News Louis Vuitton Reveals the Nominees for the 2025 Watch Prize for Independent Creatives

Louis Vuitton has announced the five finalists and the five jury members for the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, which will be awarded on March 24, 2026. Following the inaugural edition “won by Raúl Pagès” La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton continues to host this biennial prize celebrating the creativity, savoir-faire, and audacity of independent watchmaking.

The 2025–2026 edition attracted a significant number of submissions from across the globe. From these, 20 semi-finalists were shortlisted and evaluated by a Committee of Experts comprising 65 watch enthusiasts, industry professionals, and collectors worldwide. Each timepiece was assessed according to five criteria: Design, Creativity, Innovation, Craftsmanship, and Technical Complexity.

“Since the launch of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, our admiration for the dynamism of independent watchmaking has continued to grow. These artisans create truly audacious timepieces, uniting extraordinary technical mastery with the boldness to challenge convention, and in doing so, they push the very boundaries of what is possible. As we celebrate this year’s finalists, I also want to thank the entire watchmaking community for the enthusiasm and support behind this initiative. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the members of the expert committee. The future looks promising, and we’re excited to see what’s next,”

said Jean Arnault, Watch Director at Louis Vuitton.

The winner will be announced during an exclusive and prestigious ceremony held that evening. The prize includes a €150,000 grant and a one-year bespoke mentorship program, tailored to the winner’s creative project and led by experts from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and Louis Vuitton.

Finalists 2025–2026 (Listed in alphabetical order)

Daizoh Makihara Watchcraft (Japan)

Daizoh Makihara – Beauties of Nature

Independent watchmaker since 2017

The one-of-a-kind Beauties of Nature wristwatch features an automatic petal mechanism that opens and closes while operating across dual time scales: a 24-hour display at 10 o’clock and a 12-hour display at 2 o’clock, each following its own cycle and closing at predetermined intervals. The hand-wound DM02 movement incorporates a perpetual moon-phase accurate to one day’s deviation in 122 years. In a world first, the dial is crafted using Edo Kiriko, the traditional Japanese cut-glass technique, depicting “White-eye and Cherry Blossoms” with hand-engraved hemp leaf patterns on both the dial and case back. The white gold case measures 42mm in diameter, and the movement runs at 18,000 vibrations per hour.

Fam Al Hut

Xinyan Dai – Möbius

Independent watchmaker since 2024

The Möbius is a mechanical, manual-winding wristwatch featuring the most compact bi-axis tourbillon conceived to date. Named after the infinite loop defining its structure, the timepiece balances paradox and poetry: one half of the watch houses a Möbius-shaped tourbillon cage rotating on two axes, while the other replaces the traditional dial with an original combination of double retrograde displays and a jumping hour mechanism—an unprecedented mechanical achievement. Measuring 42.2mm × 24.3mm, this lug-free design requires more than 200 hours of handcraftsmanship.

We have previously discussed the watch in detail in this article.

Hazemann & Monnin

Victor Monnin and Alexandre Hazemann – School Watch

Independent watchmakers since 2024

A tribute to the historic Morteau school of watchmaking, the School Watch is a contemporary reinterpretation of the Hazemann & Monnin original. It features a 39.5mm case housing the HM01 calibre, a movement entirely conceived, manufactured, and finished in-house without relying on existing architecture. The calibre combines two rare complications in perfect synchrony: a passing strike that chimes the hours and an instantaneous jumping hour, together creating a precise and poetic mechanical choreography.

Lederer

Bernhard Lederer – CIC 39 mm Racing Green

Independent watchmaker since 1985

The CIC 39 Racing Green presents the first fully functional dual detent escapement in a wristwatch. Its movement features twin escapements and dual remontoirs d’égalité, ensuring constant-force energy transmission. Visible through the sapphire case back, the 212-component movement reveals double gear trains and constant-force mechanisms, while the sanded matte dial showcases the patented escapement alongside layered sub-dials with inverted seconds. The 39mm case measures 10.75mm in thickness, and the COSC-certified movement is 98% manufactured in-house.

Quiet Club

Norifumi Seki – Fading Hours

Independent watchmaker since 2024

Designed and handcrafted in Tokyo, the Fading Hours wristwatch features a mechanical movement made almost entirely in-house and introduces a first-of-its-kind alarm system. A vertically mounted hammer strikes the dial itself to produce sound, operated via a mono-pusher that controls all alarm functions. A rotating bezel sets the alarm time, while the dedicated alarm hour and minute hands remain concealed beneath the timekeeping hands when not in use. The 40mm titanium case measures 44mm lug-to-lug and is just 12mm thick, while the manual-wind movement offers a 50-hour power reserve.

On March 24, 2026, the five finalists will present their projects to a jury of five members at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

About the Jury

The jury members for the 2025–2026 edition were nominated by their peers within the Committee of Experts. They are:

Carole Forestier-Kasapi, President of the Jury, Haute Horlogerie and Movements Strategy Director at TAG Heuer

Frank Geelen, Journalist, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Monochrome Watches

Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton

François-Xavier Overstake, Watch enthusiast, Founder and Editor of Équation du Temps

Kari Voutilainen, Master Watchmaker and owner of the Voutilainen workshops

For more information please visit Louis Vuitton Watch Prize