At the 2025 Paris Fashion Week, Louis Vuitton presented once again the LV I, the watch designed for the Maison by Gae Aulenti in 1988, placing it at the heart of the Spring/Summer 2026 collection. More than a simple revival – now worn as a chain belt – its presence within the Louvre’s galleries recalls a pivotal moment in Louis Vuitton’s history, when the Italian architect and designer was invited to mark the brand’s entry into watchmaking.
Gae Aulenti’s watch for Louis Vuitton is back, the one that made history in 1988
It was the late 1980s when Louis Vuitton commissioned the architect to design the Maison’s first wristwatch. Today, the new LV I is worn as a chain belt, making its debut at Paris Fashion Week.
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- Ilaria Bonvicini
- 02 October 2025
The original LV I (also known as Monterey I) was conceived to translate the Maison’s identity into both time and form, opening an experimental chapter that anticipated the creation of the more widely known Tambour in 2002. Designed with an approach far from conventional watchmaking, the LV I was characterized by a 40 mm yellow gold case, an essential graphic layout, and a quartz movement developed in collaboration with IWC. Its counterpart, the LV II introduced the pioneering use of colored ceramics, an unusual material solution at the time that anticipated trends now firmly established.
The reissue presented by Louis Vuitton is thus a gesture of reactualization that shifts the emphasis from the mere accessory to its symbolic dimension: a gesture consistent with the original project’s nonconformist spirit, conceived not to adhere to established codes but to test their boundaries, paving the way for new ideas and possibilities.
Opening image: Watch by Gae Aulenti for Louis Vuitton. Courtesy Louis Vuitton. .