Introducing: Louis Vuitton’s Drag Hour Tambour Convergence Is Not A Drag At All
What We Know
It wouldn’t be LVMH Watch Week without a handful of new releases from Louis Vuitton! TanTan has you covered on the latest Tambour Spin Time, a jump-hour idea that Vuitton has been iterating on since 2009. But, for this story, we have an entirely new model, the Tambour Convergence. I bring up the Spin Time as these two releases show some clear similarities from the general case shape to the lug design. On the surface, the Convergence appears to be an alternative spin on the jump hour concept, one aimed at a more traditionally leaning collector, but as we dig in a bit further, we’ll find a truly new and differentiated product.
At the risk of saying the phrase jump hour too many times to where it could be confusing, let’s make this very clear. The Tambour Convergence is not a jump-hour watch. This digital readout, visible via a sculpted guichet, is what Louis Vuitton refers to as “dragging hours and minutes.” The potentially obvious difference being that the hour display on the new Convergence will slowly rotate all day, saving its knees from all those jumps!
Presumably, the reason for the naming, the Convergence unifies the workshops of Louis Vuitton watchmaking La Fabrique des Boîtiers, case making, La Fabrique des Arts, rare handcrafts, and La Fabrique du Temps, movement design.
Measuring 37mm in diameter by 8mm thick, the Convergence’s case is produced with hand-polished detailing entirely in Vuitton’s newly integrated casemaking workshop in Geneva. As a Tambour, the general shape mimics a drum with cambered sides that taper towards an inflection point. This is carried over from the 2023 Tambour and serves as the connective tissue of the collection. In a clear visual departure from previous Tambours, the Convergence’s lugs are shaped similarly to flame, turtle, or claw lugs of vintage references though with a modern and geometric tinge. The guichet framing of the time-telling discs features scalloped edges drawing inspiration from the gilded edges of clouds.
There are two versions of the Convergence being introduced today. The “standard” variant in solid pink gold, ref. W9PG11 and a platinum model set with 795 diamonds snow-set by hand, ref. W9PT11.
The new in-house automatic Louis Vuitton Calibre LFT MA01.01 powers the Convergence. It beats at 4Hz and features 45 hours of power reserve, an 18k rose-gold rotor, and a free-sprung balance. The finishes are a touch industrial, with sandblasted bridges and a “V-notched” and polished rotor. Transparent sapphires replace conventional synthetic watchmaking rubies, as is the case with the Calibre LFT023 inside Tambour of 2023 and the Escale of 2024.
The polished pink gold Convergence is CHF 33,500, and the platinum with snow-set diamonds is CHF 61,000. Both are delivered on a calfskin leather strap and matching pin buckle.
What We Think
By now it is absolutely clear that Louis Vuitton is dead set on being recognized by even the most enthusiastic of capital-E Enthusiasts. For a complete three-punch combo, the Tambour of 2023 was the jab, last year’s Escale was the cross, and today’s Convergence is the nasty lead hook to the exposed chin.
As Hodinkee’s resident vintage nerd, the first thing I did when opening the press release was hit CTL + F to search for the size, fully expecting at least the same 39mm diameter of the Escale. Pleasantly surprising, the 37mm case is sized perfectly in my mind for a montres à guilchet introduced in 2025. Anyone saying, “I wish it were Xmm smaller,” is a vintage-pilled geek who should just go buy something from the 1950s. And the market for an oversized watch drawing clear inspiration from a hundred-year-old design is, I can imagine, extremely thin.
It’s worth noting and commending Louis Vuitton’s ability here to hit a trend while it is still very much happening. Audemars Piguet created the first wristwatch with this style of digital display in 1921, and Cartier followed that up with the Tank á Guichet in 1928. Interest in 1920s watch design has never been higher than it is right now, and the market for these quirky, interesting, and rare century-old pieces has never been hotter. If we can criticize the integrated bracelet steel sport watch Tambour in 2023 for being a touch late, then we must celebrate the Convergence for being timely, if not slightly early.
If there are criticisms to be levied here, I have two nits to pick. Firstly, the watch is not a jump hour. Given the clear vintage inspirations for the overall design, I would have preferred to see a true jumping hour mechanism rather than the dragging action. A second movement criticism is the lack of chronometer certification, a feature of the Calibre LFT023 inside the previous Tambour and Escale.
That said, Louis Vuitton’s boasting of added in-house capabilities with the Convergence is notable. I am not one to adore large luxury groups, but I can surely recognize the world’s largest luxury goods company, putting the pedal on the floor and becoming a respected watchmaker. With every release, Louis Vuitton is tipping off continued investment in watchmaking and showing a clear desire to do it “the right way.”
Remember when the Escale was released, and everyone yelled about the use of an ETAchron regulator in a $30k dress watch? The Convergence has a free-sprung balance. Louis Vuitton is listening, and we keep giving them the answers to the test. The Tambour and Escale put the watch world on notice that LV is here to play, but releases like the Convergence might send a shiver down the spines of the lauded Holy Trinity.
The Basics
Brand: Louis Vuitton
Model: Tambour Convergence
Reference Number: W9PG11, W9PT11
Diameter: 37mm
Thickness: 8mm
Case Material: 18k pink gold, platinum
Dial Color: Hand satin-brushed brass discs with 4N galvanic treatment
Indexes: Printed blue Arabic numerals and indices
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet:Calfskin leather strap with case-matching LV pin buckle
The Movement
Caliber: LFT MA01.01
Functions: Hours and minutes
Power Reserve: 45 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 4Hz
Jewels: 26
Chronometer Certified: No
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 33,500, CHF 61,000
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
