For Louis Vuitton, watchmaking has always been about more than time. It is about journey, innovation and the freedom to imagine. With the LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project, the House enters the third chapter of its collaboration with independent watchmakers, joining forces once again with De Bethune and its co-founder, Master Watchmaker Denis Flageollet.
Created in close collaboration with Flageollet, the project unites two exceptional creations: a unique reinterpretation of the historic Sympathique clock and a limited edition LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius wristwatch. Together, they represent a rare modern dialogue between centuries of horological tradition and contemporary technical mastery.
Meeting Of The Minds
At the heart of the collaboration lies a shared philosophy. As Jean Arnault, Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton, explains, these partnerships are built on freedom and mutual respect — allowing watchmakers to express their own vision of time, while offering a new perspective on the House itself. It is a dynamic that fuels creativity and sustains the future of independent horology, forming a cornerstone of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.
Denis Flageollet is among the most revered figures in contemporary watchmaking. Known for his discretion, scientific rigour and pioneering work in materials and chronometry, he engages in collaborations only when values and vision align. That alignment emerged through a shared fascination with the golden age of French horology — and with the Sympathique, an 18th-century invention originally conceived by Abraham-Louis Breguet to synchronise a portable watch with a master clock.
Inspired Credentials
The LVDB-03 GMT Louis Varius wristwatch is housed in Louis Vuitton’s signature Tambour Taiko case, crafted in polished titanium and heat-blued using De Bethune’s proprietary thermal oxidation process. Platinum lugs heighten the depth of the blue, while refined finishing details — from the engraved bezel to the Monogram Flower crown — reinforce the watch’s dual identity.
Its manual-winding Calibre DB2507LV offers a five-day power reserve and travel-oriented complications, including GMT, day/night indication and jumping date. Designed for modern voyagers, the movement reflects Louis Vuitton’s enduring Art of Travel, while incorporating De Bethune’s advanced regulating systems and hand-finishing techniques.
