We have to hand it to Taylor Swift. For someone who can have any watch she wants, the star has been making some left-of-center watchmaking choices lately. There was the vintage Concord watch she wore as a diamond necklace to the Grammys, one of the first times we’ve seen her wear a watch in a while, even if it’s not on her wrist. Now, there’s a contemporary watch that could prove to be a future classic, perhaps with some newfound help from Swift.
For the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos this weekend, Swift wore Louis Vuitton’s revamped Tambor sneakers. Launching in 2023, the collection is a slimmer version of LV’s early watch collection from 2002 that has been updated with integrated bracelets in the Gérald Genta style and features movements from La Fabrique du Temps. There’s a connection here: In 2011, LV purchased the manufacturer, which designs and makes high-end movements for Louis Vuitton, Gérald Genta, and Daniel Roth. While LV’s watch division under Jean Arnault initially focused on rare luxury watch pieces, the move into luxury sports watches allows the house to establish itself among everyday watch consumers.
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Louis Vuitton
Of course, the Tambour is no entry-level watch, even one made in steel. Pricing starts at $19,000, it features a small automatic rotor from La Fabrique du Temps designed by its founders, Michel Navas and Enrico Barbacesni. In addition to the impressive movement, the Tambor watch features a polished and brushed bracelet that blends seamlessly into the drum-inspired case, forming a seamless form. Meanwhile, the dial is a modern “sector” design with an outer minute ring, applied Arabic indexes, a contrasting vertically brushed inner section, a luminous and skeletonized dial, and a sub-seconds display above 6 o’clock.
The 18k yellow gold Swift version with a gray dial turns up the heat and doubles the price to $54,000. Detractors will inevitably complain that this is simply too much to ask for a “fashion watch” – but this completely ignores what Louis Vuitton and Jean Arnault were working towards with La Fabrique du Temps. By strategically focusing on building the company’s watch division into something that commands respect from even the most hardcore watch nerds, they are slowly transforming LV into a world-class manufacturer. Beautifully designed and undeniably handsome, the Tambor is a thoughtful reworking of an old record – which is why it’s such a treat to see one on the wrist of the world’s most famous pop star, a character known for tweaking her own classics.
If the group has flown somewhat under the radar over the past year, it certainly no longer does.
