n the occasion of the recent LVMH Watch Week in Milan, Louis Vuitton confirmed the continued rise of its watchmaking division. A strategic strengthening of Haute Horlogerie through the Escale Worldtime and Minute Repeater, as well as a new original complication on the Twin Zone, the expansion of the Gérald Genta brand (with a new Time Only collection) and Daniel Roth, all made possible by the growing capabilities of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in Geneva.

For Louis Vuitton, the objective is to establish its watchmaking firmly and permanently in the high-end segment. The Escale collection is enriched with emblematic complications, including a spectacular platinum Worldtime powered by a new La Fabrique du Temps caliber and adorned with hand-painted miniature city indicators for 24 destinations, always in keeping with the spirit of travel. It also introduces a new Twin Zone.

The Escale collection is being highlighted by Louis Vuitton at the start of this year: here, the new Escale Worldtime Tourbillon, now featuring flags crafted in grand feu enamel, while a central flying tourbillon animates the heart of the dial.

At the same time, the brands relaunched under the aegis of La Fabrique du Temps continue to structure themselves. Gérald Genta consolidates its territory with the introduction of the Geneva Time Only, a refined piece integrated into the permanent collection, while Daniel Roth deepens its renaissance with the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton, an architectural demonstration of mechanical purity.

Europa Star met with Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, Michel Navas, master watchmaker and co-founder of La Fabrique du Temps, and Alexia Genta, who is involved in developing the brand bearing her father’s name. Together, they detail the thinking behind these three methodical resets.

The Louis Vuitton Escale Twin Zone enables efficient management of time zones with 30- and 45-minute offsets, as found in certain specific regions. The two sets of hands are mounted on a single axis, a novel architecture in GMT watches.

Europa Star: The Escale is making a strong comeback in Louis Vuitton’s collections this year, but the “reset” of the Maison’s watchmaking truly began with the Tambour in 2023. How did this move upmarket unfold, toward the Haute Horlogerie we are seeing this year?

Matthieu Hegi: We had to start again from a pillar. The Tambour is the icon, Louis Vuitton’s most recognizable watch. We chose to carry out this watchmaking “reset” by beginning with it. It was a strong decision: to return to the essentials, rework the emblematic piece, reposition it, and elevate it. The idea was to methodically rebuild the pillars of our collections. Because the Tambour does not stand alone. We have relaunched other foundations: the Escale, which indeed appears in several iterations this year, and also the reissue of the Monterey last year… We are not working on everything simultaneously. We tackle each subject one after another, in order to build a coherent and lasting brand proposition.

The Twin Zone features the addition of an independently adjustable minute hand, enabling precise, minute-by-minute setting across all global time zones, including those with non-standard offsets. The solid hands indicate local time, while the skeletonized hands display home time.

The Escale Twin Zone’s innovative functionality is powered by the LFT VO 15.01, a new in-house caliber developed at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. Developing a movement with four hands mounted on a single axis presented a unique challenge: unlike a conventional GMT display, the Twin Zone’s architecture requires the technical coordination of a fourth hand, demanding extremely precise adjustment.

Speaking of the Monterey, which made quite an impression last year, is it destined to become a lasting pillar?

Michel Navas: For me, it’s obvious. The Monterey is not just a one-off edition; it is intended to become a pillar. If we look at the bigger picture, we could speak of four “legs of the table” at Louis Vuitton: the Tambour, the Escale, the Monterey, and also the Voyager. These are strong, coherent architectures on which we can build over time.

Following the launch in 2025 of two platinum models adorned with turquoise and malachite, the Escale is now offered in a 40 mm version limited to 30 pieces, featuring a tiger’s eye ring carved from a single homogeneous block, encircling a dial crafted from the same ornamental stone.

Is this move upmarket a clearly defined strategic decision?

Matthieu Hegi: Yes, it is a very clear decision: to reposition all of Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking. We have been working in this direction for four years now, under Jean Arnault’s leadership. We are fortunate to have an extraordinary tool in La Fabrique du Temps in Geneva, with in-house expertise, métiers d’art serving the Group’s various brands, movement development with Michel and Enrico… We have access to the finest craftsmen. We can produce exceptional case finishing in-house, develop guilloché and enamel dials, integrate métiers d’art. All of this allows us to raise the bar, both in terms of watchmaking content and finishing.

With this Camionnette, a new exceptional creation distinguished by its subtle detailing, Louis Vuitton further enriches its Objets du Temps category.

Not to mention the horological objects developed with L’Épée…

Matthieu Hegi: Yes, there is a real desire to develop this universe of exploration. With L’Épée, we remain within the DNA of travel: hot-air balloon, van… The idea is to present one major piece per year. It enriches the Louis Vuitton universe with spectacular yet coherent objects.

How do you approach Daniel Roth?

Matthieu Hegi: At Daniel Roth, design interventions are very restrained. His style is clearly defined; it is a stylistic “highway.” Of course, we can make adjustments. But the essential element is the watchmaking substance. We start with mechanical content, with technical legitimacy. The design serves that purpose.

The Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton, an openworked version of one of Daniel Roth’s most iconic creations. A milestone in the brand’s revival, going beyond faithful reinterpretation, as the Extra Plat was never skeletonized during the era when Mr. Roth founded the brand.

Based on the DR002, the DR002SR reinterprets the original architecture with newly shaped bridges and mainplates, designed to accommodate an openworked construction.

And what about Gérald Genta?

Matthieu Hegi: It is almost the opposite case! Genta was extraordinarily prolific. The logic is different: Genta himself was a designer; he commissioned his movements and designed around them. We respect that approach. But the risk today would be to get lost in that aesthetic diversity. When we began working on Daniel Roth, we could sum up his spirit in five words. For Genta, we had forty! That shows the richness, but also the potential dispersion. So we chose to narrow the field and lay solid foundations: the Oursin, the Gentissima, and the Geneva this year.

The best tribute to Genta is not to copy Genta, but to be creative – his wife Evelyne herself told us so. She encouraged us to move in that direction. At the beginning, we were almost lost in the sheer volume of archives. When I went to see her with my sketches, Evelyne would say: “It’s very beautiful, it’s exactly what Gérald would have done… for another brand.” A subtle way of making me understand that I needed to go back to my drawing board! It was a fundamental lesson: not to reproduce, but to create in the spirit.

Geneva is the new Time Only collection from Gérald Genta. Neither round nor square, the versatile 38 mm cushion-shaped case, with its signature gadroons, houses a two-part dial that creates multiple optical illusions. The outer segment follows the case’s distinctive shape, while the inner segment is perfectly circular.

But how do you avoid simple reissues?

Matthieu Hegi: Let’s take the Oursin. Historically, it existed as a round piece with beads forged from a single block of gold. We designed a subtly octagonal version, with applied beads. Many people think the watch is round: it’s an optical illusion. We were able to do what Gérald Genta could not technically achieve at the time. We could have developed multiple variations, but one must know how to exercise restraint. The Geneva goes even further: it has the Genta spirit, but for the first time, it is not based on one of his existing models. Here again, the railway track is an optical illusion, making the watch appear round.

The result of a collaboration within the LVMH Group, the Gérald Genta Geneva Time Only is equipped with the Zenith Elite GG-005P automatic movement.

Michel, many master watchmakers of your generation have founded their own brands. Yet you have remained loyal to La Fabrique du Temps with your long-time partner Enrico Barbasini. Michel Navas: We do not want to change our lives. We do not want to do “business.” It’s simple: we want to be at the bench. That is where we are at our best. We are fortunate to have the conditions that allow us to continue working this way.

Entirely crafted, assembled and decorated within the Geneva workshops of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton: the Tambour Convergence Guilloché.

And you, Matthieu, what was your path before joining La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton?

Matthieu Hegi: I worked for a decade as a designer at Piaget, then I had the choice of setting up a studio with multiple clients, or remaining independent with a few privileged partners. When you are on your own and independent, you cannot manage more than three major clients. I have always had three, including Louis Vuitton. In a way, I am still independent, since today I design for Louis Vuitton, Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta! More seriously, we enjoy real freedom in design, just as Michel and Enrico have freedom in movement construction.

But I must insist on one point: I am not the only designer; Jean Arnault is also involved. Our working method is far from protocol-driven, because ideas can emerge at any time. I clearly remember the birth of the Twin Zone. Jean came to see me after a meeting, in a corridor: “We could do a Dual Time, with four hands. We need to work in quarter-hours for Australia!” We are a small working unit within a gigantic Maison. And creative energy can sometimes be difficult to channel. In the evening, it takes me an hour to come down! We always want to go faster, further…

(Alexia Genta, Gérald Genta’s daughter, joins us during the conversation held in the Louis Vuitton flagship boutique in Milan during LVMH Watch Week – we take the opportunity to ask her a question.)

Alexia, you work within the foundation that preserves and promotes your father’s heritage, but also more directly with La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton on the brand bearing his name. What is your role?

Alexia Genta: I regularly come to Geneva and we work extensively on the brand’s codes. To echo what Matthieu just said, we are a very small team, so there is no formal process. The door is always open. The idea is to create, not to recreate. There is a true “Geneva spirit” within La Fabrique du Temps, open to the world!

Matthieu Hegi: It would be unthinkable to launch a piece that Evelyne and Alexia found inconsistent!

Finally, we must mention the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize awarded to the best independent watchmakers, whose first edition made a strong impression. The second edition will soon take place. Michel, you know the status of independent watchmaker well. Why was this initiative important in your view?

Michel Navas: Independent watchmakers are the ones who move us forward. They make us dream. The Prize is a human and intelligent idea – we all thank Jean for this initiative! It shines a light where it is needed, on creative artisans. But I must also thank our clients, who follow us in our “mad ideas.” We operate within a Maison that gives us creative freedom, but our clients also have to follow us. That is precious.