Louis Vuitton And De Bethune Just Made One Of The Wildest Watch Collaborations Yet

In watchmaking, true magic emerges when creative philosophy meets uncompromising technical mastery. The LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project stands as the third chapter in Louis Vuitton’s continuing exploration of independent horology, marking an extraordinary collaboration between the House and independent manufacture De Bethune, led by its revered co-founder and master watchmaker Denis Flageollet. The Louis Varius Project fuses two remarkable achievements: a contemporary re-interpretation of the historic Sympathique system one of the greatest mechanical marvels of the 18th century alongside a unique evolution of De Bethune’s celebrated DB25 GMT Starry Varius wristwatch.

As Jean Arnault, Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton, explains, these collaborations are built on creative freedom and mutual inspiration. “We give the watchmaker the liberty to define their own vision of time and their own interpretation of Louis Vuitton. In turn, they bring a fresh perspective to the House, creating an exchange that fuels innovation on both sides.” The LVDB-03 project represents a defining moment in Louis Vuitton’s collaboration series, which serves as both a platform for visionary partnerships and a central pillar of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. The initiative also supports a dedicated mentorship programme designed to nurture the next generation of exceptional watchmaking talent.

A Meeting of Minds

Denis Flageollet occupies a rare position in contemporary horology. Renowned for his intellectual depth and technical brilliance, he has accepted only a handful of collaborations throughout his career, each one carefully aligned with his devotion to precision chronometry and material innovation. That rare alignment occurred in 2021 when Jean Arnault approached Flageollet, motivated by admiration for his work and a shared fascination with the golden era of French watchmaking.

Arnault recalls his first encounter with Flageollet’s world as transformative. What initially seemed enigmatic became clear only after witnessing De Bethune’s meticulous approach firsthand. “I realised he was something of a modern-day Leonardo da Vinci,” Arnault reflects. Flageollet, in turn, recognised a shared language and responsibility toward preserving the integrity of horological craft. Their discussions naturally drifted toward watchmaking pioneers, eventually centring on the legendary Sympathique mechanism. What began as intellectual dialogue evolved into a quiet ambition: to reinterpret one of horology’s most daring inventions for the modern era. This philosophical and technical synergy led to Flageollet joining the expert committee of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize in 2022 and the secret launch of “Phase 3,” culminating after five years of development in the LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project.

The Tambour Case Reimagined in De Bethune Blue

The LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius wristwatch is housed within Louis Vuitton’s signature Tambour Taiko case, executed in polished titanium and finished in De Bethune’s distinctive deep blue through a proprietary thermal oxidation process. The result is a vivid, shifting surface that captures light dynamically while symbolising the fusion of Louis Vuitton design identity and De Bethune technical mastery.

Encircling the dial, the bezel features the twelve letters of Louis Vuitton, individually sandblasted and polished. The crown carries the Monogram Flower and integrates polished, satin-brushed, and sandblasted finishes. Beyond aesthetics, the crown plays a functional role within the Sympathique synchronisation system. The blued titanium case is complemented by hand-polished platinum lugs whose brilliance enhances the depth of the blue tone. Laser bead-blasted interiors introduce subtle texture, demonstrating the meticulous finishing evident across every element.

The sapphire caseback reveals the DB2507LV calibre, engraved with the inscription “Louis cruises with Denis” alongside the individual numbering from 01/12 to 12/12, reinforcing the exclusivity of the series.

The Movement: Engineering for the Modern Traveller

Powering the wristwatch is De Bethune’s manual-winding Calibre DB2507LV, assembled entirely in Sainte-Croix and offering a five-day power reserve. Designed around Louis Vuitton’s enduring “Art of Travel,” the movement displays hours, minutes, a second time zone, a day-night indicator, and a jumping date.

The calibre incorporates a Sympathique function, enabling automatic rewinding and synchronisation when paired with the companion clock. Chronometric precision is ensured through a blued titanium balance wheel with white-gold inserts and a balance spring featuring a flat terminal curve. The inclusion of a silicon escape wheel and De Bethune’s patented triple pare-chute shock-absorption system further enhances reliability and accuracy.

The movement is distinguished by exceptional hand-finishing, including a polished titanium deltoid bridge and surfaces decorated with Microlight Côtes de Bethune a contemporary interpretation of traditional Geneva striping designed to capture and reflect light with remarkable subtlety. Each timepiece undergoes final quality control personally supervised by Denis Flageollet.

A Celestial Dial Where Cosmos Meets Craft

The dial expresses a poetic dialogue between exploration and astronomy, reflecting Flageollet’s longstanding fascination with celestial themes. De Bethune’s signature Milky Way motif is reinterpreted to incorporate a discreet star constellation forming the Louis Vuitton initials. The dial is crafted using an exclusive artisanal technique involving hand-set white-gold pins placed into micro-perforations of varying depth to create dimensional luminosity. Decorative artisans further enhance the surface through delicate applications of gold leaf.

A spherical day-night indicator completes two rotations every 24 hours. Inspired by De Bethune’s patented spherical moon-phase display, it combines 5N rose gold for daytime and flame-blued steel for nighttime, with its distinctive blue tone achieved through traditional alcohol-lamp heating. Polished indexes, Tambour-style numerals, and faceted blued hands ensure clarity while reinforcing the visual dialogue between Louis Vuitton’s design language and De Bethune’s signature aesthetic. The dial was conceived through collaboration between Denis Flageollet and Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

The watch is paired with two interchangeable straps. A blue technical fabric strap with grey edging introduces contemporary character, while a black leather lining ensures durability. The second option is a supple cognac alligator strap fully lined in alligator leather, offering classic refinement. Both are secured by a polished blued titanium pin buckle engraved with the dual Louis Vuitton and De Bethune signature.

Reimagining the Legendary Sympathique

Originally conceived by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1795, the Sympathique system was designed to synchronise a portable watch with a master clock overnight. Only five examples were produced during Breguet’s lifetime, yet the concept fascinated generations of watchmakers. Flageollet himself helped reinterpret the Sympathique in the early 1990s for Breguet, transforming the traditional pocket watch into a tourbillon wristwatch featuring a constant-force remontoir. More than two centuries after its invention, Louis Vuitton and De Bethune revisit the Sympathique as both historical homage and forward-looking innovation.

At the heart of the clock lies De Bethune’s in-house calibre DB5006, a key-wound movement comprising 763 components. Equipped with double barrels and a remontoir d’égalité, it beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour and offers an exceptional 11-day power reserve. The design draws directly from Louis Vuitton’s Tambour aesthetic, with triangular hands emerging from a Milky Way-inspired dial. The clock is mounted on a titanium base decorated with marquetry in flame-blued meteorite and can be positioned at various angles, referencing historical marine chronometers.

The docking interface enabling the Sympathique function is hidden beneath a rose-gold domed cover engraved with the Hercules constellation a tribute to Louis Vuitton’s founder. Once docked, the wristwatch engages with the clock through its crown. Over approximately ten hours, the system automatically winds the watch while resetting its display every two hours to ensure perfect synchronisation. Unlike historical Sympathique systems, the watch can be docked without removing its strap, allowing seamless usability.

A Wristwatch Designed to Travel

Unlike earlier Sympathique watches that remained closely tied to their master clocks, the LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius is conceived as a fully independent travel companion. Its five-day power reserve and travel complications allow it to remain on the wrist for extended journeys while maintaining the Sympathique connection when returned to its clock. The design merges De Bethune’s DB25 GMT Starry Varius architecture with Louis Vuitton’s haute horlogerie codes, symbolising the combined expertise of De Bethune and La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

Production is extraordinarily limited. Only two complete sets each consisting of one Sympathique clock and matching wristwatch will be produced, alongside ten additional wristwatches sold independently. The project required extensive collaboration across Saint-Croix, involving institutions such as the Institut de la Mécanique d’Art alongside De Bethune’s manufacture. To create the clock’s decorative panorama, Flageollet collaborated with Belgian illustrator François Schuiten, whose imaginative worlds inspired three rotating landscapes depicting exploration scenes, including steam trains, African balloon journeys, and mountaineering expeditions. These rotating dioramas suggest a cyclical vision of time surreal, dreamlike, and constantly evolving. Master engraver Michèle Rothen translated Schuiten’s drawings onto three 5N rose-gold rings, hand-engraving over one metre of surface using traditional burin techniques, producing decorative complexity reminiscent of Renaissance clocks.

Time Travels in Louis Vuitton Trunks

The LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project is accompanied by bespoke trunks crafted at Louis Vuitton’s Asnières workshops. The Sympathique clock is housed in a titanium Trophy-inspired trunk, among the rarest objects ever produced by the atelier. Each wristwatch is delivered in its own titanium High Watchmaking trunk, accompanied by a custom leather travel pouch. The trunks feature heat-blued titanium corners, palladium lozines, and interiors lined in Alcantara and grey leather, reflecting Louis Vuitton’s unmatched heritage in travel craftsmanship.

At the crossroads of historical inspiration and contemporary innovation, the LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project redefines one of horology’s most complex mechanical concepts. It is both a celebration of creative collaboration and a powerful expression of Louis Vuitton’s enduring Art of Travel a journey through time shaped by imagination, precision, and uncompromising craftsmanship.