Louis Vuitton Reveals the 20 Semi-Finalists for the Second Series of the Louis Vuitton Watch Award for Independent Artisans
The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, a biennial award for boundary-pushing luxury watch designers, has announced the 20 semi-finalists for its 2025-2026 edition. The list includes a diverse mix of independent watchmakers and new talents from around the world.
The prize, created in collaboration with La Fabrique du Temps - Louis Vuitton's watchmaking facility in Meyrin, Switzerland, aims to support creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship in independent watchmaking. The winner, to be unveiled in March 2026 at La Fondation Louis Vuitton, will receive €150,000 and a year-long mentorship with specialists from Louis Vuitton and La Fabrique du Temps.
The semi-finalists bring together a broad mix of backgrounds, styles, and watchmaking philosophies. Many of them work entirely on their own, creating every part of a timepiece, much like a couture designer crafting a garment by hand.
In autumn, a committee of 65 industry experts will evaluate each creation across five categories: design, creativity and audacity, details and finishes, complexity, and technical innovation.
Some of the notable entries include:
- Petermann Bédat with their intricate Seconde Morte watch featuring a deadbeat seconds mechanism, previously a finalist in 2023-2024.
- Kallinich Claeys, formerly of A. Lange & Söhne, presenting the impressive Central Seconds model.
- Hazemann & Monnin, Lederer (fresh off a Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève win), and Theo Auffret, whose entry "Giverny" is a simpler, smaller three-hand watch following his Tourbillon à Paris.
Other notable entries include Fabian Pellet's 'Essentiel' with its clean, pared-back design, Quiet Club's 'Fading Hours' with its stripped-back aesthetic and unusual alarm function, and Auffret Paris' 'Giverny Blue Train' showcasing artistic detail.
There's strong representation from Asia in the semi-finalists, including China's Fam Al Hut and Mgraver, and Japan's Masa & Co. The mentorship has the potential to elevate an independent watchmaker from a cult favorite to a name known far beyond watchmaking circles.
The shortlist for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize features a wide variety of technical approaches and aesthetics, reflecting the creative range in independent watchmaking. The finalists will travel to Paris to present their creations in person in March 2026, and the five finalists will be announced on December 15, along with the members of the final jury.
Jean Arnault, Louis Vuitton's Watch Director, stated that the new generation of watchmakers are remarkable for their talent and daring to create truly original instruments of precision that are also works of art. The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize continues to celebrate and support this innovative spirit in the world of watchmaking.
[1] Official Louis Vuitton Watch Prize website: https://www.louisvuittonwatchprize.com/ [2] Louis Vuitton Watch Prize Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisvuittonwatchprize/ [3] News article about the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/louis-vuitton-watch-prize-2025-2026-semi-finalists-announced [4] Another news article about the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize: https://www.watchpro.com/louis-vuitton-watch-prize-2025-2026-semi-finalists-announced/ [5] Official announcement of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize semi-finalists: https://www.louisvuitton.com/eng-ww/news/louis-vuitton-watch-prize-2025-2026-semi-finalists-announced-386735
- The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, a prestigious biennial award, highlights the fusion of fashion, luxury, and lifestyle in the realm of watchmaking.
- The semi-finalists for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize display a unique blend of beauty, creativity, and innovation, as they strive to push the boundaries of independent watchmaking.
- The travel to Paris for the finalists in March 2026 will not only showcase their technical prowess but also their participation in the global fashion-and-beauty community.
- The potential mentorship and the €150,000 prize money offered by the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize can propel an underrecognized watchmaker into the limelight of the celebrity-laden fashion world.
