5/27/2023 0 Comments Carpe diem symbolI’m generally a bit sceptical of pink or rose gold in watches, as the trendiness may not be as timeless as the brilliant lustre of yellow gold, however it really works in the favour of this piece. The case itself is hewn from 18k pink gold, including the hand-engraved snake pusher that has two rubies set as its eyes. Plus, the dimensions aren’t even that gargantuan if you contextualise it next to some of the more extreme dive watches available today, such as the 55mm x 17.5mm Omega Seamaster PloProf, or even a lot of G-Shocks on the market. The phenomenal level of detail and artistry on this watch can only come through when the watch is big, because you don’t really want to need a loupe if you can just appreciate it from the wrist alone. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem only serves its purpose as a grim reminder of life’s brief nature if it’s allowed to be seen, and boldly so. But, this isn’t a watch that’s supposed to slip under a cuff. I’ve seen some publications say that the dimensions of this watch are a downside, with a 14.4mm thickness and 46.8mm diameter not being helped by its particularly bulbous case and semi-detached lug stylings. The Louis Vuitton branding is integrated unsubtly, but not invasively, with an LV logo applied behind the nasal cavity of the skull, the applied gothic text of “LOUIS VUITTON” cascading around the side of the head, and of course the Monogram Flowers printed in a smoky grey on the black dial as an almost wallpaper-like backdrop. The minutes hand is the tail of the rattlesnake, which pivots around the brilliant-cut diamond. This tells you the hour in the same blood-red gothic style as the “CARPE DIEM” letters that are unveiled within the mouth of the grinning skull, and the Monogram Flower which has a gentle gilt wink in the skull’s eye.īeneath the image of a steadily pouring hourglass, representing the temporal limitations to life itself, is a retrograde minutes display that forms the rest of the time-telling features. The head of the unnervingly three-dimensional rattlesnake, hand-crafted and engraved from enamel by Anita Porchet and Dick Steenman, sweeps to the right to unveil a jump-hour complication. When the snake-shaped slider is used, winding the dedicated mainspring to activate the minute repeater, several things spring into motion. The animatronic works and the way the time is told are complex in their construction, but almost effortless to read and operate once you know what you’re looking at. As much as this watch appears like a baffling technological marvel, at a completely surface level it’s actually fairly simple. I’m sure I’ve described watches as jaw-dropping before, but in the case of the Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem, it literally features a dropping jaw. In this modern world where even the existence of such expensive items must be examined as a moral dilemma, this watch is one of the most convincing arguments in the “for” camp. It really isn’t often that watches, even the super-luxury timepieces that stretch well into six or seven figures, put so much care into visual execution as the Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem. I/trending 12338 IN-DEPTH: The Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem is pure horological poetry Fergus Nash
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