Louis Vuitton’s new Tambour watches feature a Samurai and astronaut

Louis Vuitton has debuted two new watches in its Tambour collection – and they might be the boldest timepieces from the brand to date. Both watches feature 3D colourful dials, intricate complications and premium materials, and they’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

Louis Vuitton first launched the Tambour watch back in 2002, but after it acquired La Fabrique du Temps in 2011, the brand started to expand the collection with in-house movements and bolder designs. The two new Tambour watches are the perfect example of that, as not only have they got movements that took hundreds of hours to make, but their dials are some of the most dramatic and intricate I’ve seen.

The first new launch is the Tambour Bushido Automata, a watch inspired by Japan that pays homage to its art, culture and history. More specifically, the Tambour Bushido Automata is a tribute to the ancient Samurai which takes up the majority of the dial and even has its own animations to change the expression on the Samurai’s mask.

TheTambour Bushido Automata is powered by the LV 525 manual-winding calibre which took 180 hours to assemble and has a 100 hour power reserve. When you push the button on the right side of the case, the automata mechanism is activated which causes the yokai symbol to swing to the side to show the jumping hour as inscribed on the Samurai’s helmet.

Additionally, a katana sword sits underneath a painting of Mount Fuji and a retrograde display which also moves to point to the minutes. The right eye of the Samurai also changes from a round LV Flower into a pointed one, and its mouth opens to show ‘Bushido’ in Japanese characters between the mother-of-pearl teeth.

The second new Tambour watch is the Tambour Taiko Galactique, which is slightly less bold than the Tambour Bushido Automata, but still has striking colours and animations. As you may be able to tell by the name, the Tambour Taiko Galactique shows an astronaut and satellite in space with the stars and Earth as a backdrop.

Powered by the LFT AU14.02 mechanical calibre and minute repeater movement, the Tambour Taiko Galactique has a cathedral gong that chimes on demand for the hours, quarter hours and minutes. The dial is made using four enamel techniques, including the champleve technique which makes the astronaut look like it's floating.

Unlike the Tambour Bushido Automata, the Tambour Taiko Galactique has hour and minute hands that sit atop the colourful dial. Aside from the astronaut which holds an LV branded flag, a gold sun sits at the 12 o’clock position while two diamond studded stars sit at five and seven o’clock.

The Tambour Bushido Automata and Tambour Taiko Galactique by Louis Vuitton are two of the most intricate watches I’ve ever seen. Due to the lengthy manufacturing process, pricing is available on request.