Louis Vuitton Unveils the Monterey in Green or Black Ceramic, Tribute to the LV II of 1988

Contrary to popular belief, Louis Vuitton’s first watch was not the 2002 Tambour but the earlier Montre LV I and LV II, launched in 1988. Designed by Italian architect Gae Aulenti and produced in collaboration with IWC, these quartz-powered pieces reflected the brand’s travel-oriented identity. With their lug-free, pebble-shaped cases and crowns at 12 o’clock, the LV I and LV II were nicknamed “Monterey” due to an American mispronunciation of the French word montre. Last year, Louis Vuitton revisited the Monterey in a limited edition with a mechanical movement, in a smooth yellow gold case. Today, Louis Vuitton unveils two new permanent references in glossy black and green ceramic cases, a deliberate move that brings the Monterey closer to the original LV II and its groundbreaking ceramic case.

Gae Aulenti, the renowned Italian architect and industrial designer, was selected by Louis Vuitton to design the brand’s debut timepiece. Aulenti brought a more sculptural approach to the table, producing a pebble-shaped, lug-less watch with a crown at noon – reminiscent of pocket watches adapted to the wrist – in two versions. The gold 40mm LV I was a complex, function-packed travel watch, while the smaller, less complicated 37mm LV II featured innovative black or green ceramic cases. Although ceramic is ubiquitous today, in 1988 it was a rara avis. Thanks to Louis Vuitton’s alliance with IWC for its quartz movements, the brand also had access to IWC’s cutting-edge ceramic case technology, introduced in 1986 on the Da Vinci QP.

Inspired by the LV II, the new Monterey Ceramic duet retains the 37mm diameter of the 1988 model, to be compared to the 39mm case of last year’s gold limited edition. Its 11mm case is 2mm thicker than the original quartz model, to accommodate the in-house automatic movement. The steel crown at noon is now wider, with a Clous de Paris grip.

The distinctive pebble-shaped case that has made the watch an iconic design is rendered in glossy, high-tech ceramic, accentuating its curvaceous, sculptural profile. Unlike some ceramic cases made with moulds, this case is crafted from ceramic powder, zirconium oxide and pigments, compressed into a solid block, then sculpted on a three-axis machine to create the pebble shape. The shape is then fired at 1,000°C to achieve the right tone, then ground by hand to refine it before the final hand-polishing treatment.

Available in a green ceramic case with a matching dial, or in a higher-contrast black ceramic case with a white dial, both dials are lacquered and protected by a matte varnish. However, unlike the original, the alarm and date functions have been omitted to create a more pared-down, time-only model. True to the original, the double railway tracks are retained, along with the openworked lacquered syringe-style hands (yellow on the green dial and red on the black), now accompanied by a needle-thin blue seconds hand with a circular openworked counterweight.

Although the movement, developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps, isn’t visible, it’s a refined, compact calibre wound by a central 18k rose gold rotor decorated with V-shaped notches. The hidden movement features sandblasted bridges with micro-sandblasted edges, perlage on the mainplate, polished bevels and colourless jewels. It runs at 4Hz and stores a 45-hour power reserve.

To keep the lug-less pebble design smooth and flowing, Aulenti invented an ingenious strap attachment on the caseback, through which the strap was threaded. Still featured today, the strap disappears under the caseback, creating a seamless, integrated look. Featured in the permanent collection, the new Monterey Ceramic watches retail for EUR 23,000.

More information at louisvuitton.com