The Roundup: the “Hello and Goodbye” Edition

Each week, EWC will be gathering horological industry news, cultural conversations and moments surrounding our favorite topic: timepieces. Happy Friday; here’s what’s on our watch.

Louis Vuitton goes Finnish 

Louis Vuitton is certainly no stranger to artist collaborations: from the celebrated Japanese multimedia artist Yayoi Kusama to the hysteria-inducing streetwear brand Supreme. However, it’s only been in recent years that the powerhouse Maison has started tapping independents to co-design its timepieces. It started in 2023 with a model created in partnership with Rexhep Rexhepi, the LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie. Now, LV enlisted the watchmaking prowess of Finnish-born, Swiss-residing Kari Voutilainen for the LVKV-02 GMR 6. Between the brand’s impressive showing at this year’s LVMH Watch Week, the horological spotlight during its runway show at Paris Fashion Week and the debut of its second collaboration with a young watchmaker on the rise, it’s clear that LV is firmly marching into serious watch brand territory.

Breitling’s Historic Appetite 

Breitling has acquired the historic brand Gallet, which shares the Swiss Maison’s rich heritage of chronographs and aviation timepieces. This marks Breitling’s second major acquisition of a notable brand in the past two years, following the purchase of Universal Genève in 2023. 

What’s a watch acquisition without a new edition to (perhaps) mark the occasion? The Limited Edition Navitimer B01 Chronograph is a North American exclusive produced in a run of just 300 pieces, the latest edition of its most beloved pilot watch. The model features a gorgeous anthracite dial with ever so subtly contrasting black subdials along with an understated two-tone build thanks to an 18-karat rose gold bezel against the stainless steel case.

Shakeup at Richemont

In other watch news, changes continue to unfold at Richemont as six-year veteran Jean-Marc Pontroue took to social media to announce his departure from Panerai as CEO. Shortly after, the esteemed luxury goods group issued an official statement naming Emmanuel Perrin as Pontroue’s successor. Perrin was previously the Head of Specialist Watchmakers Distribution at Richemont, which is rumored to be dissolved in the coming months.

Brands Collide As the F1 Season Kicks Off

The 2025 Formula 1 season began this week in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix. Here, Louis Vuitton served as the title partner, and TAG Heuer made its season debut as Official Timekeeper after Rolex exited the role last year. 

Did you think the Crown was out of F1? Not so: Look no further than Tudor. On Monday, Rolex’s “little brother” announced its return to the sport as the brand new Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team’s official partner. As you know, TAG Heuer is now the official partner of F1. 

That’s not the only watch brand on the grid. Girard-Perregaux got in on the fun, unveiling its whopping seventh collaboration with Aston Martin: the Limited-Edition Laureato Absolute Aston Martin F1 Edition. 

By our count that’s SIX watch brands on the 2025 grid. 

Urwerk Goes Prehistoric (again)

Leave it to Urwerk to create a watch inspired by a dinosaur. The avant-garde Maison first introduced its T-Rex concept back in 2016 with the UR-105 and gave us a second take on the playful design just a few years ago in 2021 with the UR-100V. Now, the brand offers up its third installment with the Limited Edition UR-101 T-Rex. This model uses the iconic UR-101 as the base, the timepiece that started it all released back in 1997. This OG gets a total transformation into a T-Rex thanks to textured, scaly armor across its bezel, sides, and lugs.