis Vuitton Emprise watch in yellow gold, with or without 76 diamonds surrounding a silver opalescent dial with a padded grosgrain strap.
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The Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime features a hand-painted dial which took over 50 hours for Vuitton’s artisans to hand-paint and then fire the various rings.
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Louis Vuitton Damier Absolu watch in white gold featuring a mother-of-pearl dial encircled by a bezel invisible set with three rows of baguette-cut diamonds.
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One of Louis Vuitton’s watches on display at Baselworld 2014 was the Louis Vuitton Tambour Monogram watch featuring pink gold and diamonds with a stainless steel case.
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Louis Vuitton white gold Damier Absolu Rivière jewellery watch featuring brilliant-cut diamonds on the dial and bracelet and three rows of invisible set baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel.
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Based on the iconic Louis Vuitton trunks is the Louis Vuitton Emprise watch in yellow gold with a padded grosgrain strap.
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The Louis Vuitton Emprise gold model features a dial resembling the quilted fabric found on the inside of the brand’s old steamer trunks.
