Louis Vuitton's new high-end watch features the house's mascot, Vivienne, telling the time in a playful way.

Apr 4, 2022
©Ulysse Frechelin
A Playful Surprise
Mischievous and mysterious, Louis Vuitton's mascot, Vivienne, magically interprets the Jumping Hours in three different ways, inviting you into a fantastical and unexpected world of role-play.

Who is Vivienne and what does she play?
In 2017, this enigmatic little character debuted at Louis Vuitton. Everyone who saw her immediately recognized her playful and charming personality. What caught our eye next was her mysterious side—there was no telling where she might appear next. Perhaps on the iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas, as a pendant or brooch in the Vivienne Traveler collection, or perhaps as part of one of the House's watches. She transformed into 12 rotating hour modules in the Tambour Spin Time Air Vivienne, and in the Vivienne Bijou Secret, she magically told the time while playing hide-and-seek. Talk to her, and she'll only reveal her name: Vivienne. Having created such a sensation, there was only one thing left to do. Everyone agreed that Vivienne should become Louis Vuitton's mascot, and she accepted with a twinkle in her eye. Now, Vivienne returns in her most magnificent form, and with even more new powers than ever before: she captivates everyone who meets her. Vivienne is a fantasy, a mysterious key that unlocks a journey into a world of supernatural allure and shape-shifting identities.

©Ulysse Frechelin
©Ulysse Frechelin
You can ask her to guide you through time, but every time you turn around, she changes form. Is she a fortune teller predicting your glorious future? A casino dealer dealing winning cards? Or a circus acrobat wowing everyone around her?

In true Louis Vuitton style, Vivienne tells the time playfully. The hours alternate from one hand to the other, while mysterious amulets floating around her indicate the minutes depending on their position.

This is the world of Vivienne. Your time is in her hands—will you join in on her game?


Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour
The new Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour comes in three exquisitely hand-decorated timepieces, available in white, pink, or yellow gold, with crowns set with precious rose-cut diamonds. This is part of Louis Vuitton's latest collection of High Watchmen.

In the pink gold model, Vivienne plays a fortune teller against a dark blue aventurine dial reminiscent of the night sky dotted with countless constellations. In the yellow gold model, Vivienne plays a casino dealer, with a dial that evokes the enchanting green of casino tables and features skarn, a mineral rarely found in watchmaking decoration. Finally, the white gold model features a mother-of-pearl dial, whose iridescent sheen enhances the stunning appearance of Vivienne in her acrobat costume. Both models are powered by innovative manufacture movements entirely conceived and produced by the Maison's watchmaking atelier, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, in Geneva.

How do you tell the time? We ask Vivienne, but her lips remain sealed. Her eyes—black diamond (Fortune model), green tsavorite (Casino model), blue sapphire (Circus model)—sparkle with intelligence, but convey nothing. We look for traditional hands to indicate the time, but we fail to find them. Instead, we look at Vivienne's wrists. With the Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour, there is nothing above Vivienne's sleeves; the trick is in her fingertips.

Two small apertures on the dial, which serve to display the alternating hours, are clearly hidden among decorative elements of a similar design. To uncover the ingenuity of this magic trick, we need to focus on the two elements pointed by Vivienne's hands. Every 60 minutes, the hour numerals instantly change position, switching between two apertures near the Vivienne's hands. As the new hour is displayed, the aperture displaying the previous hour displays an enigmatic symbol, consistent with the watch's theme. This is the first time in modern watchmaking that alternate hours have been used on a wristwatch.

For the minutes, a slim, nearly transparent hand extending from Vivienne's chest circles the dial once every hour. Ended with a tarot card (Fortune), a playing card (Casino), or a juggling ball featuring the Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower pattern (Circus), the hand provides a guide to the minutes, while maintaining the illusion of Vivienne's magical world.

©Ulysse Frechelin
©Ulysse Frechelin
The Reveal
They say revealing the secret of a magic trick takes the fun out of it, but that certainly doesn't apply to the Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour. Far from diminishing the wonder, this peek behind the scenes will deepen your appreciation for the creativity and mechanical savoir-faire of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

The Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour achieves this groundbreaking hour display by combining a multi-arm Geneva mechanism (also known as a Maltese cross mechanism) with complex multi-stage cams and a sprung ruby roller. This offers advantages over the traditional star wheel and jumper spring: greater energy efficiency, improved timekeeping precision, and a longer movement life.

In other words, the jumping hour display of the Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour may defy conventional watchmaking convention, which favors simplicity over complexity. Yet it is an exceptional system in every respect, emphasizing the importance of creating a beautiful, impeccable mechanical watch.


The Art of the Dial
For more than a century and a half, Louis Vuitton has pursued traditional savoir-faire. So it's only natural that the Maison would employ a variety of decorative techniques to bring the Vivienne and its world to life on the Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour.

Miniature hand-painting, which debuted in striking form on a Louis Vuitton watch with the first Escale World Time in 2014, is used to bring to life the trompe-l'oeil magic of the Vivienne. The tarot cards, playing cards, Monogram flowers, and hour numerals are all individually hand-painted by artists in Louis Vuitton's Geneva workshops.

Surrounded by precious diamonds, the dial of the Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour features not only renowned decorative materials such as aventurine and mother-of-pearl, but also a newly discovered decorative gemstone called skarn from Pakistan. Also known as sannan skarn, its vibrant green hue is due to the presence of the element chromium. Its fine texture is the result of a process that formed it millions of years ago deep underground. Each decorative gemstone has been carefully selected to reflect the unique world of each Vivienne.

The Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour will transport you to another world in every way. The decorative arts used bring the 38mm diameter world to life on the wrist.

©Ulysse Frechelin

©LOUIS VUITTON
"Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Fortune"
Recommended price (tax included): 12.4 million yen

Movement
・Caliber LV180: A self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, featuring a jumping hour complication that displays the time through two apertures.
・Functions: jumping hours, minutes
・Number of parts: 112
・Power reserve: 42 hours
・Frequency: 28,800 vph
・Jewels: 33

Case
・18K pink gold case set with brilliant-cut diamonds and a rose-cut diamond on the crown
・Case diameter: 38mm
・Thickness: 12.21mm
・Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
・Water resistance: 50m

Dial
Aventurine dial set with white and black brilliant-cut diamonds

Strap
・Shiny blue alligator strap

Buckle
・18K pink gold ardillon buckle set with brilliant-cut diamonds

Box
・High watchmaking trunk

Set with 303 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 3.88 carats in total)
2 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.006 carats in total)
1 rose-cut diamond (approx. 0.2 carats)
©LOUIS VUITTON
"Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Casino"
Recommended price (tax included): 12.4 million yen

Movement
- Caliber LV180: A self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled at "La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton" and featuring a jumping hour complication that displays the time through two small apertures
- Functions: jumping hours, minutes
- Number of parts: 112
- Power reserve: 42 hours
- Frequency: 28,800 vph
- Number of jewels: 33

Case
18K yellow gold case set with brilliant-cut diamonds, tsavorites, rubies, and a rose-cut diamond on the crown

Case diameter: 38mm
< ... 1 rose-cut diamond (approx. 0.2 ct)
29 rubies (approx. 0.71 ct in total)
29 tsavorites (approx. 0.61 ct in total)
©LOUIS VUITTON
Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Circus
Reference price including tax: 12.4 million yen

Movement
・Caliber LV180: "La Fabrique du Temps" Self-winding mechanical movement developed and assembled by Louis Vuitton with the jumping hour complication, which displays the time through two apertures.
- Functions: jumping hours, minutes
- Number of parts: 112
- Power reserve: 42 hours
- Frequency: 28,800 vph
- Jewels: 33

Case
- 18K white gold case set with brilliant-cut diamonds and a rose-cut diamond on the crown
- Case diameter: 38mm
- Thickness: 12.21mm
- Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Water resistant to 50m

Dial
- White mother-of-pearl dial set with brilliant-cut white diamonds and brilliant-cut sapphires

Strap
: ・Shiny red alligator strap

Buckle
・18K white gold ardillon buckle set with brilliant-cut diamonds

Box
・High watchmaking trunk

Set with 282 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 3.85 carats in total)
1 rose-cut diamond (approx. 0.2 carats)
2 sapphires (approx. 0.001 carats in total)


【About Louis Vuitton】
Since its founding in 1854, Louis Vuitton has continued to offer distinctive designs that combine innovation and style, always at the finest quality. Today, through its travel luggage, bags, accessories, and other products, Louis Vuitton remains faithful to the creative, elegant, and practical spirit of "the essence of travel" created by its founder, Louis Vuitton. Boldness has shaped the story of Louis Vuitton. Respecting tradition, the brand has opened its doors to architects, artists, and designers throughout its history, expanding into a wide range of fields, including fashion items and fine jewelry. These meticulously crafted products are a testament to Louis Vuitton's dedication to craftsmanship.

[Contact Information]
Louis Vuitton Client Services
0120-00-1854

#LouisVuitton #LouisVuitton



Click here for company press release details

The press releases featured in this article have been provided by PR TIMES Inc. and are reproduced verbatim. FASHION HEADLINE does not recommend the products or services featured, nor does it guarantee the contents of the press releases. For inquiries regarding the content of the publications, please contact PR TIMES Inc. directly (https://prtimes.jp/).
PR TIMES
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Fortune" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Fortune" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Casino" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Casino" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Circus" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Circus" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Fortune" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Casino" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
  • "Tambour Slim Vivienne Jumping Hour – Circus" Reference price (tax included): 12.4 million yen
Back to Top