LOUIS VUITTON has just unveiled the shortlist and jury panel for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.
The five finalists will be presenting their timepieces to the chosen jury on the 6th of February 2024, where the winner will be selected and announced at a celebration ceremony which will take place that evening.
Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives
With over 1000 submissions, 20 semi-finalists were selected and submitted to a panel of 45 watch experts, where they were analysed according to a criteria brief following design, creativity, innovation, craftsmanship and technical complexity.
The final five applicants who were shortlisted were as follows, Petermann Bédat — Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat — who presented their timepiece titled the Chronographe Rattrapante, which merges traditional watchmaking with modernism. Simon Brette was shortlisted for his watch project titled, Chronometre Artisans, which brings a neo-classism to watchmaking and John-Mikaël Flaux for his project, L’Abeille Mécanique, a silver and gold uniquely crafted bee timepiece.
Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives
The duo Andreas Strehler and Enrico Santoni were also selected as part of the five finalists with the presentation of their project, the Tischkalender Sympathique, a time object which features a master timekeeper pocketwatch crafted from Damascus steel and sapphire crystal. Concluding the shortlist is Raúl Pagès with his timepiece, The RP1 – Régulateur à détente, a manual winding wristwatch materialised from stainless steel, featuring a distinctive structure.
Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives
As for the jury, the chosen board members are Carole Forestier-Kasapi — Movements Director at Tag Heuer in Neuchâtel, Auro Montanari — the distinguished watch collector, watchmaking expert and writer, Rexhep Rexhepi — Founder of Atelier Akrivia, Jiaxian Su — a freelance journalist specialising in watches and founder of SJX Watches and Michael Tay — president of the jury and Group Managing Director of The Hour Glass.
”The Louis Vuitton Watch prize exists because we believe that the future of watchmaking belongs to the dreamers and rule-breakers who meet the highest standards of craftsmanship. I would like to congratulate our five finalists- in your hands, the horizon for Independent Watchmaking is looking very bright indeed.” — Jean Arnault, Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton.
by Nicole Pereira