After voyages through the cultures of Europe, China, and Japan, Louis Vuitton sets course beyond the terrestrial realm. The Tambour Taiko Galactique is a minute repeater with automata depicting an astronaut on the Moon. With its newest creation, Louis Vuitton once again marries artisanal decoration with high-end mechanics – all accomplished in-house at its manufacture in Geneva, La Fabrique du Temps (LFT).

Initial thoughts

For several years now, Louis Vuitton has endeavoured to preserve and perpetuate traditional watchmaking and related crafts. From the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives to its collaborations with independent watchmakers, and the massive, nine-figure investment in its Geneva manufactures and the vertical integration of metiers d’art, Louis Vuitton is a large luxury brand, the world’s biggest in fact, but still remains in touch with artisanal horology. 

The latest launch from the French marque is a minute repeater that defies traditional dogma. With the Galactique, Louis Vuitton pays tribute to both the space age and classic watchmaking by dressing an otherwise traditional complication in a space-themed attire. It is literally a “Moonwatch”, but of another type. 

The lunar-centric watch is appealing, a little whimsical, and well-executed, with consistent design choices unifying the case and dial. The only decidedly classic element is the movement that is visible through the case back. 

An artful dial

The centrepiece of the Galactique — and perhaps its best trait — is the engraved and enamelled dial. A miniature painting of the Earth as seen from the Moon’s surface by a LV-themed astronaut, the lively dial is both artful and fun in its details. Thematically, this is a sequel to last year’s Tambour Jacquemart Minute Repeater “200 Years”.

Crafting the cosmic panorama takes over 300 hours, with four distinct enamelling techniques being implemented. The dial base carries the painting of the lunar surface and its perspective of Earth, while elements like the Sun, the astronaut and the satellite are mounted in dedicated fixtures. 

The miniature Sun is crafted by altering slim layers of gold with translucent enamel (a technique known as paillonné enamel) which gives the star’s shining appearance. Gold is systematically used on the dial base as well, serving as the backdrop for the diamond-shaped stars.

The astronaut was sculpted by Louis Vuitton’s resident Master Engraver. The small figure holds a yellow flag and is thoroughly LV-themed. The classic Louis Vuitton symbols appear all over the dial, making for fun and recognisable details.

The figures are part of the automata of the Galactique and spring to life when the repeater function is actuated. Traditional automata timepieces paired mechanics with artisanal elements, something which the Galactique does very well.

An adapted case

Framing the dial is the recently redesigned Tambour case which, although slightly thick at 14.6 mm, fits the watch and overall theme very well. Manufactured by the brand’s own La Fabrique des Boîtiers, a five-minute’s drive from LFT, the 46.7 mm case is tastefully modern. 

The sloping bezel bears the brand name in relief, with raised letters on a frosted channel. As separate pieces, each finished by hand, the lugs curve off the case and are hollowed out, with frosting applied on the inner concave surfaces.

Being a minute repeater, the case also features an actuating slide. The slide is set with six baguette-cut sapphires and a pair of baguette-cut topaz. The crown positioned at 12 o’clock is reminiscent of pocket watches that were adapted for the wrist.

A remarkable movement

Powering the space-themed automata is the hand-wound LFT AU14.02 calibre. Developed by LFT, the movement marries traditional finishing with an interesting architecture. LFT has managed to create its own design signature when it comes to movements. Large jewels, broad Geneva stripes and arched intertwined bridges are some of the elements which appear often in the movement maker’s creations. 

The LFT AU14.02 looks like a fairly classic repeater movement, with cathedral gongs, hammers and a governor that sets the pace of the strikework. The timekeeping portion of the movement is pleasantly open-worked, revealing most of the going train to the onlooker.

LFT AU14.02 runs at 3 Hz for about 100 hours and comes with the familiar LFT regulator, namely a free-spring balance and a slim, skeletonised escape wheel. While the finishing is applied by machine and then finished off by hand, the result is a tidy and finely decorated movement.

The movement sounds the hours, quarters and minutes on demand, with the striking process also bringing the dial to life.

The astronaut waves its flag, the Sun rotates and the satellite’s components adjust as the strike works chime the time. Each element moves at its own pace, creating the illusion that the animations are independent.

With the multiple moving parts on the dial, integrating the moving figures with the dial-side strikework was surely a difficult task for the watchmakers.

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Key facts and price

Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Galactique
Ref. W9TI12

Diameter: 46.7 mm
Height: 14.6 mm
Material: Brown, lugs and slide-piece in 18K white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: LFT AU14.02
Features: Hours, minutes, automata function and minute repeater
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Manual
Power reserve: 100 hours

Strap: Blue rubber strap with 18K white gold double buckle

Limited edition: Unique piece
Availability: At Louis Vuitton boutiques
Price: €1 million before taxes

For more, visit Louisvuitton.com.

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Patek Philippe’s Complicated Desk Clock Ref. 27000M-001 is the biggest release of Watches & Wonders 2025, with a footprint of 164.6 by 125 mm, and rising to 76.73 mm at its apex. Priced at an even CHF1 million before taxes, the clock is powered by a key-wound, 31-day movement – incorporating a one-second remontoir d’egalite – housed in a wedge-shaped sterling silver cabinet, decorated with green flinqué enamel.

Initial thoughts

While we’ve seen desk and table clocks from others in the space, none have been as incredibly high-effort as this. Patek Philippe claims the 912-part shaped caliber took seven years of development, including nine patent applications. That’s quite the investment in a product with limited mainstream appeal, and I find it reassuring that Patek Philippe is still willing to make those investments.

The enamel work is enchanting and has precedent in early 20th-century silver travel clocks retailed by Cartier, among others. I could take or leave the baroque styling, but the dial and hidden “dashboard” look fantastic. I hope Patek Philippe will offer this movement in other styles down the road.

If you’ve never experienced a key-winding watch or clock, it’s quite satisfying; I wouldn’t call it fun, but it’s not something you’re likely to get sick of. It’s an experience you can’t get with Patek Philippe’s other current production clocks, which use an electric motor to wind the movement without need of human intervention.

Patek Philippe emphasises how easy the tool-less calendar adjustment system is to use. Hopefully, this telegraphs the brand’s plans for future wrist-borne perpetual calendars. It’s also Patek Philippe’s first foray into constant force devices, which have been popular with independents for a while.

Additionally, the clock’s wedge-like profile means the dial will be roughly perpendicular to your line of sight when seated at your desk. It’s a small detail, but not all desk clocks get it right.

The one-million franc price tag makes some sense when you consider the movement’s development cost, low volume, and opportunity cost of not making more commercially appealing models. While it is far from a good deal, you can easily spend more for less.

A storied lineage

James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr., perhaps the most famous Patek Philippe collectors of the 20th century, commissioned desk clocks in this form factor from Patek Philippe.

With its subsidiary hours and minutes display, the ref. 27000M takes most of its inspiration from Packard’s clock, but is substantially larger and boasts notable upgrades. While both of the historical timepieces ran for eight days, the ref. 27000M runs for at least 31.

We saw a unique version of the desk clock back in 2021, the ref. 27001M-001 with a “salmon” dial and an American walnut-clad cabinet. That was made for that year’s Only Watch charity auction, and entirely unique until now.

Besides being very large, today’s serially-produced ref. 27000M also very green. While the unique example made for Only Watch might blend in on a hardwood desk, this certainly won’t.

The walnut panelling has been replaced with green flinqué enamel, while the dial is a more classic opaline silver.

Some of the walnut veneer has escaped the viridescent treatment; this can be seen under the hinged cover, popped open using a button on the right, and held upright when open by a stay on the left. The inside of the cover is sueded and carries a silver plaque for engraving.

The perpetual calendar with apertures for day and month from Packard’s clock returns in the ref. 27000M, though with the addition of leap year and day/night indications in apertures, and a weekly calendar by way of a red frame circling the dial’s periphery.

All calendar functions are controlled by an engine-turned “dashboard” hidden under the front lid, which has a familiar watchmaking decoration but is more evocative of vintage car instrument panels. This is the first we’ve seen any sort of toolless adjustment on a Patek perpetual since the Star Caliber 2000’s rapid correction system.

The clock is wound and set using a folding key, with squares for both functions in sockets at the top right corner. Ironic, as Patek Philippe was an early pioneer of keyless watches. Another square just below six o’clock starts and stops the movement, allowing the time to be set to the second.

You won’t have to worry about losing the key, since it tucks away neatly into its alcove at 10:30, and can be popped out when needed.

Inside the clock is the enormous cal. 86-135 PEND S IRM Q SE, which Patek Philippe rates to +/- 1 second per day – excellent for a watch, though not remarkable for a stationary timekeeper. Naturally, it is only adjusted to one position.

The movement is more watch-like than clock-like; it doesn’t chime, uses a small Gyromax balance beating at a spritely 4 Hz, and has shock-protection for the balance. It could even be described as a pocket watch movement powered by a clock-sized complications module.

The movement is also decorated to a higher standard than is typical for clocks, done with ample machine assistance, I’m sure, but Patek Philippe still went the extra mile, especially on the under-dial components.

The sweep-seconds hand is naturally jumping as this movement uses a one-second constant force device to meter out the power from three enormous barrels, with 1.7-meter-long mainsprings each. This gives a more relaxed feel, like the ticking of a pendulum clock, and is reminiscent of the Naviquartz, a line of quartz chronometer desk clocks made by Patek Philippe in the 1970s.

The remontoir d’egalite also means the balance amplitude remains stable for all 31 days of the power reserve. Recently, we’ve seen jumping seconds on the wristwatch refs. 5275 and 6301, however, those were not coupled with a constant force device.

While the desk clock isn’t water resistant like the Naviquartz (so keep your coffee on the other side of the desk), foam gaskets around the dashboard and base should keep dust and humidity at bay.

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Key facts and price

Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock
Ref. 27000M-001

Diameter: 16.46 cm by 12.5 cm
Height: 7.63 cm
Material: Sterling silver, flinqué enamel, and American walnut

Movement: Cal. 86-135 PEND IRM Q SE
Functions: Time, perpetual calendar, moon phases, week-number display and power-reserve display
Winding: Key-wound
Power reserve: 31 days

Limited edition: No
Availability: Now at boutiques and authorised retailers
Price: CHF1 million before taxes

For more information, visit Patek.com.

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