News Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives 2024

Last year, Jean Arnault, the Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton and son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, announced the inception of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. This biennial prize is open to watchmakers, designers, entrepreneurs, recent graduates, and creatives from around the world. To evaluate their submissions, Louis Vuitton has convened a committee of industry experts who share a passion for watchmaking innovation and creativity. The committee includes specialized journalists, experts, artisans, artists, and collectors.

Louis Vuitton organizers and a commission of international and independent watch experts firstly established a shortlist of twenty semi-finalists based on the following criteria: Design, Creativity, Innovation, Craftsmanship, and Technical complexity.
Now, the expert committee is in the process of selecting the five finalists, and the five-member Jury will conduct the final round of judging. In January 2024, all five finalists for the Louis Vuitton Prize for Independent Creatives will be auditioned by the Jury in Paris.

The winner of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives will receive a grant and a one-year mentorship by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, Which is located in Meyrin, Switzerland, this facility serves as the hub for various crafts contributing to Louis Vuitton watches. Since venturing into watchmaking in 2002, aligning with the brand's enduring passion for travel. Spanning 4,000 square meters, La Fabrique du Temps is a luminous space equipped with both traditional artisanal tools and cutting-edge digital technologies. tailored to the needs of their creative project. A dedicated team will support the winner in multiple aspects, including communication, copyright, corporate legal matters, as well as marketing, industrial strategy, and the financial management of a brand.

And today, Jean Arnault announced the five finalists for the 2024 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. The prize has garnered the interest of well-established members of the independent watchmaking scene, and the five finalists are certainly not newcomers to the watch community. That being said, they are all recognized as extremely talented.

Here’s the list of the five finalists for the 2024 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize:

Petermann Bédat, comprising Gaël Petermann & Florian Bédat, have been independent watchmakers since 2017. They submitted their second creation as a collaborative effort, the Chronographe Rattrapante Reference 2941, to the Prize. This monopusher split-seconds chronograph, crafted in platinum, features a jumping minute counter and an exposed caseback that reveals a meticulously finished movement.

Simon Brette, an independent watchmaker since 2022, has recently unveiled his inaugural timepiece, the Chronomètre Artisans. This watch has been submitted to the LV Watch Prize and has garnered critical acclaim from the jury. The Chronomètre Artisans is a highly intricate time-only piece, featuring a case made of zirconium. It represents a classical embodiment of watchmaking, seamlessly integrating Haute Horology finishes with a top-tier, in-house caliber. For more in-depth information about this watch, you can explore the full article.

John-Mikaël Flaux, an independent watchmaker since 2018, based in Besançon, France, has introduced a captivating piece to the Prize called L’Abeille Mécanique (mechanical bee). This unique creation features an AB-01 movement, manual winding, a dedicated key, carousel movement, and a "stinger" poetics hours indicator.

Andreas Strehler and Enrico Santoni, independent watchmakers since 1995, renowned for their distinctive Papillon watches and, more recently, the Sirna, have chosen to present the Tischkalender Sympathique. This is a mechanical perpetual desk calendar crafted in gilded brass and adorned with lapis lazuli. It includes a "master timekeeper" pocket watch made of Damascus steel with a sapphire crystal. This remarkable timepiece was constructed in 1997.

Raúl Pagès, an independent watchmaker since 2012, entered the competition with his third creation, the RP1 Régulateur à Détente. This notable wristwatch, crafted from stainless steel, features a unique design. It incorporates an in-house caliber with a rare, pivoted detent escapement, showcasing the watchmaker's exclusive design and meticulous craftsmanship.

In addition to the five finalists, the final jury members have been announced. The five individuals selected for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives were nominated by their peers in the Committee of Experts, all sharing a profound passion for the watch industry. The jury will consist of Carole Forestier-Kasapi, the Movements Director at TAG Heuer; Auro Montanari, also known as John Goldberger, a prominent watch collector; Rexhep Rexhepi, the Founder of Atelier Akrivia and an independent watchmaker; Jiaxian Su, a Singapore-based journalist and the founder of SJX Watches; and Michael Tay, the President of the jury and group managing director of The Hour Glass.

For more information, please visit Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.