The Tambour Taiko Arty Automata: Louis Vuitton’s Ode to Imagination

Louis Vuitton continues to push horological boundaries with a new automata watch that transcends time and imagination. The Tambour Taiko Arty Automata is the latest in-house creation by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, breaking the norms of conventional watchmaking aesthetics. The Tambour Taiko Arty Automata embarks on new adventures in contemporary high watchmaking, pursuing the unique rhapsodies of horological automata and grand feu enamel. Drawing inspiration from the Maison’s countless artistic collaborations, its audacious dial design is defined by a vibrant interplay of shape and form, evoking springtime in all its sensorial splendour. 

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An Artistic Legacy

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Since 2021, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton has showcased exceptional haute horlogerie creations featuring automata. The mechanical expression remains unparalleled in the realm of high watchmaking and Louis Vuitton has honed this complication in milestone pieces such as the Carpe Diem and the Fiery Heart. 

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The new Tambour Taiko Arty Automata is the latest timepiece to channel Louis Vuitton’s in-house expertise in complex animated dials, conveying a message of unrestrained delight and shared joy through generous volumes of brightly hued champlevé enamel. Driving the watch is the automatic in-house Calibre LFT AU05.01, developed and manufactured by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. A total of seven animated elements make up the dial automata, creating an expertly orchestrated mechanical dance, in addition to the continuous rotation of a one-minute tourbillon.

A medley of colour and movement is at the heart of its 42mm white gold case. A multi-tiered dial comprises 20 miniature elements spread over four different height levels, giving the watch its extraordinary richness of texture and dimension. On this artisanal canvas, luscious swirls of pastel shades create a subtle backdrop, while the hours and minutes stand out against a subdial tinted with the warmer end of the spectrum. Four Monogram Flowers with diamond pistils are scattered around the time display, gradient-blended and outlined in a palette reminiscent of 1970s-era sunburst tie-dye.

A flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock on the dial balances its ceaseless motion by introducing an emblem of harmony and repose. The upper tourbillon bridge is in the shape of the peace symbol, first designed in 1958 and subsequently adopted as a visual shorthand for universal love. The word “LOVE” is prominently spelled out in pink enamel just above the tourbillon aperture, the fluid form of its letters evoking the spontaneity and authenticity of human emotion in the moment.

Most striking of all are the three elements to the left of the dial and their depth of detail — an eye with a dramatic fringe of lashes made from real feathers, a pair of glossy red lips with perfectly white teeth, and wedged between those teeth, a shiny candy pink heart.

A Sensory Experience

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The visually captivating design is an ultra-sensorial treat, one that goes beyond just a static tableau. With a single touch, the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata comes to life. The activation of the push-piece, located at 8 o’clock on the case, rouses the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata and transports the viewer into a shared horological reverie. The four Monogram Flowers twirl in their settings, unleashing flashes of diamond sparkle. The direction of rotation alternates between the Flowers for a touch of natural chaos. The eye scans its surroundings, its piercing blue iris gently swiveling at a deliberate speed, intent on taking in as much as possible.

Simultaneously precarious and playful, the candy heart oscillates gently, rocking from side to side as if trying to escape the teeth holding it captive. Just beside the tourbillon, the diamond-set “L” of the enamelled “LOVE” swings decisively to the left, revealing the hidden “M” beneath. A calm declaration of “LOVE” transforms into a vigorous exhortation to “MOVE”!

In total, seven separate but connected animations make up the dial automata of the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata: the four Monogram Flowers rotating in alternating directions, the oscillating heart and eye, and the transformed “LOVE” urging us to action.

To enhance the combined spectacle of the automata in motion, individual dial elements are meticulously layered with successive applications of vitreous enamel, creating an almost pillowy effect. This effect is particularly visible in the eye, the lips and the heart, forming a domed upper surface that adds to the verisimilitude of the moving elements and the depth of the watch. 

A Vivacious Expression

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The Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Arty Automata showcases the touch of the human hand, celebrating the interplay of organic forms and shapes, while appealing directly to one’s sense of spontaneous wonder. A myriad of highly specialised artisanal techniques converge in this watch, each applied by hand with utmost care and skill. Foremost among them is the technique of champlevé enamel, a process involving multiple steps and demanding years of experience to execute flawlessly.

Each element to be enamelled first has to be prepared by hollowing out the surface in order to receive the enamel. The stages of applying the enamel to the prepared surfaces must also be carefully considered, as it is necessary to adjust the kiln temperature according to the different colours and opacities of enamel. The enamel with the highest firing temperature therefore must be the first to be applied and to enter the kiln. The rest of the enamel colours then follow in a descending sequence of firing temperatures.

Connoisseurs of high watchmaking will instantly be able to recognise and acknowledge the complex challenge of creating the glossy enamelled lips on the dial of the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata. The curved upper surface of the completed enamel piece requires multiple layers of enamel added in careful succession. This is  an achievement in and of itself, not to mention how rare it is to see such a bright and vivid shade of red in grand feu enamel.

Other shades can pose just as much of a challenge even for the experienced enameller. The red, pink, and purple enamel used in the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata are among the most complex enamel colours to obtain, given their thermal sensitivity during the firing process. This is further compounded by the multiple layers of enamel used in this piece, impacting the overall tone and saturation of the final colour.

Overall, 23 different shades of enamel were used in the creation of the dial, representing over 250 hours of highly skilled manual work.

The 18ct white gold rotor of the Calibre LFT AU05.01 has also been hand-decorated by the artisans of Les Fabrique des Arts in continuation of the joyous scene depicted on the dial. A mass of clouds in opalescent blue is pierced by sunrays and glints of light, created with miniature painting, another signature artisanal craft mastered by La Fabrique des Arts.

Gem-setting endows the watch with a last touch of effervescent sparkle. In addition to the diamonds mounted on the dial, the 42mm white gold Tambour Taiko case is set along the length of its bezel with a rainbow spectrum of baguette-cut rubies and sapphires that reflect the enamel colour palette. The baguette cut shows the coloured stones to their best advantage without drawing attention away from the dial.

Complementing the smooth lines and restrained curves of the Tambour Taiko case design, the prismatic ring of rubies and sapphires on the bezel is the final ingredient that completes the visual exuberance of the timepiece.

Blending creative design flair with exceptional savoir-faire and technical virtuosity, the Tambour Taiko Arty Automata unites all the signatures of Louis Vuitton’s most audacious high watchmaking pieces. It is a delightful confection of Monogram Flower Power, a cascading riot of Pop-inflected cues in a rainbow dreamscape of love in motion. 

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