Last year Louis Vuitton revived the Monterey series as a gold wristwatch in a limited edition of 188 pieces (in honour of its 1988 origins). After the success of that relaunch, they are now introducing a permanent Monterey collection with the launch of two Louis Vuitton Monterey Ceramic models in either green or gloss black. We’ve been hands-on with the gloss black edition to learn all about this neo-retro design.
Starting with the case, it measures a period accurate 37mm in diameter, instantly transporting the wearer back in time with its vintage proportions. However, it is a little bit thicker than the 20th century original, increasing from 9mm to 11mm (an increase of 2mm) because it swaps from the original quartz movement to a modern automatic movement. By no means an egregious increase and it still wears comfortably on the wrist.
That comfort comes from the fact that it uses a lugless arrangement, where the strap passes through a loop on the back of the watch, which creates a perfectly round case silhouette. The only interruption to the roundness of the case is the crown, which is positioned at 12 o’clock so that it’s as unobtrusive as possible. That placement also gives the watch the appearance of a pocket or pendent watch, which is how recent examples of the original 1988 models have been worn during fashion shows to generate interest and excitement in the collection.
Unsurprisingly, one of the most important details of the Louis Vuitton Monterey Ceramic is the fact it’s made from ceramic. Not the natural material you would expect a dress watch to be made from, which is what made the 1988 LV II unusual at the time as it was also made from ceramic. However, it works really well for the collection thanks to the ultra-smooth finish that emphasises the round shape of the case really well. It’s produced using zirconium oxide, which is blended with pigments and sculpted into the signature pebble shape before being fired at 1,000 °C and then finished by hand.
There are two versions of the case being produced, the glossy black edition here and then a second green edition. The ceramic construction makes it incredibly light, resilient, scratch-proof and the colour will never fade. In black, the high gloss finish gives it the appearance of volcanic glass, but much tougher. The black edition is presented on a matching black calf leather strap with red stitching while the green version is on a green calf leather strap.
Paired with the ceramic case is a lacquer dial in either colour matched green or high contrast white. The lacquer is built up in multiple layers to ensure a consistent colour and texture before being finished with a matte coating. The white dial I have here is then stamped with red and black railway timing scales for minutes and seconds, separated by an Arabic numeral hour scale. It uses red, syringe-shaped hour and minute hands, accompanied by a blue seconds hand. The green edition swaps out those details for yellow.
It’s a very bright, clear display. While it was designed in the 1980s, it recalls a much earlier Art Deco style from the 1920s and 30s. The original was designed by Italian architect Gae Aulenti, and their influence has been preserved here. However, my favourite vintage element that has been preserved is actually the name, which originated as a fan nickname – Monterey being a dig at the Americans who couldn’t pronounce the word Montre, French for wristwatch.
Powering the Louis Vuitton Monterey Ceramic is the LFT MA01.02 automatic calibre by Louis Vuitton. It’s finished with a gold rotor, circular graining and sandblasting, although you’ll only be able to admire it during servicing due to the solid caseback. It operates at 4 Hz and has a 45-hour power reserve. Compared to the original Monterey it’s a step up in prestige because the collection was initially quartz, but in the upgrade to mechanical it does reduce the number of functions as there is no date or alarm. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though as the display is much cleaner for it.
It’s priced at €23,000 (approx. £19,750) in a non-limited edition. That’s less than half the 2025 gold edition’s £50,000 price tag – not to be too cynical but that’s the biggest upgrade for this watch. Increasing the number of people who are willing to invest by a not insignificant margin. It’s of course still an exclusive, luxury watch but it’s not halfway to six figures anymore. For a novel artistic object, that’s a great quality of life improvement in value alone.
Price and Specs:
More details at Louis Vuitton.
