"The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize exists because we believe that the future of watchmaking belongs to dreamers and the brave, ready to revolutionise the rules that meet the highest standards of craftsmanship," said Jean Arnault, Watch Director of Louis Vuitton. It is indeed a biennial prize that celebrates the creative talent, savoir-faire and audacity of the independent watchmaking industry, to support and encourage artisans and entrepreneurs and to accompany future generations.
The shortlist of the five finalists, announced last December, included: Chronografe Rattapante by Peterman Bédat; Chronomètre Artisans by Simon Brette; Abeille Méchanique by John-Mikaël Flaux; Tischkalender Sympathique by Andreas Strehler; RP RP1 Régulateur à détente by Raúl Pagès.
Winning the prize was the RP RP1 Régulateur à détente, a watch designed and handmade by Raúl Pagès in his workshop in Les Brenets, Switzerland. It is one of the few wristwatches with a détente escapement, precisely because it is a type of escapement that is particularly sensitive to shocks: a shock can inadvertently cause the détente to slide and allow the escapement wheel to release. And in wristwatches, the possibility of the movement being subject to shocks or shocks is enormously high. The solution devised by Pagès is his détente terminating in a 'beak' which, in the event of a shock, remains outside the small disc on which it is engaged, preventing the escape wheel from being released inadvertently. We reported on this in issue 304 of L'Orologio (April 2022).
The winner was elected by five jury members selected for the final round: Jury President Michael Tay, CEO of The Hour Glass; Carol Forestier-Kasapi, TAG Heuer's movement director; Auro Montanari, watch collector, expert and writer; Rexhep Rexhepi, independent watchmaker and founder of Akrivia; Jiaxian Su, journalist and founder of SJX Watches.
The trophy of this first silver edition represents a spiral, inspired by the spiral of the balance wheel, and is presented in a Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas trunk made in the Maison's historical atelier in Asnières. In addition to a scholarship, Raúl Pagès will also receive a year of mentoring by a team of experts at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in Meyrin (Switzerland).
