The Louis Vuitton Tambour Levels Up
When Louis Vuitton released its first Tambour model in 2002, the brand was known more for its luxurious bags and steamer trunks than fine watchmaking. Even so, the Tambour’s drum-shaped steel case and sun-brushed brown dial accented with a yellow seconds hand was unique enough to garner more than its share of attention. Over the last two decades, as Louis Vuitton’s stature in the fashion world has grown, so has its investment in watchmaking capabilities and cred among watch enthusiasts. The newest Tambour models, including versions with gem-set dials and a new brown ceramic case and bracelet, show just how far Louis Vuitton — and the Tambour — have come.
With a starting price of $27,000 for the Automatic steel model and a $70,000 sticker for the yellow gold, the time-only Tambour isn’t most people’s idea of accessible luxury. That said, the new Louis Vuitton Tambour Platinum Rainbow and Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx are decidedly a step up the ladder, with a treasure chest’s worth of precious metals and gemstones to justify their six-figure prices. And there’s also the new Tambour Ceramic, with a bracelet rendered in a sumptuous combination of brown ceramic and rose gold, which offers a whole new look for the Tambour line.
The Tambour Yellow Gold boasts an 18K yellow gold case, a dial made from Brazilian onyx (a first for the brand), a bezel set with saffron-coloured sapphires, and matching saffron sapphire indices. Following its 2023 refresh, the Tambour’s drum-shaped, circular-brushed case is slimmer than its predecessors, with a matching integrated bracelet that lends it a sporty — but still extremely refined — look. In a callback to the 2002 original, the sandblasted bezel marked with the letters LOUIS VUITTON (one for each hour on the dial, as it happens) remains intact.
Where the Tambour Yellow Gold is moody, the Tambour Platinum is ebullient, with a rainbow of gradiated sapphires and rubies around its bezel and dial. Louis Vuitton, of course, is hardly the first brand to come up with a rainbow gemstone bezel, but the combination of its 59 baguette-cut corundum gemstones with the distinctive sheen of a 950 platinum case puts it in rare company nonetheless.
Limited to 30 and 50 pieces, respectively, each of these high-end Tambours carry the same horological bona fides as the rest of the lineup, namely a Calibre LFT023 from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the brand’s Geneva watchmaking atelier. As the Maison’s first proprietary three-hand movement, it’s tempting to call this movement the workhorse of the Tambour family, but it’s more like a thoroughbred show pony. In addition to being chronometer-certified by the Geneva Chronometric Conservatory, it has all of the hallmarks of a high-end Swiss timepiece, including a 22K rose gold micro-rotor engraved with the brand’s LV monogram.
Due to their limited nature, the newest additions to the Tambour family aren’t intended to be for everyone (if you have nearly $200,000 to spend, the approximate price of the platinum model in Canadian dollars, there are a lot of compelling options on the table, even within LV’s watch department.) What these are instead is a flex: of style and means for the person wearing it, and of horological achievement for Louis Vuitton. After more than 20 years of evolution, the Tambour has never looked better.
Learn more about the Louis Vuitton Tambour online.
