Luxury trunk maker and luggage juggernaut, Louis Vuitton has been making fine luggage and suitcases since 1854. Because of the company’s long and proud history, tradition is a valuable word in the house of LV, but that has not stopped them from becoming extremely innovative, modern and creative.
Tambour in Black LV277Always the trendsetter, Louis Vuitton has been careful to progressively expand with a range of luxury products that are consistent with the brand’s core values. In 1892, for example, the company needed to grow and expanded into the much faster paced handbag market. In 1997, the enigmatic designer Marc Jacobs joined the firm as Artistic Director and with that “acquisition” the company, already steeped in heritage and tradition, opened its doors and began offering a line of leather goods, ties, ready-to-wear lines for men and women, pens, men’s and women’s shoes, jewelry; and in 2002 made the move to haute horlogerie and began offering precious watches.
Rich in paradox, contrasts and seeming opposites, Louis Vuitton continues to astonish us a century and a half after the company’s founding. The latest industrial methods and the newest advances in technology has moved the company from it’s simple French origins, and thanks to the skills of exacting professionals who retain the time-honored values and savoirfaire of true artisans, the company has become an international enterprise and is considered one of the leading luxury brands of the world.
Despite the short time Louis Vuitton has been considered a watchmaker, the company has produced some very distinct and mentionable products over the last few years. Rich with high quality appointments, each product is embellished with the 12 letters of Louis Vuitton encircling the case, while the case back is engraved with the Louis Vuitton flower signet.
One of the many timepieces of note among the Louis Vuitton collections is the Tambour GMT Alarm Automatic, which strikes a rather sporty pose with a mechanical alarm and which displays a second time zone. Water resistant to 100 meters, it comes in a white gold 18k case, sapphire crystal and a transparent back through which one can view the inner working of the mechanism in all its decorated grandeur. Another timepiece is the Tambour Chronograph Automatic with an automatic movement. Again, water 
Tambour in Black GMT Automaticresistant to 100 meters, this timepiece is both functional and versatile. Featuring 3 sub-dials, this chronometer sports a 41.5 mm case with a black face, a sapphire crystal case and an alligator strap; all with the dial available in different colors. Last but not least is the Tambour Large Quarts; featuring a date and an end of battery life indicator, this watch is as sleek as it is elegant. With a generous 39.5 mm case and pared-down design, this watch has a timelessly elegant style. Its steel case and silver-colored dial are complemented by its light, flexible steel link bracelet. The date is located at 3 o’clock and the sapphire glass has a reflection-proof coating. Water resistant to 100 meters as well, the Tambour Large is available with straps of alligator (grey, camel, brown, yellow, sandy, or black), brown or black calf, or natural cowhide.
In 2006, Louis Vuitton launched the special Tambour in Black timepiece, a “digital analogical” chronograph inspired by the world of automobiles. Resembling the “aesthetic codes of a wheel”, the dial was a decidedly sportier departure from the somber and classic subtlety that characterized the rest of the Tambour line. Combining a contemporary design and high performances, Louis Vuitton calls the Tambour in Black “the watch of the modern traveller”; but what sets this watch apart is the black dial with green digital display that shows the date and a second time zone, which is activated by applying pressure on the crown. With a highly polished 41.5 mm case and a rubber strap embossed with the Damier pattern, the Tambour in Black just screams sophisticated elegance.
2008 saw the emergence of the next step in the Tambour in Black evolution, the new Tambour in Black: Black Force collection. Available since November of last year, this new collection shows the company at the height of innovation. The black force process is an exclusive application in which steel is blackened and then strengthened, making it four times tougher than conventional steel. All the watches in the range are water resistant to 100 meters; they all also feature reflection proof sapphire glass, which is all the better to highlight the luminescent dial hands, all of which are coated with superluminova.
The first timepiece in the Black Force collection is the Tambour in Black LV277. With its exclusive LV277 calibre movement, this Tambour in Black Chronograph fuses exceptional performance with elegant design. 
Tambour in Black Quartz Diamonds MTaking off from the original Tambour in Black motif, the new Black Chronograph takes the “black look” to a sophisticated new level. Looking even more like an F1 driver’s watch now, the newly blackened case with Black Force technology is now a very generous 44 mm, while the black lacquered dial with its three sub-dials for seconds, minutes and hours at 3, 9 and 6 o’clock respectively, juxtapose the even numbered Arabic roman numerals in their individualized platinum colored compartments, while the date display is at an interesting 4:30 location. The Tambour in Black LV277 is paired with a natural rubber strap embossed with the exclusive Damier pattern connected to the watch with lugs that feature a high tech feel and design which are also spread throughout the entire Black Force range.
The Tambour in Black GMT Automatic is the second watch from the new Black Force Collection. Fusing luxury with contemporary design and cutting-edge technology, the new Black GMT 41.5 mm case is again infused with the exclusive Black Force technology wherein the steel is blackened and hardened making it four times stronger than regular steel. An exclusive automatic GMT movement sees the 24 time zones arranged around the inner ring of the dial; the needed time zone is then chosen with a dedicated yellow-arrowed hand that points to the specific time zone required.
This leads us to the lady of the range: the Tambour in Black Quartz Diamonds M. Looking every bit a ladies watch, the case is a diminutive 34.15 mm with the “M” standing for Medium sized. Merging ultimate luxury, sophisticated design and high technology, the Black Force empowered steel contrasts with the glitter of 138 brilliant cut diamond totalling 1.13 carats that pave the horns and dial. Inside, the Tambour in Black Quartz Diamonds beats to a quartz movement, while, as in the rest of the range, the natural rubber strap is still present but this time the embossed Damier pattern is replaced with an embossed LV Monogram pattern, all the more to highlight the contrasting masculine, femininity of the watch.
With these three new watch models, the Tambour in Black - Black Force Collection is set to catapult Louis Vuitton into the rarefied heights of traveller watches.