In 1988, Louis Vuitton made its foray into watchmaking with its first watch—the LV I and the LV II by celebrated Italian architect and designer, Gae Aulenti. The recipient of the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur was famed for transforming the former railway station of Gare d’Orsay into one of the world’s most celebrated and highly visited museums: the treasure chest of masterpieces that is the Musée d’Orsay. The timepieces earned themselves the moniker ‘Monterey’, which is derived from the American pronunciation of the French word ‘montre’ (mon-truh), meaning ‘wristwatch’.
Nearly four decades later, those watches are still being spotted on the wrists of influential tastemakers and trendsetters, including Tyler, the Creator. The LV I boasts date displays, GMT, and world time functions, while the LV II presents the date and time with an added alarm function. These features, along with the railway track designs, were a nod to Louis Vuitton’s trunkmaking history and travel heritage. More importantly, the two timepieces helped transform Louis Vuitton from merely a fashion house that sells watches to a serious player in haute horlogerie, a reputation further reinforced with a modern reinterpretation of the Louis Vuitton Monterey.
Matthieu Hegi, artistic director at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, said in a statement: “This watch represents a symbiosis between the old and the present, respecting the design and spirit of the original, while reinterpreting it for today. We retained the polished ‘pebble’ spirit, the unique leather attachment, and the iconic crown at 12 o’clock, all hallmarks of the 1988 LV I and LV II.”
The New Louis Vuitton Monterey
The updated timepieces employ the traditional art of grand feu enamelling, a painstaking process prized for its long-lasting quality finish and exceptional vibrance that lasts for generations. The process required 20 hours of labour to apply multiple layers of vitreous enamel to a white gold base, which is then fired up repeatedly at temperatures of up to 900 degrees Celsius, where the minutest flaw would mean starting all over again. The finishing process required the preparation of the white dial for enamel vitrification, where it was slowly fired at 720 degrees Celsius for a total of 10 successive rounds. This resulted in a strong, permanent bond between the enamel and the substrate, and a subtle opaline glow of remarkable depth and purity.
The new minimalist, time-only watch retains the design codes of the heritage pieces in the red and blue accents of its twin hour and minute scales, which expresses a visually striking style. In tribute to its debut year, the timepiece is limited to 188 pieces, with ‘1 of 188’ engraved on the caseback and discreetly hidden below the leather strap.
In tune with modern haute horlogerie, the quartz calibre is replaced with an automatic LFTMA01.02 movement. This was designed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps, with a 45-hour power reserve and an 18K rose gold rotor, and housed within a gleaming 39mm yellow gold case. The crowning touch? The Louis Vuitton Monterey is delivered in its own miniature, monogrammed trunk.
Photography by: Thomas Legrand and Régis Grolay
