Louis Vuitton Cuts 80% of Watch Lineup to Prioritize Upscaling
The French luxury label also introduced a new Tambour watch with a fivefold-factor price increase.
Louis Vuitton is looking to shift its approach to watchmaking, cutting 80% of its existing product lineup to focus on upscaling its forthcoming products, per WWD.
The move will be completed in September with the release of a new Tambour timepiece, which will feature a three-hand design based on the brand’s original construction. The most notable change, however, is the model’s price point, which is increasing by a fivefold figure.
“It’s not a revolution for the market, but it’s a revolution for us because of everything we are retiring and a new price point. On the scale of the brand it’s a small gamble, but for Louis Vuitton watches, it’s truly a radical change,” Jean Arnault, Louis Vuitton’s director of watches, told the outlet. “Going from a 4,000 euro price average to the 20,000-and-up range in one go is a daring gamble. It’s true that we have a lot of unknowns in doing this.”
The French luxury house will downsize its more-than-100-strong roster of watches to just 20 active references, which will include a selection of women’s timepieces, the Tambour Horizon Light Up watch, the Tambour Street Diver and five new Tambour designs.
Per Arnault, the company’s decision to shrink its watch product offerings is an effort to showcase the brand’s unwavering commitment to crafting high-end timepieces. “Our goal is not to put a watch on everyone’s wrist. It’s to ensure that our historical collectors, our brand aficionados can recognize themselves in a more entry-level high-end watchmaking piece,” he added.
Louis Vuitton stopped the production of its canceled timepieces 18 months ago to prepare for this shift. New models, including the new 40mm Tambour watch, will not reach stores until September.
Notably, the unisex timepiece will arrive in two steel colorways, which will both be listed for €19,500 EUR, as well as steel-gold, solid 18-karat yellow gold and rose gold options. Take a first look at the design in the gallery above.
Elsewhere, OMEGA and Swatch returned with the Strawberry Moon MoonSwatch.
