A Watch For Men With All the Time in the World

For several years now, we've been following Louis Vuitton's determined-but-cautious steps into the world of haute horlogerie (fine watchmaking), from the brand's awkward first attempts to its recent, and much more respectable, high-end efforts. In the company's favor, LV has at least shown enough savvy to learn from past mistakes, and its perseverance now seems to be paying off.

This handsome timepiece, above, presented at the recent Basel watch fair, is a good case in point. It bears a big name–the Louis Vuitton Voyagez Tambour Automatic Chronograph Tachymeter–and an impressive pedigree: chronograph movements made by the distinguished Swiss manufacturer, Dubois Dépraz. Equally important, the entire watch-as-objet is particularly well-designed (which, surprisingly, isn't always the result when fashion companies turn their hands to fine watches), with a 44mm grey steel case, beautifully-aligned sub-dials and a sleek, carbon-fiber strap. Like the Hoover Dam or the Chrysler Building, it looks retro, contemporary and futuristic, all at once. Wear it and feel ahead of your time.

Bozeman Watch: Designed in Sight of the Rockies

We love Montana: it's a big, gorgeous, unpretentious state with so much beautiful scenery it looks untouched by whatever happens anywhere else. Ted Turner owns a ranch south of Livingston large enough for bison herds; he also runs a decent steakhouse in Bozeman, where some of those animals end up on the menu. We stumbled across this handsome watch while shopping along Bozeman's Main Street–it's part of a limited series designed by the Bozeman Watch Company, one of few American brands specializing in mechanical timepieces. And although it's made of Swiss and German components (and partially assembled in Switzerland), it has a bold, no-nonsense American sensibility we find very attractive.

This particular model, the Cutthroat 2nd Edition, is named for a native trout that's been luring fishermen to Montana's rivers season after season. It's big (42mm in diameter), housed in a stainless steel case and mounted on a simple leather strap. There are no unnecessary gimmicks, just a sweeping seconds hand, a date window and markers around the outer dial (plus a red-tipped indicator) providing 24-hour GMT. Questions? Visit the website by clicking the company's name, above, or call 1-877-878-1780. Don't be shy: as is the case everywhere in Montana, the people we met in Bozeman couldn't have been nicer.