Is Louis Vuitton’s Watch Prize the Future of Luxury Watchmaking?

As with art collectors, hockey scouts, and anyone else with a stake in discovering diamonds in the rough, watch collectors are constantly on alert for the next big name in horology. While names like Rolex, Omega, and Cartier dominate retail sales, as collectors’ tastes mature, they tend to gravitate towards lesser-known deep cuts, which more often than not means eponymous brands with double-digit annual outputs and years-long waiting lists. Fortunately for anyone looking to jump on the next Nayoa Hida or Berneron before they blow up, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives provides a cheat sheet for collectors in search of their next investment piece. Announced in July, the list of 20 semi-finalists ranges from buzzier names like JN Shapiro and Petermann Bédat, to newcomer brands like Quiet Club and Hazemann & Monnin.

“An important aspect of watchmaking lies with independent creators who transform a singular vision into mechanical artistry,” writes Jean Arnault, Louis Vuitton Watch Director, in a release accompanying the announcement. “This new generation of watchmakers is remarkable not only for their talent, but above all for daring to create truly original instruments of precision that are also works of art. The bold creations of the semi-finalists for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize are a testament to this spirit. In their hands, watchmaking becomes an expression of pure creativity, each timepiece a testament to uncompromising craftsmanship and unique vision.” 

While Louis Vuitton is one of the most prominent luxury brands in the world, its entrée to the world of fine watchmaking is relatively recent. Starting with the introduction of its Tambour series and continuing with the creation of La Fabrique de Temps, its Geneva watchmaking studio, Louis Vuitton has built up its watchmaking division into one intended to rival some of the biggest names in Switzerland. As part of this initiative, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives strengthens the brand’s association with high watchmaking while shining a spotlight on some of the world’s most talented young independent makers. This year marks the prize’s second edition, following last spring’s announcement of Swiss watchmaker Raúl Pagès as the inaugural winner.

Following the reveal of 20 semi-finalists, the Prize’s committee of 65 experts will convene this fall to assess submissions based on five criteria: design, creativity and audacity, details and finishes, complexity, and technical innovation. The five finalists will be announced on December 15th and will present their creations to the final jury in March of 2026. Following the jury’s deliberation, the winner of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives will be announced at a ceremony at La Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. In addition to a grant of €150,000, the winner will receive one year of mentorship tailored to the needs of their creative project of choice by experts from La Fabrique du Temps and Louis Vuitton. 

For anyone interested in learning about the world’s top independent watchmakers before they make it to the big time, you can see all of the 20 semi-finalists for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives up close here.