Louis Vuitton has announced the five finalists for the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. This initiative supports independent watchmakers working outside large commercial brands. The prize aims to highlight innovation, craftsmanship, and originality in modern mechanical watchmaking, an area often driven by small studios and solo creators.
For the 2025–2026 edition, submissions from around the world were narrowed to 20 semifinalists, then to five finalists by a committee of 65 industry experts and collectors. Watches were judged on design, creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and technical complexity. The winner will be announced on March 24, 2026, in Paris and will receive a €150,000 grant plus a year-long mentorship with Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps watchmaking team.
The finalists reflect the wide range of ideas coming from independent watchmaking today. Japan’s Daizoh Makihara was selected for Beauties of Nature, a one-off watch combining traditional Edo Kiriko-cut glass with a moving petal mechanism, dual time displays, and a highly accurate moon phase. Fam Al Hut, founded by Xinyan Dai, earned recognition for Möbius, a compact sculptural watch featuring the smallest bi-axis tourbillon to date and unconventional time displays in place of a standard dial.
French duo Hazemann & Monnin were chosen for their School Watch, which features an entirely in-house movement combining a chiming hour with an instantaneous jumping hour, paying tribute to traditional watchmaking education while pushing technical boundaries. Veteran independent Bernhard Lederer was selected for the CIC 39 Racing Green, notable for introducing a rare dual-detent escapement designed to deliver constant energy and high precision, with most of the movement made in-house. Quiet Club rounds out the list with Fading Hours, a Tokyo-made watch featuring a unique alarm that strikes the dial itself, controlled by a single pusher and hidden alarm hands for a clean, minimal look.
Together, the finalists underscore Louis Vuitton’s commitment to nurturing independent watchmaking, spotlighting creators whose experimental mechanics and personal visions are helping define the future of high-end watches beyond the mainstream luxury space.