The Louis Vuitton x De Bethune LVDB-03 Louis Varius Project revives the sympathetic clock mechanism, last produced in 1991. Announced February 2, 2026 in Tokyo, this haute horlogerie collaboration pairs heat-blued titanium wristwatches with monumental desk clocks that automatically wind them.
The production run includes 12 wristwatches and 2 sympathetic clocks. Ten watches sell separately at €375,000 ($410,000 USD). The remaining two bundle with clocks at approximately €3.7 million ($4 million USD) per set.
Why Louis Vuitton Works With Independent Watchmakers
Louis Vuitton's watch division under Jean Arnault works with independent Swiss manufacturers instead of competing directly with heritage brands. The LVDB-03 represents the third collaboration in this strategy.
Previous partnerships include:
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LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie with Rexhep Rexhepi (Akrivia)
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LVKV-02 GMR 6 with Kari Voutilainen
This approach funds projects that independent watchmakers couldn't finance alone. Louis Vuitton gains technical credibility while preserving De Bethune's design identity.
Why De Bethune Was the Right Brand for a Sympathetic Clock
Denis Flageollet co-founded De Bethune in 2002 after working at Techniques Horlogères Appliquées (THA) during the 1990s. At THA, he worked on complex mechanisms including Breguet sympathetic clocks alongside Vincent Calabrese and François-Paul Journe.
De Bethune operates its own clockmaking workshop - rare among independent manufacturers. This capability allows production of standing clocks requiring different engineering than wristwatches.
The LVDB-03 Sympathique marks the first modern sympathetic clock since THA's examples over three decades ago.
LVDB-03 Wristwatch: Case, Dial, and Movement Details
Case Construction
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Diameter: 45mm
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Thickness: 14.05mm
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Material: Heat-blued titanium with platinum lugs and crown
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Tambour Taiko case architecture from Louis Vuitton's La Fabrique du Temps
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Sandblasted bezel with individually polished Louis Vuitton letters
Dial Design
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De Bethune Milky Way star map motif with white-gold pins
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Hand-set pins in micro-perforations of varying depths
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Constellation arrangement spells "LV"
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Spherical day-night indicator (5N rose gold for day, flame-blued steel for night)
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Opaline base with faceted hands
Movement: DB2507LV Caliber
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Manual winding
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Power reserve: 120 hours (5 days)
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Twin mainspring barrels
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Frequency: 28,800 vph (4Hz)
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Blued titanium balance wheel with white-gold poising
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Silicon escape wheel
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Triple pare-chute shock absorption
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Six De Bethune patents incorporated
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GMT complication with multi-disc display
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Microlight Côtes de Bethune decoration
How the Sympathetic Clock Works (In Simple Terms)
The LVDB-03 Sympathique automatically winds and adjusts the wristwatch when docked. This process takes 9-12 hours and corrects time incrementally every other hour.
Sympathetic Clock Specifications
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Weight: Approximately 10 kilograms
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Height: 260-310mm (varies with gimbal position)
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Movement: DB5006 caliber with 763 components
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Power reserve: 11 days
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Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5Hz)
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Manual winding
How It Functions
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Watch docks beneath the hand-engraved dome
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Connection occurs through pusher-style access point in case
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Watch can remain on strap during docking (technical improvement over historical models)
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System corrects time if watch starts within 7 minutes of accuracy
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Limitation inherited from Abraham-Louis Breguet's original 19th-century design
Design Elements
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Titanium base with blued meteorite marquetry
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Adjustable gimbal system (upright to inclined positioning)
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Three rotating dioramas by Belgian illustrator François Schuiten
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Scenes include: steam train on viaduct, hot-air balloons over savanna, sherpas on mountain
Special Titanium Trunks Made by Louis Vuitton
Each wristwatch ships in a dedicated titanium High Watchmaking trunk. Louis Vuitton's Asnières workshop rarely works with titanium due to fabrication challenges.
Trunk Details:
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Matte titanium construction
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Heat-blued titanium corner protectors by De Bethune
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Palladium lozines and lock hardware
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Custom leather travel pouch included for daily carrying
The two sympathetic clocks arrive in Trophy Trunks designed for the 10-kilogram timepieces and display stands.
Why Only 12 Watches and 2 Clocks Were Made
Total Production:
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12 wristwatches
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2 sympathetic clocks
Distribution:
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10 wristwatches sold separately at €375,000 each
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2 wristwatches bundled with clocks at ~€3.7 million per set
The 763-component sympathetic clock movement requires extensive hand-assembly. De Bethune's clockmaking workshop operates at limited scale compared to wristwatch facilities.
Denis Flageollet personally oversees final quality control for each piece. This bottleneck makes expanded production impractical regardless of demand.
The Louis Varius Naming Convention
"Louis Varius" combines Louis Vuitton with De Bethune's "Starry Varius" designation used for GMT models like the DB25 GMT Starry Varius.
The GMT complication aligns with Louis Vuitton's travel heritage. The spherical day-night indicator suits frequent timezone changes during international travel.
De Bethune's existing Starry Varius models share the celestial dial aesthetic and GMT functionality but use different case construction.
Why This Collaboration Matters in High-End Watchmaking
Louis Vuitton's funding allows De Bethune to preserve sympathetic clock manufacturing knowledge as specialists retire. The collaboration functions as both commercial product and cultural preservation.
For collectors, the LVDB-03 represents authenticated independent watchmaking with Louis Vuitton branding - reversing typical fashion-watch dynamics where brands license Swiss movements.
The technical execution includes:
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11-day sympathetic clock power reserve
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763-component movement
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120-hour wristwatch autonomy
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Six patented mechanisms
These specifications place the Louis Vuitton De Bethune collaboration within serious complications discussion despite the fashion house nameplate.
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