Museum Piece: Louis Vuitton Brings Back the Monterey

Back in March, designer and Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director for Women’s Collections, Nicolas Ghesquière’s concept for the Maison’s Fall-Winter 2025 collection presentation in Paris was a train platform – a place where all types of people come together in passing, if only for an instant – instead of a runway. Given that the house has its roots in making luggage for travellers, it was a fun way to play with Vuitton’s heritage. But there were other nods to the past.

Models were spotted wearing a ceramic green wristwatch or a gold metallic pendant watch. Eagle-eyed observers immediately clocked these timepieces as the LV Monterey I, a world timer in an 18-karat yellow gold case, and LV Monterey II, a less complicated, date- and alarm-equipped watch with a black ceramic case, both of which were designed by Italian architect and product designer Gae Aulenti in 1988.
 

Fun Fact: Aulenti famously transformed the Gare d’Orsay train station into the Musée d’Orsay, receiving France’s highest and most prestigious order of merit (for civilians and military), the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and further cementing the collection’s connection to the railway.

Last week, on September 30^th, the Monterey 1 returned to the runway at the presentation of Nicolas Ghesquière’s Spring-Summer 2026 collection at the Louvre, but it was worn on a chain belt. Both moments suggested that a revival of the Monterey was being teased.

Today, the worst-kept (but most welcomed) secret in haute horology was finally revealed with the announcement of the new Louis Vuitton Monterey, a limited-edition timepiece that revives Aulenti’s daring design.

Most people think that Louis Vuitton’s first entry into haute horology was the Tambour, which was launched in 2002 and revamped in 2024. But the brand’s first watch was the Aulenti-designed Monterey I in 1988.

At the time, Louis Vuitton did not have its own watchmaking manufacture, so the Monterey I was a collaboration with Aulenti and IWC Schaffhausen. This cutting-edge, quartz-powered timepiece came in a pebble-shaped, lugless, 40mm 18-karat yellow gold case.
 

The crown was set at 12 o’clock as a nod to old railway pocket watches, and it included ten features set around a single axis, including a retrograde date, moonphase, GMT, and 24 Time zones.

One of the world’s first ceramic watches, the Monterey II (also released in 1988), was slightly smaller at 37mm and a little less complicated. It added an alarm function but removed the moonphase, while offering only a second time zone and pointer date. The Monteret II came in green or black ceramic and paired with a Louis Vuitton leather strap.
 

The IWC connection came about because Louis Vuitton and Aulenti chose to use ceramic, a material that was quite unusual for watchmaking at the time. Back then, Louis Vuitton didn’t have La Fabrique du Temps to make its own in-house movements or cases. Hence, the Maison turned to the Schaffhausen-based manufacture, in part for IWC’s expertise with the material (and it isn’t too shabby with calibres either).

Interestingly, the reason Louis Vuitton chose the name “Monterey” was because when an English speaker mispronounced the word “montres” (French for watch), it kind of sounded like “monterey.” This irreverent and non-conformist ethos certainly lives on in the brand’s current collection of travel watches, like the various Tambour Spin Time models.
 

Sadly, both the Monterey I and Monterey II had a short-lived run. The design then fell into obscurity, only occasionally popping up on the wrists of niche vintage enthusiasts, such as Tyler, the Creator.

Today, Louis Vuitton has officially announced that this collector favorite is back, albeit in a streamlined version and as a limited edition. Of course, since Louis Vuitton now has La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, there were going to be some changes.

The new 39mm, 18-karat yellow gold case retains the original’s smooth curves and pebble shape. The watch itself is time-only but incorporates the red and blue accents of the original in its twin railway track hour and minute scales. Meanwhile, the “unicorn” crown has been widened and is now notched with a special Clous de Paris texture.
 

According to Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, “We maintain the same graphic codes, but strive for a more modern and elevated feel.”

Or as the brand stated in a press release for the new Monterey, “Louis Vuitton now elevates the signature design codes of this icon with the finest savoir-faire. The Louis Vuitton Monterey comes in yellow gold paired with a stunning white Grand Feu enamel dial that recalls the original graphic footprint, also replacing the quartz caliber from the original heritage pieces with an in-house [calibre LFT MA01.02] automatic movement.”
 

We hope the ceramic version eventually gets the same revamp as well.

Available on a black calf leather strap with an 18k gold pin buckle strap, the new Monterey is limited to 188 pieces. For more information, including pricing, check out the Louis Vuitton website.