The 2026 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has found its winner, and it goes to one of the most exciting young duos in independent watchmaking: Hazemann & Monnin. Their School Watch, a project deeply rooted in the tradition of the Morteau watchmaking school where the two first met, impressed the jury with its blend of classical craftsmanship and inventive mechanics.
The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, launched by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, was created to spotlight emerging talent in independent horology. The competition draws submissions from around the world and evaluates them on criteria including creativity, technical innovation, craftsmanship, and aesthetic originality.
Winning the prize comes with more than just prestige. Hazemann & Monnin receive €150,000 in financial support and a year-long mentorship with Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps, giving the young atelier invaluable access to resources, expertise, and global visibility.
A Prize Built for Independent Watchmakers
In just its second edition, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize has already positioned itself as one of the most meaningful platforms for emerging independent watchmakers. The competition began with a global field of submissions that were narrowed to 20 semi-finalists and ultimately five finalists by a committee of industry experts and collectors.
Those finalists represented a remarkably diverse range of watchmaking philosophies — from experimental tourbillon architecture to unconventional display mechanisms. Hazemann & Monnin stood out by focusing on something deeply personal: a watch inspired by their time studying watchmaking together in Morteau, France.
Their winning creation, simply called the School Watch, is both a tribute to that formative experience and a declaration of the duo’s watchmaking identity.
Design Highlights
At first glance, the Hazemann & Monnin School Watch communicates restraint rather than spectacle. The design leans heavily on classical watchmaking cues — balanced proportions, elegant finishing, and a clear mechanical narrative.
The watch is housed in a 39.5mm case, a deliberate nod to traditional dress watch proportions. Through the sapphire caseback, the movement architecture reveals itself with layered bridges, hand-applied finishing, and a strong emphasis on depth and symmetry.
Yet beneath the classical appearance lies a more unusual mechanical personality. The watch combines a passing strike mechanism (sonnerie au passage) with an instantaneous jumping hour, creating a subtle choreography of sound and motion that gives the piece an emotional dimension rarely seen in contemporary watches.
Rather than overwhelming the dial with complications, Hazemann & Monnin opted for a balanced display that lets the mechanics speak for themselves — a design philosophy increasingly admired among collectors of independent horology.
Technical Specifications
The School Watch’s mechanics reveal the ambition behind the young brand. At its core lies the HM01 calibre, a movement conceived, manufactured, and finished in-house by the duo — an impressive feat for a small independent atelier.
Key Specifications
- Model: Hazemann & Monnin School Watch
- Case: 39.5mm stainless steel case
- Movement: HM01 hand-wound in-house calibre
- Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour
- Power Reserve: Approximately 50 hours
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, instantaneous jumping hour, passing strike (sonnerie au passage)
The movement’s layout — aligning the barrel, center wheel, and balance vertically — creates a sense of mechanical depth visible through the caseback, emphasizing the watch’s architectural approach to movement design.
Why This Win Matters for Independent Watchmaking
Hazemann & Monnin’s victory highlights a broader shift within modern watch collecting. Independent watchmakers — often small teams or even individual artisans — are increasingly capturing the imagination of collectors who value originality, technical exploration, and human-scale production.
The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize exists precisely to support this ecosystem. By providing funding, mentorship, and international visibility, the initiative helps promising watchmakers transform ambitious projects into sustainable brands.
For Hazemann & Monnin, the win represents a pivotal moment. Their School Watch already demonstrated remarkable maturity for such a young brand. With the backing of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize, the duo now has the opportunity to push their ideas even further — and perhaps shape the next chapter of independent haute horlogerie.
If this early success is any indication, the watch world will be hearing much more from Hazemann & Monnin in the years ahead.
