News Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives 2025

Louis Vuitton has announced the expert committee for the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, a biennial award celebrating innovation and craftsmanship in watchmaking. Established in 2022 by Jean Arnault, Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton and the son of Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Group, the prize aims to invite watchmakers, designers, entrepreneurs, recent graduates, and creatives from around the world to showcase their innovative works.

To evaluate these submissions, Louis Vuitton has assembled a diverse panel of prominent industry professionals, including journalists, artisans, artists, collectors, and watch enthusiasts.

The inaugural edition in 2022 attracted over 1,000 entries from artisans across 15 countries. The prize was ultimately awarded to Raúl Pagès for his masterpiece, the "Régulateur à Détente RP1."

Commenting on the success of the first edition, Jean Arnault stated: "Building on the success of the first Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, awarded in February 2024, we are excited to see how independent watchmakers will continue to push creative boundaries and redefine the future of our industry."

The 2025 expert committee comprises an exceptional group of 65 individuals, including leading watchmakers, journalists, collectors, and creatives, each offering unique insights into the evaluation process.

The experts will nominate five members of the final jury from among their peers, who will have the mission of interviewing the five finalists on the day of the award ceremony and selecting the winner of this second edition.

The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize will culminate in a ceremony hosted in Paris in 2026. The winner will receive a grant of €150,000 and a year-long mentorship from La Fabrique du Temps and Louis Vuitton tailored to their needs. A dedicated team of experts will provide guidance and advice in areas such as communication, copyright, marketing, industrial strategy, financial management, and corporate legal aspects. Registration for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize will remain open until April 15, 2025.

Committee of Experts for the Second Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives (in alphabetical order by last name):

1. Ariel Adams – Founder & Owner of aBlogtoWatch
2. Hajime Asaoka – CEO of Precision Watch Tokyo Co. Ltd. & Independent Watchmaker
3. Constance Assor – Vice Editor-in-chief at Le Point
4. George Bamford – Founder of Bamford Watch Department and Bamford London
5. Enrico Barbasini – Master Watchmaker
6. Cara Barrett – Founder, Parchie Inc.
7. Carol Besler – Freelance Journalist - Specializing in Watches & Jewelry
8. Marie Boutteçon – Artistic Director and Watch Designer
9. Robert-Jan Broer – Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Fratello
10. Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud – Master Perfumer
11. Peter Chong – Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Deployant.com
12. Austen Chu – Founder & CEO of Wristcheck
13. Ben Clymer – Entrepreneur, Founder, and Executive Chairman of Hodinkee
14. Adam Craniotes – Founder & President of RedBar Group
15. Simon De Burton – Journalist
16. Frank Declerck – Journalist
17. Zhixiang Ding – Editor-in-Chief, Chronos China and Cultural Council Member, FIHH
18. Elizabeth Doerr – Author and Journalist Specialized in Horology
19. James Dowling – Watch Collector, Author & Journalist
20. Philippe Dufour – Master Watchmaker
21. Antoine Dupont – Rugby Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist
22. Denis Flageollet – Master Watchmaker
23. Carole Forestier Kasapi – Haute Horlogerie & Movements Strategy Director, TAG Heuer
24. Jack Forster – Global Editorial Director, The 1916 Company
25. Nick Foulkes – Author, Journalist, Editor
26. Maxime Frédéric – Pastry Chef at Cheval Blanc Paris
27. Frank Geelen – Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Monochrome Watches
28. Frank Gehry – Architect & Designer
29. Evelyne Genta – Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco
30. Brice Goulard – Editor-in-Chief of Monochrome Watches
31. Danny Govberg – Founder, The 1916 Company
32. Rémi Guillemin – Director of Europe & Americas, Watches Department at Christie’s
33. Matthieu Hegi – Creative Director at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
34. Sam Hines – Global Chairman of Sotheby's Watches
35. Masayuki Hirota – Editor-in-Chief of Chronos Japan and webChronos, Co-founder of DIMA LLC
36. Eddy Jaquet – Watch Engraver
37. Wei Koh – Founder & Group Editorial Director of Revolution & The Rake
38. Eric Ku – Co-Founder of Loupe This
39. Vanessa Lecci – Creative and Independent Artisan Specializing in High Watchmaking, Traditional, and Contemporary Art Enameling
40. Ming Liu – Journalist, Author, Editor - Financial Times, New York Times, Business of Fashion
41. Carine Maillard – Director of the GPHG
42. Serge Maillard – Editor, Europa Star & Co-founder of the Watch Library
43. Auro Montanari – CEO of Aurel Spa and Teko Spa
44. Tim Mosso – Director of Media & Watch Specialist at The 1916 Company
45. Michel Navas – Master Watchmaker
46. Marc Newson – Industrial Designer
47. Mike Nouveau – Vintage Watch Specialist
48. François-Xavier Overstake – Founder of @equationdutemps
49. Raúl Pagès – Master Watchmaker
50. Alfredo Paramico – Family Office Manager
51. Eleonor Picciotto – Watch & Jewelry Journalist
52. Laurent Picciotto – Owner and Manager of Chronopassion in Paris
53. Fanny Queloz – Administrator & Responsible of Métiers d'Arts at Arts & Design Manufacture SA
54. Justin Reis – Chairman & Co-Founder of The 1916 Company, Chairman of De Bethune
55. Rexhep Rexhepi – Master Watchmaker
56. Rose Saneuil – Watch Marquetry Specialist
57. Abdul Hamied Seddiqi – Chairman of Seddiqi Holding
58. Mike Shanlikian – Vice President of Finance - Lear Corporation
59. Dick Steenman – Master Engraver
60. Jiaxian Su – Founder of SJX Watches
61. Michael Tay – Watch Specialist at The Hour Glass
62. Arthur Touchot – Watch Specialist & Author
63. Kari Voutilainen – Master Watchmaker
64. Silas Walton – Founder & CEO of A Collected Man
65. Suzanne Wong – Journalist & Watch Specialist

For more information visit Louis Vuitton Watch Prize or Raúl Pagès official websites.