Today in Paris, Louis Vuitton has announced watchmaker Raúl Pagès as the winner of its inaugural Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.
Pagès was nominated for the prize after releasing his RP1 Régulateur à Détente, which features an impressive in-house caliber that brings a detent escapement to the wristwatch.
Pagès at the Hodinkee office in 2023. Photo: @waitlisted
Louis Vuitton announced the biennial Watch Prize in November 2022, designed to celebrate “the creative talent and audacity of the independent watchmaking industry, to support and encourage artisans and entrepreneurs, and accompany future generations.”
As the winner, Pagès will receive a one-year mentorship from LV’s La Fabrique du Temps and a financial prize.
The five finalists were: Petermann Bédat, Simon Brette, John-Mikaël Flaux, Andreas Strehler, and Raúl Pagès.
Photo: @waitlisted
The detent escapement has long been associated with precision timekeeping, dating to the days of marine chronometers.
But, since it’s so susceptive to shocks, it’s always had limited applications in the wristwatch.
Pagès took on this challenge, and over three years, developed his own manual wind caliber with an innovative safety roller cam to protect the escapement from impact.
Pagès said that his years spent restoring masterpieces of mechanical timekeeping, some using the detent escapement, inspired his work. For more on the Pagès RP1, read our review.
The nominated finalists for the inaugural Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, on stage at the award ceremony.
The Watch Prize was chosen by five selected jury members:
- Carol Forestier-Ksapai, movements director at TAG Heuer
- Auro Montanari, watch collector and writer
- Rexhep Rexhepi, independent watchmaker and founder of Akrivia
- Jiaxian Su, journalist and founder of SJX Watches
- Michael Tay, managing director of The Hour Glass, who will also serve as the president of the jury
Tay announced Pagès as the winner at a ceremony in Paris on February 6.