Here are All the 20 Semi-Finalists for the First Edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives

From hundreds of submissions spanning the globe, 20 semi-finalists have been carefully selected. These talented watchmakers hail from diverse corners of the world, from the traditional watchmaking heartland of Switzerland to far-flung places like China, Finland, Australia, Japan, Canada, and California. 

Jean Arnault, Watch Director at Louis Vuitton, shares his perspective on the semi-finalists, stating, “Watchmaking today belongs to the makers who dare to challenge convention, modernize heritage through innovation, and stay true to a singular vision.”

A Committee of Experts will evaluate based on considerations of various qualitative criteria, including design, creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and technical complexity. In December 2023, Louis Vuitton will reveal the five finalists who will have the opportunity to present their timepieces to the final Jury in Paris.

The winner of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize will be awarded a grant of €150,000. Additionally, they will embark on a journey of mentorship, guided by the experts at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. 

The list is arranged in alphabetical order (by brand).

Andreas Strehler: Tischkalender Sympathique

At first glance, the Tischkalender Sympathique appears as an exquisitely crafted table clock, reminiscent of the grand timepieces that once adorned aristocratic homes. 

While it serves as a functional desk calendar, Strehler’s Tischkalender takes this concept to a new level.

It accommodates a pocket watch that displays the time and integrates it into a perpetual calendar. When the owner leaves the desk, they take the pocket watch with them, and the desk calendar halts. Upon their return, the pocket watch is inserted back into the desk calendar, and it magically adjusts the date, thanks to its mechanical memory.

What sets this masterpiece apart is its foolproof design. It ensures error-free operation, with synchronization only commencing when the pocket watch is correctly inserted. The winding mechanism disengages when the Tischkalender is fully wound.

Auffret Paris: Tourbillon Grand Sport

Auffret Paris unveils the Grand Sport version of their classic tourbillon, which was limited to a series of just four timepieces. At its heart lies the same tourbillon caliber made in the watchmaker’s Parisian atelier.

A distinctive power reserve indicator at 4 o’clock doesn’t measure running hours but rather the torque available. The 41mm steel case boasts circular graining and polishing, supporting a domed sapphire crystal that enhances the watch’s allure.

Barrelhand: Project One

Within the movement of Barrelhand‘s Project One is the world’s first 3D-printed movement bridge that utilizes printed steel at a precision 4x thinner than a human hair.

Its fully 3D-printed assembly offers a mechanical link with the engine, allowing seamless transitions between setting the time and winding the watch. Even the crown release system doubles as an easy access point for engine servicing.

Made in just 10 units, the Project One watch has since been sold out. 

Behrens: Ultralight 11G

Weighing in at a mere 11 grams, Behren‘s Ultralight 11G boasts a movement that’s achieved through meticulous craftsmanship and the strategic use of advanced materials, including aerospace-grade titanium and carbon fiber.

At its core lies the all-new caliber BM02, a manual wind movement that’s designed and developed in-house, powering the bi-retrograde hours and minutes. 

Deprez Horloger: Tourbillon Classique, Souscription Édition

Made in just 10 pieces in stainless steel, Vincent Deprez’s Tourbillon Classique boasts classical proportions with a 39mm case diameter and an openworked dial that displays a 60-second tourbillon.

Deprez himself handcrafts the movement components, including the intricate tourbillon cage, as well as the case and the enamel dials.

Felipe Pikullik: Homage to Harrison One

Felipe Pikullik emerges as a brilliant talent, and his creation, the HTH ‘Homage To Harrison’ was inspired by the 18th-century English master John Harrison, whose marine chronometers revolutionized navigation. The stainless steel watch exhibits sculpted lugs, bezels, and a beautifully polished underside bezel.

These details create a harmonious contrast with the fine brushed finishing around the case’s waist, resulting in a distinguished 41mm timepiece that looks to sit elegantly on the wrist.

Itay Noy: Part Time

From the creative mind of Israeli watchmaker Itay Noy, the Part Time presents time not as an obligation but as a delightful abstraction. The watch dial may appear enigmatic, but here’s what’s going on in its 38mm field.

It abandons the standard hour and minute hands, and instead embraces a mesmerizing rotating disk displaying hours and minutes. The seemingly chaotic arrangement of numbers and colors on the dial challenges the observer’s perception of time. 

John-Mikaël Flaux: L’Abeille Mécanique

The L’Abeille Mécanique features a dial with a translucent honeycomb lattice, reminiscent of a bee’s hive. Within this delicate structure, a mechanical movement is on full display, resembling the industrious activities of bees inside their hive.

The bee’s mechanical clock and its stinger pointing to the time serve as a poignant reminder – time is running out. The artist’s work is not just an ode to harmony but also a stark warning about the precarious state of our natural world.

Khemea: Arkhea

Khemea’s Arkhea is a stunning almost-monochromatic presentation of a calendar watch. Flanking the main hours (against a convex white dial) are the moonphase and the date, the latter a unique presentation without any numbers. 

There are 31 holes in the aventurine disc. A white dot is visible through one of them that indicates what day it is. In increments of five, i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30th drilling, they’re highlighted using polished silver indexes.

Kross Studio: KS 05 Titanium Blue Aventurine

What sets the KS 05 Titanium Blue Aventurine apart is its unique peripheral time display mechanism. Instead of the conventional central hands, the time display orbits the centrally constructed movement.

Standing tall against an aventurine dial is the in-house caliber KS 7’005 with a manual-winding patented floating central tourbillon.

Maison Alcée: Persée Nuit

Instead of Build-a-Bear, Maison Alcée invites you to Build-a-Persée. This innovative timepiece arrives in a curated box containing over 233 components, where one can play watchmaker to assemble it to completion.

The Azur version has been nominated for the Best Mechanical Clock prize in GPHG 2023.

Narbel & Co: Roots

ROOTS, Narbel & Co’s debut timepiece, sports a cushion-style case with a dark monochrome dial. It’s devoid of any branding, save for a distinctive central feature, a textured metallic fingerprint.

Beneath the gently curved sapphire crystal, the German silver dial baseplate is sandblasted and coated with dark gray-black PVD, creating a finely textured matte surface. The veined effect on a panel of 925 silver at the center of the dial is unique to each watch.

Ondřej Berkus: Black Hole Tourbillon

At its core, the Black Hole Tourbillon features a mesmerizing tourbillon mechanism that seemingly defies gravity and floats within the watch.

The tourbillon cage, with its intricate detailing, resembles a cosmic whirlpool, adding an otherworldly dimension to the timepiece.

Oscillon: Fundamentum

Oscillon’s Fundamentum is an extremely classic piece, arguably one of the more minimalistic pieces in this list. Yet, Oscillon’s commitment to perfection is evident in every component.

The Fundamentum was the first watch of the series, made in two dial variations — in a tapisserie pattern dial and the other in “grand feu” enamel. Its clean lines and uncluttered dial exude timeless sophistication, while the innovative use of materials and textures sets it apart as a contemporary masterpiece.

Petermann Bédat: Chronographe Rattrapante

From Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, the Chronographe Rattrapante has been nominated for an accolade in two separate ceremonies, the first being this watch prize, as well as at the upcoming GPHG for the Best Chronograph.

The Ref. 2941, as it is so named, comprises 339 crafted components. Within the 38.6mm platinum case, the watch’s functions include a split-second chronograph function and a jumping minute counter, all of which are operated by a single-pusher chronograph design — an inspiration drawn from pocket watches.

Rául Pagès: Régulateur à Détente RP1

Now this is probably the most minimalistic prize nominee. The Régulateur à détente RP1 is the third timepiece to have come out of Rául Pagès’ atelier, and, like the name suggests, features a regulator display.

The minutes hand dominates the center of the dial, while the hours and seconds are located at 12 and 6 o’clock respectively, the latter in a powder blue counter.

Sarauer Horology: 119C

Over on Sarauer Horology’s Instagram, the 119C has been places. From the Bulgarian mountains to cushy hike spots, one would least expect taking this contemporary dress watch to the outdoors. But who’s to say you can’t?

The entrance to an incoming series, the 119C is a classic manual-wind watch featuring a German silver movement in a stainless steel case. The finishing details, from the hand-turned guilloché on the dial to the grand exhibition through the caseback, we say, don’t sleep on this Canadian build.

Sarpaneva: Lunations Black Ruthenium

The Sarpaneva Lunations Black Ruthenium is at the ready with its lunar calculations. Equipped with the Moonment®️ calibre, it tracks a complete cycle at 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.3 seconds, which means it needs to be adjusted for a single day of error only once every 14,000 years.

It’s also been nominated for the Best Artistic Crafts prize for GPHG 2023.

Simon Brette: Chronomètre Artisans

Simon Brette only debuted his Chronomètre Artisans earlier this year, and already it has garnered a good amount of fanfare — and rightfully so (here he is on the GPHG list for Best Men’s watch). Our resident technical expert, Cheryl Chia, goes knee-deep into Brette’s first release, which you can read about here.

Aptly sized for a watch of this style, the case measures 39mm in diameter and 10.5mm high inclusive of crystal. The subscription series will be produced in zirconium while subsequent production models will be executed in more traditional metals.

Yosuke Sekiguchi Le Locle: Primevère

Yosuke Sekiguchi’s origins are movingly simple: It all began in Tokyo when he stumbled upon a watch movement that needed repair. He fell in love with watchmaking, and the rest is history.

His dream of crafting his own timepiece finally materialized in the form of the “Primevere,” named after the primrose flower symbolizing the beginning of a new season. Its smoothly curved 39.5mm case envelops a Grand Feu enamel dial adorned with spade-shaped hands and a well-proportioned small seconds sub-dial. The watch’s true marvel lies in its case back, offering a captivating glimpse into Sekiguchi’s world, complementing the movement’s elegant architecture.