Fine-art finishing for Asian culture buffs.
The Tambour automaton saga began with a universal theme across cultures: death and the need to seize the day in the Tambour Carpe Diem model, which won the Audacity Prize at the GPHG in 2021. After that, Louis Vuitton began exploring Asia.
First came the Tambour Opera Automata, dedicated to the Sichuan Opera's Bian Lian, and now the brand has turned its attention to Japan, the theme of samurais, and their Bushido moral code. Louis Vuitton has launched the Tambour Bushido Automata.
Swiss watchmakers have long been preoccupied with this theme: concepts of the Japanese warrior, their armor, and their weapons have been developed by Jaquet Droz, Ulysse Nardin, Richard Mille, not to mention Casio. Louis Vuitton's point of departure was the brand's famous automata in a cylindrical "drum" case shape, and the watch comes in a presentation box like the brand's historic trunk.
The same model simultaneously pays tribute to the fashion house's past while showcasing the brand's latest achievements in the sphere of watch mechanics and artistic composition. The novelty is equipped with a movement from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton: the hand-wound LV 525 caliber, assembled from 426 components.
The 16-second show that this engine powers features a mythical ruby-eyed yōkai creature on the samurai's "kabuto" helmet. It swings aside to reveal the jumping hour. The LV Monogram Flower in one of the eyes changes shape (the alternating pattern can also be seen on the helmet's shikoro protecting the Samurai's neck), and the samurai's mouth opens to reveal the word "Bushido" in Japanese characters between mother-of-pearl teeth.
The hand shaped like a katana sword against a backdrop of Mount Fuji tracks the minutes for the movement's 100-hour power reserve. All of the movement's capabilities were brought out by La Fabrique des Arts, led by master engraver Dick Steenman, who created the rose-gold helmet
It took 120 hours of enamelwork to complete the painting on the dial. The finishing on the case measuring 46.8 mm × 14.4 mm deserves a special mention. These imposing dimensions provide enough space to display masterful engraving on the case's surface and pusher, while still leaving room to spell out "Louis Vuitton."