lft24 0068 validated

Rule of Threes: An Interview with the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton Dream Team

During LVMH Watch Week, Watchonista got to sit down with the power trio behind the revival of Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth and the makeover of the Louis Vuitton Tambour.

By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large

To state the obvious: LVMH is a leader in luxury goods. Its holdings include upscale fashion houses such as Dior, Loewe, Celine, and Givenchy. And it is home to legendary watch brands like TAG Heuer, Bulgari, and Zenith.

Of course, sometimes, watches and fashion overlap. In the case of Louis Vuitton watches, the brand didn’t get into the haute horology game until 2002 when the Paris-based Maison created its first Swiss-made mechanical watch, the Tambour.

(Fun Fact: Before 2002, Louis Vuitton did sell watches such as the IWC-manufactured, quartz-powered, Louis Vuitton-branded Monterey II Alarm Travel Watch and the Gae Aulenti-designed LV1 from 1988. Both of these models are much sought after today).
 

LVMH has come a long way in the last 27 years, much of it thanks to its investment in its La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and the acquisition of legacy brands Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth.

Watchonista sat down with the La Fabrique du Temps’ artistic director Matthieu Hegi and Master Watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini at LVMH Watch Week in January for some insight on the conglomerate’s hard-earned horological legitimacy.

The Dream Team

Hegi, Navas, and Barbasini are incredibly comfortable with each other. Navas and Barbasini have worked together off and on since their salad days working for Gérald Genta. (“These two are like an old couple,” laughed Hegi.) In conversation, all three finish each other’s sentences.

Our first question was, how do their conversations convert to producing timepieces for three very different brands? And as a method actor gets into character for each role, they approach each brand with a different mindset.

For example, “Michel [Navas] and I are watchmakers,” Barbasini began. “Daniel Roth was a watchmaker. A legend. He was all about the design of the bridges.” “It’s a watchmaker’s watch down to the sound when you wind the crown,” finished Navas.
 

Genta, on the other hand, was a designer. “And both of us started with Genta,” continued Navas. “He’s a colleague.”

Reviving each brand involved a great deal of reverence for both men. “It’s an amazing adventure when you realize the history,” Barbasini told Watchonista. “It’s real emotion.”

Roth, of course, was a master of horological complications. He is now retired, but when the brand was revived in 2024 with the Tourbillon Souscription (which won the Tourbillon Prize at the latest GPHG), Navas and Barbasini brought the model to Roth for his blessing.
 

Likewise, when Gérald Genta was relaunched in 2023, the team visited Genta’s widow and business partner, Évelyne, for input. “I showed her the pieces and designs first, and she said, ‘This is what Gerard would have designed for another brand,’” recalled Barbasini.

Shaking the Foundations

In the end, Hegi went back through Genta’s archives, skipping past the concepts for brands like IWC and Audemars Piguet and focusing on more personal designs, many of which never went into production.

The first release for the new Genta was the Oursin. “It’s a version of the sea urchin from 1994,” explained Hegi. The latest limited-edition version is made from a solid gold block of gold with fire opal beads screwed on with a spear. “It gives a very spiny effect.”
 

These new techniques allowed the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton to evolve the design into something new. Yet, there are still many discrete nods to Genta’s design language, including a crystal with eight facets.

Navas added, “The best tribute to Gérald is not doing what has already been done – that is the spirit of Genta.”

Small World

Everything under La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s oversight is dedicated to producing high complications in small quantities.

“I understand why people like quartz,” said Barbasini. “But for me, I design around tailoring the mechanism to the case.” For instance, preserving Daniel Roth’s signature Double Ellipse shape “is the most beautiful outfit for this mechanism,” he added.

At LVMH Watch Week, Hegi explained his take on the brand’s second model, The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription. “Daniel Roth’s aesthetic was established long ago, and we are sticking with it.”
 

Part of the look of this new piece is also informed by Roth’s commitment to human-scale production (it’s limited to just 20 pieces). Decisions such as offering a modified crown or a dark blue dial mean that there is something for every collector.

Overseeing the design codes for three different brands at the same time sounds like a challenge, but the trio insists that it is an asset. “We need pressure,” said Navas.

“When you work for just one brand, your mind is closed,” said Barbasini. Navas was adamant that the opportunity to work on three distinct projects has made Barbasini even more prolific with his ideas.
 

“Enrico [Barbasini] is the Picasso of design,” Navas laughed. They also credit LVMH’s Jean Arnaud as being instrumental in La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s growth. He often visits the studio to drink in the process. “We are the team, but Jean is also part of the team.”

Hegi agreed, “When I was an independent, I didn’t have the means [to create such watches]. This is the chance we didn’t have.”

“We all come from other brands,” Hegi continued. “Those studios often had a locked door. I’m on an open door. Michel and Enrico, they come in every day.”
 

“The role is to convince each other,” said Navas.

“When we don’t win, the watch wins,” added Barbasini.

The trio’s banter becomes even more animated as they discuss the future of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton.

“Michel and me, we always disagree,” claimed Barbasini. “Every day we fight!”

“When we agree fast together, it’s not a strong idea, which means that the process is good, but it’s a long-term process,” added Hegi. “But now the path is known. Now we have a purpose. Stay tuned.”

And receive each week a custom selection of articles.