Louis Vuitton

Who are Louis Vuitton?

Louis Vuitton is a French luxury house founded in Paris in 1854 by Louis Vuitton, a trunk maker, and part of LVMH since the 1987 merger that formed the group (LVMH; Wikipedia). It has made watches since 2002, and since 2011 it has owned La Fabrique du Temps, a manufacture in Meyrin, Geneva (Quill & Pad; Watchonista). This page covers Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking only: its history, movements, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a Louis Vuitton watch second-hand in the UK.

Louis Vuitton’s watch range runs from automatic Tambour and Escale models to a connected watch and high complications. It does not publish watch production or sales figures.

The history of Louis Vuitton watches

Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking began with the Tambour in 2002 and grew into a Geneva manufacture after it bought a complications workshop in 2011. The key dates are the Tambour (2002), La Fabrique du Temps (2011), the Meyrin manufacture (2014), the first Geneva Seal (2016) and the redesigned Tambour (2023).

The Tambour. Louis Vuitton introduced the Tambour in 2002 (Wikipedia; Quill & Pad), followed by a Speedy watch collection in 2005 (Wikipedia). SJX Watches describes the original Tambour as chunky, with sloping case sides carrying the “LOUIS VUITTON” lettering. Its earlier watch workshop was in La Chaux-de-Fonds and employed 40 people (Quill & Pad).

La Fabrique du Temps. In 2007 the master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini founded La Fabrique du Temps, a workshop specialising in complicated movements, and in 2011 Louis Vuitton bought it (Watchonista; Wikipedia). Wikipedia says the workshop had already developed Louis Vuitton’s patented Spin Time movement. Louis Vuitton also bought a dial maker: Watchonista and Wikipedia name Léman Cadrans, bought in 2012, while Quill & Pad names ArteCad, in 2011.

Meyrin. In 2014 Louis Vuitton opened its manufacture in Meyrin, on the edge of Geneva (Watchonista). Watchonista gives the floor area as 4,500 square metres and Quill & Pad as 4,000; Quill & Pad reported that it brought the La Chaux-de-Fonds and Geneva teams together, with 80 people, 50 of them watchmakers. The same year Louis Vuitton unveiled the Escale Worldtime at Baselworld (SJX Watches).

The Geneva Seal and prizes. In 2016 the Voyager Flying Tourbillon became the first Louis Vuitton watch to earn the Poinçon de Genève, the Geneva Seal (Watchonista). In 2021 the Tambour Carpe Diem won the Audacity Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (Watchonista).

Jean Arnault and the new Tambour. Jean Arnault, son of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, took over the watch division; Watchonista gives 2020 and Wikipedia 2021. In 2023 Louis Vuitton relaunched the Tambour as a 40 mm, 8.3 mm-high watch with an integrated bracelet and the LFT023 automatic micro-rotor movement (SJX Watches). That year it also released the LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie with the independent watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi and Atelier Akrivia (Watchonista).

Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta. In 2023 La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton announced the return of two dormant brands previously owned by Bulgari, Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta, under Navas and Barbasini (Monochrome Watches). LVMH now lists both as separate maisons (LVMH).

What is Louis Vuitton known for in watches?

In watches Louis Vuitton is known for the Tambour, for travel-themed designs that borrow from its trunks, for complications made at La Fabrique du Temps, and for a connected watch in its own name.

Trunk and travel codes. The Escale’s lugs echo the riveted brass corners of Louis Vuitton trunks (SJX Watches), and Monochrome Watches says its name, meaning “stopover”, refers to travel.

Movements. Louis Vuitton uses both bought-in and its own movements. The 2014 Escale Worldtime used an outsourced base movement with a world-time module made by La Fabrique du Temps (SJX Watches). The LFT023 in the 2023 Tambour and 2024 Escale was designed by La Fabrique du Temps and produced by Le Cercle des Horlogers; it has a 22-carat gold micro-rotor, a 50-hour power reserve and chronometer certification from the Geneva Observatory (Monochrome Watches). SJX Watches notes that it is tested by Timelab rather than COSC. Our guides to in-house and outsourced movements and COSC certification explain these terms.

Connected watches. The Tambour Horizon of 2017 ran Google’s Android operating system in a 42 mm case; SJX Watches reported that the steel case was made in Switzerland and the watch assembled in the United States.

Which Louis Vuitton watch collections are there?

The main families are the Tambour, the Escale and the Tambour Horizon connected watch. The collections table on this page gives the year each began and a line on each. A few points help when you read listings:

• Old or new Tambour. A Tambour from before 2023 is a different watch from the integrated-bracelet Tambour launched that year (SJX Watches). Check the reference and the year of sale.
• Which movement. Escale models range from the 2014 Worldtime, with an outsourced base movement, to time-only models with the LFT023 (SJX Watches; Monochrome Watches). Ask for the calibre.
• The Tambour Horizon is a smartwatch. Its battery, software and app support work differently from a mechanical watch; check which generation it is and that it pairs with your phone.

Who owns Louis Vuitton?

Louis Vuitton is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the Paris luxury group formed when Louis Vuitton merged with Moët Hennessy in 1987 (Wikipedia; LVMH). LVMH lists Louis Vuitton under Fashion & Leather Goods; its Watches & Jewelry maisons include TAG Heuer, Hublot, Zenith and Tiffany & Co., but not Louis Vuitton (LVMH). Louis Vuitton’s headquarters are at 2, rue du Pont-Neuf, Paris, and its chairman and chief executive is Pietro Beccari (Wikipedia).

The watches are made by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in Meyrin (Watchonista). Our pages on TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith cover LVMH’s other watch brands.

Buying a Louis Vuitton watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

Check which Tambour or Escale generation the watch is and which movement it has, match the serial number to the papers, check the warranty position, and run a stolen-watch check.

1. Papers and the full set. Ask which items come with the watch, whether they are originals, and whether the serial number matches the papers. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Model and movement. Ask for the reference and calibre. A 2023-or-later Tambour or a time-only Escale should have the LFT023 (SJX Watches; Monochrome Watches); earlier models may use other movements, such as the outsourced base movement in the 2014 Escale Worldtime (SJX Watches).

3. Geneva Seal. If a listing says a watch carries the Poinçon de Genève, check that the model is one that does; the Voyager Flying Tourbillon was the first, in 2016 (Watchonista).

4. Warranty. Louis Vuitton’s watch warranty terms, and whether they pass to a second owner, are not confirmed here. A dealer’s own warranty is a promise from the dealer, not from Louis Vuitton. See watch warranties explained.

5. Servicing. For a mechanical watch, ask when it was last serviced, by whom, and for the paperwork. Our guide on how to care for a mechanical watch covers what a service involves.

6. Authenticity. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch checked by a watchmaker you choose. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at.

7. Stolen-watch check. Check the serial number against a stolen-watch register before you pay. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

When did Louis Vuitton start making watches?

In 2002, with the Tambour (Wikipedia; Quill & Pad).

Where are Louis Vuitton watches made?

At La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, its manufacture in Meyrin, Geneva, opened in 2014 (Watchonista).

Does Louis Vuitton make its own movements?

Some. La Fabrique du Temps has developed about twenty movements for the brand (Watchonista). The LFT023 in the current Tambour was designed by La Fabrique du Temps and produced by Le Cercle des Horlogers (Monochrome Watches).

What is La Fabrique du Temps?

A Geneva workshop for complicated movements, founded in 2007 by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini and bought by Louis Vuitton in 2011 (Watchonista).

Who owns Louis Vuitton?

LVMH, which was formed by the 1987 merger of Moët Hennessy and Louis Vuitton (Wikipedia).

Is the Tambour Horizon a real watch?

It is a connected watch, or smartwatch, launched in 2017 and originally running Google’s Android (SJX Watches).

Do Louis Vuitton watches have the Geneva Seal?

Some do. The Voyager Flying Tourbillon was the first, in 2016 (Watchonista).

What is the Louis Vuitton Escale?

A travel-themed collection launched in 2014, whose lugs echo the riveted corners of a Louis Vuitton trunk; it has included world-timers and, from 2024, time-only models (SJX Watches; Monochrome Watches).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Louis Vuitton.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.