Why in the world would you buy a watch that didn’t tell time? We know that fashion speaks loudly, but how can it be that Louis Vuitton actually produced a then (supposedly) immediately sold out of a new watch called the Tambour Mysterieuse? Men’s watches are available in steel and women’s watches come in either steel or gold, and although this watch may be a technical masterpiece –  the calibre in the center appears to be floating –  it doesn’t do anything basic, like tell you if you’re going to be late for work. But I guess if you can afford to buy one of these men’s or women’s watches, you probably don’t work.

The Tambour Mysterieuse is not the first watch made by LV, but its caliber, the LV115, is the first to be developed by luxury goods brand Louis Vuitton. Sticking to the whole “mystery” concept, the watch features minute and second hands that sit on transparent, moving discs, so you can’t really see them, which again means you have no idea what time it is. And even though some call this caliber an example of  “horologic magic”, consisting of 115 components, at a price said to be between $250,000 and $265,000, how do you justify actually buying one?

Apparently the Tambour Mysterieuse line is so exclusive, that they are available only by special order, at which point you are given the option of purchasing it in steel or yellow gold and with diamond, rubies or sapphires. You can even get the rotor engraved with your initials. Ooh la la.

If you’re a woman considering a men’s luxury watch or a man considering a women’s luxury watch, or any combination thereof, we can recommend many more brand name options at a mere fraction of the cost as this Louis Vuitton watch, and all come with the upside of answering you when you ask: Quelle heure est-il ?