Hazemann & Monnin Wins the 2026 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives

Introduced in 2024 as a project to encourage independent watchmaking, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has gathered great interest among the watch community, depsite being backed up by the world’s largest luxury conglomerates. A truly interesting initiative in the field of independent and high-end horology, it now a biennial prize that celebrates the creative talent, savoir-faire and audacity. Following the announcement in December of the five finalists and jury members, and after awarding Raúl Pagès and his RP1 Régulateur à Détente watch at the 2024 edition, the LV Watch Prize now gives credit to Hazemann & Monnin and their School Watch for the 2026 edition. 

An initiative coming from one of the world’s largest luxury brands, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives was initiated as a biennial prize that celebrates the creative talent, savoir-faire and audacity of the independent watchmaking industry, to support and encourage artisans and entrepreneurs and accompany future generations. This project, combined with other initiatives such as a collaboration watch between LV and Akrivia, or the recent acquisition of clock manufacturer L’Epée 1839 by LVMH, but also the comeback of two coveted names, Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta, shows the strong interest the Arnault family has in independent watchmaking.

The first edition, which awarded Raúl Pagès and his RP1 Régulateur à Détente timepiece, was a resounding success, drawing more than 1,000 submissions from artisans in 15 countries. As a reminder, the winner of the LV Watch Prize will receive assistance from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton (LFT) in supporting and developing its creative work in the form of personalized support, both technical and financial (EUR 150,000), for 12 months. In addition to watchmaking-related topics and the mentorship of experts from LFT, the winner will also be able to receive pieces of advice related to marketing, industrial strategy or brand development.

For the 2026 edition, the five finalists of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives were:

• Daizoh Makihara and his Beauties of Nature wristwatch
• Fam Al Hut and the Möbius watch
• Victor Monnin and Alexandre Hazemann and their School Watch
• Bernhard Lederer and his Central Impulse Chronometer
• Norifumi Seki and his Fading Hours wristwatch

The jury, composed of Carole Forestier-Kasapi (Haute Horlogerie and Movements Strategy Director at TAG Heuer), Frank Geelen (Founder and Editor-in-Chief of MONOCHROME), Matthieu Hegi (La Fabrique du temps Louis Vuitton Artistic Director), François-Xavier Overstake (Collector and Founder of Equation du Temps) and Kari Voutilainen (Master Watchmaker & owner of the Voutilainen workshops) has delivered its verdict and elected Victor Monnin and Alexandre Hazemann and their School Watch as the winners of the 2026 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.

The project of a young duo of watchmakers, Victor Monnin and Alexandre Hazemann, independent watchmakers since 2024, Hazemann & Monnin has submitted the School Watch, a tribute to the Morteau school of watchmaking, where the watchmakers met. This model is a new interpretation of the Hazemann & Monnin School Watch Prototype, featuring a 39.5mm case and the HM01 calibre, a movement conceived and finished in-house. The calibre showcases two rare complications in synchrony: a passing strike that chimes each hour and an instantaneous jumping hour, which together create a precise and poetic mechanical choreography.

For more details, please visit www.louisvuittonwatchprize.com.