Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Louis Vuitton Tambour High-End Yellow Gold Onyx & Platinum Rainbow
A drum roll for the new gem-set versions of the Tambour.
The drum-shaped Tambour watch of 2002, Louis Vuitton’s first foray into high-end watchmaking, underwent a sea change in 2023 to become a player in the luxury sports watch sector. Equipped with an integrated bracelet and slimmed down, the new Tambour has appeared in sporty stainless steel and luxurious gold cases. Alongside the release of the 2025 ceramic and rose gold version, Louis Vuitton unveils two high-end gem-set models, one in yellow gold with onyx and sapphires and a second iteration in platinum with multi-coloured rainbow sapphires.
Like existing Tambour models in steel and gold, the 40mm case has a slim height of 8.3mm, an essential ingredient on the luxury sports watch checklist. While the case strays from the usual suspects with their angular, masculine silhouettes, the rounded drum-shaped profile of the original Tambour – wider at the base and slimmer on top – has been respected. One detail of the Tambour that has been left out in these high-end versions is the 12 letters of Louis Vuitton engraved in relief, now replaced with precious gemstones.
Another tell-tale ingredient of high-end luxury sports watches is the level of finishings. In this department, the Tambour excels with its silky smooth brushed surfaces and contrasting polished details, like the slim bezel opening on the dial and the middle links and bevels on the integrated, highly flexible bracelet.
The 18k yellow gold version, with its inspired combination of gold and saffron sapphires, deserves a drum roll reception. The saffron baguette-cut sapphires set on the bezel and dial echo the colour scheme of a Louis Vuitton trunk from 1911, known as the Vuittonite.
Marking a first for the Tambour collection, Louis Vuitton incorporates an inky black Brazilian onyx stone on the dial. The sleek reflective surface belies the difficulty involved in cutting the stone and inserting it seamlessly inside the split-level chapter rings with their drilled indentations to house the hour markers and 5-minute markers. The hours are indicated by 11 baguette-cut sapphires, matching the ribbon of 48 baguette-cut sapphires set in the bezel. The small, lacquered seconds counter at 6 o’clock is slightly recessed with white markings, and the yellow gold hour and minute hands have hand-applied Super-LumiNova.
The second high-end Tambour comes in a platinum case – another first for the collection – and shares identical specifications and finishes to the yellow gold reference. However, platinum is significantly more difficult to machine and finish and takes more time to produce than the gold version. In contrast to the platinum, the bezel and indices are set with rainbow-coloured sapphires in a perfect gradient. To achieve this stunning graduated effect, each model is set with 59 baguette-cut corundum gemstones (rubies and sapphires belong to the corundum family) sourced from Sri Lanka and Mozambique. The hours are represented by 11 baguette-cut gradient sapphires and indicated by white gold hands with luminescent tips. The silver opaline dial displays different finishes with a vertically brushed centre and a snailed small seconds counter.
Both models are equipped with the automatic calibre LFT023 designed by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps and produced in collaboration with Le Cercle des Horlogers. Powered by a 22k rose gold micro-rotor, the barrel ensures a 50-hour power reserve for the three-hand movement, which is chronometer-certified by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory. The barrel is opened in the shape of an LV monogram flower, while the micro-rotor is engraved with a stylized LV tapisserie.
The Tambour Yellow Gold Onyx is a limited edition of 30 pieces and retails for EUR 130,000; the Platinum Rainbow is limited to 50 pieces and retails for EUR 150,000. More information at louisvuitton.com.
