One thing interesting about the finalists of the second Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, held just days ago on March 24, is that the two strongest “young finalists” with genuine watchmaking background had already been recognized as winners of the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition. This goes to show you how important Journe’s initiative is for talent-spotting watchmaking stars of the future. But considering the insane bad-assery of the Journe competition’s jury — including Giulio Papi, Philippe Dufour, Andreas Strehler, Michael Tay, Elizabeth Doer and F.P. Journe himself — that’s hardly surprising.

Hazemann & Monnin’s School Watch, the winner of the 2025-2026 edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize.

Alexandre Hazemann receiving the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition award in 2023, alongside Michael Tay and François-Paul Journe.

From Journe Young Talents to the LV Watch Prize: Bringing Independent Watchmakers to the Forefront

So, which two LV Watch Prize finalists were former winners of the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition? The first is Norifumi Seki, who won the prize in 2020 at the age of 23 for a pocket watch with a spherical moon and drum calendar. And while we have seen three-dimensional moonphase indicators before from the likes of Denis Flageollet and Paul Gerber, the overall design of Seki’s pocket watch was particularly striking. It expressed a highly unique, personal and beautiful design language that was both a tribute to 18th-century European watchmaking and something entirely his own. A spectacular display of guilloché decorated the dial in a circular pattern, counterpointed by large-format Clous de Paris for the minute and seconds of the regulator display. On either side of the massive three-dimensional moonphase at 6 o’clock were the two apertures for the vertical calendar display — month on the left and date in the right window. Hands were flame-blued and arrow-tipped and yet, despite all these nostalgic elements, the watch felt remarkably modern.

Norifumi Seki won the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition in 2020 at the age of 23 for a pocket watch with a spherical moon and drum calendar.

The second finalist is Alexandre Hazemann, who won the Journe competition in 2023. Together with Victor Monnin, his buddy and classmate at the Lycée Edgar Faure de Morteau, he created a charming wristwatch with a sonnerie en passage and an instantaneous jumping-hour display. Little would Hazemann and Monnin realize that, three years later, they would do horological battle together for the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, founded by Jean Arnault.

Alexandre Hazemann won the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition in 2023. Together with Victor Monnin, he created a charming wristwatch with a sonnerie en passage and an instantaneous jumping-hour display.

Arnault created this prize to discover and nurture the next generation of independent watchmaking talent. And today, his initiative has proven remarkably prescient. Currently, we have a massive bifurcation of the luxury watch market: the growing brands are giants in their own right, each representing a gold standard in a specific category — Rolex is the leader in sports watches, Cartier is the leader in elegant-shaped watches, Patek Philippe is the leader in complications, and Audemars Piguet is the leader in horological audacity. Meanwhile, a new generation of young independent watchmakers, such as Rémy Cools, Théo Auffret and Simon Brette, has captured the imagination of collectors with their deeply personal approach to horology. And so there has never been a time when young independent watchmaking has been sexier. To me, the creativity these young voices generate is vital. Rolex’s mighty CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour said at his Dubai Watch Week keynote last year, “Even the smallest brand can bring an important impulse of energy and creativity.”

A Game-Changing Award for Young Watchmakers

Winning the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize can take a watchmaker from a cult secret to a horological household name. Just ask the winner of 2024’s inaugural edition, Raúl Pagès, who gained victory for his spectacular chronometer with detent escapement. He says, “Winning this award changed my life completely. I went from worrying if I could sell enough watches to stay in business, to being interviewed by the New York Times.”

Raúl Pagès’ chronometer with detent escapement.

Pagès, who has joked about his crying when his name was called, explains, “I got quite emotional because it really made me think of all the hard times and struggles trying to realize the watch. I remember trying over and over to get the length of the detent right, and I just couldn’t find the solution. I remember even crying in frustration, and it’s funny because I can count the number of times I’ve cried as an adult on one hand. So it’s kind of funny that I cried again when Michael Tay [the then president of the jury] called my name. But this time, it was with happiness.” As a result of the spotlight that winning the Louis Vuitton Prize shone on him, Pagès is facing a now seemingly insurmountable wait-list for his timepiece. But that, as they say, is a good problem.

Raùl Pagès won the first edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize For Independent Creatives in 2024.

Fast forward two years later and the finalists for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize 2026 are as follows:

• Beauties of Nature by Daizoh Makihara
• Möbius by Fam Al Hut
• Central Impulse Chronometer (CIC) 39mm Racing Green by Bernhard Lederer
• Fading Hours by Norifumi Seki of Quiet Club
• School Watch by Alexandre Hazemann and Victor Monnin

By now, you’ll know that it was the Hazemann & Monnin School Watch that won. But let’s break down all of the watches and discuss how I believe the deliberation went. Incidentally, as a side note, from a journalistic point of view, I would have liked a full presentation of each of the watches by the watchmaker. A question-and-answer session at some point before the ceremony would have been ideal. I would have also liked to see each of the watches put through their paces. I’d have relished the chance to listen to the Fading Hours’ unconventional alarm and the School Watch’s striking functions, or witness the automatons on the Makihara watch in motion. Many journalists had already seen the Lederer and Fam Al Hut watches up close. But the other three were lesser known.

This year, the jury included president Carole Forestier-Kasapi, one of the most brilliant technical directors in modern watchmaking, along with the watchmaking legend Kari Voutilainen. They were joined by collector François-Xavier Overstake, the founder of Equation du Temps, who is also one of the nicest guys in the watch collecting community, and Frank Geelen, the founder of Monochrome — in my view one of the most universally respected journalists on the scene, and a pretty damn great guy to have a beer with.

How I Think the Voting Went… and a Heartwarming Twist

The following is just my pure extrapolation… but I think this is how the voting went. I think the first watch to be eliminated was Beauties of Nature by Daizoh Makihara, which is impressive and beautifully crafted but a little esoteric in function and has a slightly cumbersome and thick case design. In my view, the second watch to be eliminated would be the Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer. Here’s why I think so: This timepiece is, from a technical perspective, absolutely awesome. It is the first watch to combine George Daniels’ independent double wheel escapement with two remontoirs d’égalité. But the watch (in its larger iteration) had already won the Innovation Prize at the 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). I think, for the jurors, they can’t help but consider who would benefit the most from the prize and Lederer is already a success.

From left to right: Beauties of Nature by Daizoh Makihara, Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer by Bernhard Lederer, Möbius by Fam Al Hut

Next, I believe the Möbius from Fam Al Hut would have been eliminated for pretty much the same reason. The watch is a massive commercial and critical success and won the Audacity Prize at the 2025 GPHG. This leaves two watches. The first is Fading Hours. And this watch, to me, is very special. Eddy Ting, Quiet Club’s designer, has beautifully interpreted Seki’s minimalist ethos in this wristwatch, which features an alarm function with a vertical hammer striking a wire gong. But at the eleventh hour, something that is every young watchmaker’s nightmare happened to Seki: his watch broke. He skipped the welcome dinner for the competition and I imagine tried desperately to repair the watch, but in the end, sitting in his hotel room in Paris, he didn’t have the tools and resources he needed.

Norifumi Seki’s Fading Hours wristwatch features an alarm function with a vertical hammer striking a wire gong.

Now at this point, I have to shoutout Bernhard and Ewa Lederer. Hearing about Seki’s trouble, they immediately offered to have whatever parts he needed CNC-machined at their atelier in Neuchâtel and have them hand-carried over the following day. I found this an incredibly heartwarming gesture on their part. When I asked them why they did this, Lederer replied, “Watchmaking is a family and even if we are competition, it is our responsibility to help each other if we can. If we were running a race and someone fell down, the nature of watchmaking is, we would stop to help pick him up. It’s who we are.” I had to, at this point, stop talking to Bernhard and Ewa because I could feel a tear welling up in my eye and didn’t want to embarrass myself. But I was very proud of them and of our entire community, and touched by their gesture. Sadly, in the end, the solution they proposed was untenable.

The School Watch versus Fading Hours

So for the finale — again, I’m extrapolating here — I think it came down to the two former Journe Young Talent winners, Seki and Hazemann, along with Monnin. But if one watch breaks and the other continues to function flawlessly even through the rigors of competition, in all fairness, you have to award the one that’s still ticking. And so I believe that it was this factor that put the School Watch over the line. This timepiece is charming in its own way. It was created by Hazemann and Monnin as their graduation project in 2021–2022 and initially used a La Joux-Perret (LJP) 6900 ébauche as its base. From what I understand, it was the school that selected the theme for its students that year, but Hazemann and Monnin responded with flair. The watch features a central snail cam that is driven by the minute wheel. This loads the jump for the hour hand precisely at the stroke of 12, and it also actions the hammer that strikes the wire gong. The timepiece was commercialized with 10 pieces made according to Hazemann’s design and another 10 made by Monnin’s design.

Hazemann & Monnin’s School Watch and Norifumi Seki’s Fading Hours.

As the pair of young watchmakers took the stage, looking slightly bewildered at being catapulted into the spotlight of mass collector consciousness and watchmaking rock stardom, I thought to myself that considering the acts of largesse we saw from the Lederers, and that both Bernhard and Dai of Fam Al Hut had already won GPHG awards, it felt as though the entire independent watchmaking world was victorious. Lastly, despite his heartbreak, I know that Norifumi Seki will become a star in watchmaking. I do not have the slightest iota of doubt about that.

Alexandre Hazemann and Victor Monnin accepting the 2026 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.