New Tambour Spin Time watches: When Louis Vuitton makes the hours spin
Five new timepieces are joining Louis Vuitton’s Spin Time collection. Since its debut in 2009, this three-dimensional display complication has continued to evolve, becoming a true playground for the manufacture’s creative and technical experimentation. From the original Spin Time to the Spin Time Air, the twelve rotating cubes are now reinvented once again through a new series of Tambour watches, which Frank Sans C was quick to discover at La Fabrique des Temps Louis Vuitton in Switzerland during Geneva Watch Days.
Spin Time function, the birth of a cubic hour
At Louis Vuitton, travel is expressed through more than just the Maison’s expertise in trunkmaking craftsmanship. It is also woven into its watchmaking mechanics. Unveiled in 2009 and developed by the master watchmakers at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton — Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini — the Spin Time function offers an original interpretation of the jumping hour. Its inspiration comes from the flap-panel displays found in railway stations and airports, those familiar information boards where details flip in rhythm with departures. Transposed to the wrist, the idea takes on an entirely different dimension: twelve three-dimensional cubes replace the traditional hour hand.
The mechanical principle is based on the instantaneous rotation of two cubes at each change of hour. Arranged around the dial, the twelve satellites successively move through a twelve-hour cycle. Each one features two numbered or unnumbered faces, depending on the model. The minutes, meanwhile, retain a more conventional reading thanks to a central hand.
“It was by observing these displays that we came up with the idea of creating a jumping-hour complication. We wanted to interpret this concept in three dimensions to give it a strong presence on the wrist. The cube was the obvious solution. Then everything else followed.”
Michel Navas, co-founder of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
Behind this three-dimensional display lies a particularly sophisticated mechanism. The exclusive, patented Spin Time system transforms the jumping of hours into a true mechanical ballet. In the earliest generations, the mechanism remained partly concealed beneath the dial. But Louis Vuitton soon sought to reveal what had, until then, remained hidden.
Spin Time takes to the air
With the introduction of the Spin Time Air, the Maison takes another step forward: rather than concealing the mechanism, it decides to reveal it in full. The twelve cubes now appear to float around the movement, seemingly detached from the case. Sandwiched between two sapphire crystals, the automatic calibre appears to hover within the heart of the watch. Yet this open architecture is far more than an aesthetic exercise: it requires rethinking how the various components of the Spin Time are arranged and driven.
As development progressed, the system became even more sophisticated. On the latest Tambour Taiko Spin Time models, the cubes notably feature a curved profile while continuing to operate according to the principle of two elements jumping simultaneously as the hour changes. To ensure the reliability of this operation and facilitate time-setting, Louis Vuitton’s engineers developed a patented Maltese cross gear positioned at the base of each cube. This mechanism allows the indications to be advanced or reversed without risking damage to the movement.
The construction of the Spin Time Air thus becomes a true canvas for creative expression. The Tambour Taiko Spin Time Air Flying Tourbillon offers a spectacular demonstration of this, combining the twelve floating cubes with a flying tourbillon positioned at the centre of the dial. Integrating this second complication requires a complete redesign of the calibre, with the gear train having to be adapted, while the minute hand is repositioned beneath the tourbillon cage, which is hand-crafted in the shape of a Monogram Flower.
With the Spin Time Air Antipode, Louis Vuitton takes the system’s concept even further by combining it with a Worldtimer function. The twelve cubes allow 24 time zones to be read simultaneously: each indicates two cities twelve hours apart, hence the name “Antipode”. Local time is displayed on the central globe, with the minutes indicated by a hand, while a yellow arrow shows the hours. Day/night indications complete this global time display.
The five Tambour Spin Time models
Tambour Spin Time Green
This edition — like the other five — features the so-called “Taiko” case, first presented last year at the latest edition of LVMH Watch Week.
Evoking the great ceremonial drums of Japan, it is distinguished by a more slender profile, framed by a micro-blasted bezel adorned with raised, polished L.O.U.I.S V.U.I.T.T.O.N lettering. Contrasting with the brushed finish of the case middle, the concave sides of the lugs are laser-frosted. Part of the permanent collection, this 39.5 mm Tambour Taiko Spin Time model is crafted in white gold.
The sunburst green dial houses the Spin Time complication with its twelve rotating cubes: one face of each element, in a lighter shade, indicates the current hour, while the others remain in a neutral position. Water-resistant to 100 metres, the timepiece is powered by an in-house automatic calibre with approximately 45 hours of power reserve. Its rose-gold oscillating weight, engraved around the perimeter with stylised “V” motifs, is visible on the back through the sapphire crystal caseback.
€86,000
View the technical specifications of the Tambour Spin Time Green
Tambour Spin Time Australia’s Opal
For the first time, the Tambour is fitted with a 39.5 mm case in 18-carat rose gold, whose warm tones blend with the flamboyant hues of Australian blue opal. Selected for its depth and iridescence, the stone adorns the centre of the dial while also extending between the twelve rotating Spin Time cubes, offering a different visual experience with every change of light. Each watch is also unique, as the opal’s colours and reflections vary from one stone to another.
Surrounding this natural material, the rose-gold hour markers are set with 12 baguette-cut diamonds, while 48 baguette-cut blue sapphires adorn the bezel and a further 20 decorate the lugs. The rose-gold buckle is also set with 14 sapphires. The setting required an immense amount of work, carried out over three days by the specialists at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.
Powered by an automatic calibre comprising 246 components, with a 45-hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, the model displays the hours through its ballet of cubes and the minutes via a central hand. Water-resistant to 100 metres, it is presented on a blue rubber strap that echoes the opal’s deep tones, its surface featuring raised, stylised “V” motifs alternating between matt and polished finishes.
€190,000
View the technical specifications of the Tambour Spin Time Australia’s
Tambour Spin Time Air Blue
The true originality of the Tambour Spin Time Air lies at the heart of the dial. Suspended at the centre of the case, the automatic calibre reveals the twelve rotating cubes within a three-dimensional construction.
Arranged around the movement, they successively form the letters of the name Louis Vuitton. The current hour is highlighted by a contrasting cube, featuring a silver-coloured letter on a white background, while the other eleven have a blue background, the signature colour of the Tambour. This airy architecture does not come at the expense of attention to detail. Each cube alternates satin-brushed and polished surfaces and is topped with a small nail head, a nod to the rivets found on the Maison’s historic trunks. The whole ensemble is housed in a 42.5 mm 18-carat white-gold case, whose visual slenderness is enhanced by a calfskin leather strap matching the dial.
€95,000
View the technical specifications of the Tambour Spin Time Air Blue.
Tambour Spin Time Air Antipode Blue
Twelve cubes to display 24 time zones: this is the ingenuity and originality of this timepiece. Each cube brings together two cities exactly twelve hours apart, located on opposite sides of the globe, hence the term “Antipode”. Los Angeles and Dubai therefore share the same cube, as do New York and Bangkok, or Paris and the Midway Islands. As day turns to night, the cube rotates, reversing their positions. Its background colour makes it possible to distinguish day from night at a glance, a particularly useful indication for travellers.
Local time, meanwhile, is indicated by a yellow hand created using miniature painting, a nod to the signature stitching found on Louis Vuitton leather goods. Behind this intuitive display lies the in-house automatic calibre, which can be adjusted simply via the crown. A mechanical feat that makes it possible to cover the 24 main time zones using just twelve satellites. A reinterpretation of universal time, the watch features a 42.5 mm white-gold case paired with a calfskin leather strap matching the dial.
€120,000
View the technical specifications of the Tambour Spin Time Air Antipode.
Tambour Spin Time Air Flying Tourbillon Salmon
Developed in collaboration with La Fabrique des Cadrans, this salmon-coloured dial is the result of several rounds of colour testing. Its soft hue contrasts with the cool grey of the 42.5 mm platinum case and is echoed by a beige calfskin leather strap. At the heart of the watch, the automatic calibre combines the Spin Time Air display with twelve floating cubes and a central flying tourbillon.
Its assembly required almost 50 hours of work, more than twice as long as that of the other movements in the collection. Its hand-crafted cage, shaped like a Monogram Flower, carries the Maison’s signature codes deep into the movement itself. The platinum case adds a further challenge: more complex to machine and finish than gold, its production requires approximately twice as much time. A timepiece in which the complexity of the decoration is matched by that of the mechanics. Sublime and hypnotic!
€200,000
View the technical specifications of the Tambour Spin Time Air Flying Tourbillon Salmon.
From a simple three-dimensional display of the hours, Spin Time has evolved into a true mechanical playground. By gradually revealing its inner workings and then combining them with increasingly ambitious complications, Louis Vuitton has transformed a spectacular function into a distinctive horological signature in its own right.
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