Louis Vuitton's vice-president of watches and fine jewellery, Hamdi Chatti, agrees that luxury maisons can be considered by some to be "outsiders" to the world of watches.

Generally, "a classic Swiss watch is one which has been around forever, so there is a lot of recognition for [Swiss] designs", he says. What Louis Vuitton - and other brands - offers is "a different option" for people who already have a couple of traditional watches or perhaps simply love the aesthetics of the timepieces created by these non-traditional brands.

That said, both brands have developed their own iconic designs in their relatively short watchmaking history. For the former, it is the Ceramic J12 collection which was first launched in 2000, while the latter has the Tambour collection. Another brand at the heart of this movement is Dior. Although some may consider its timepieces division to have stemmed from fashion, president of Dior horlogerie and fine-jewellery division Laurence Nicolas says: "Fashion goes out of fashion, [but] we are here to last."

Voicing the sentiments of traditional watch brands, she adds: "I would like the woman who would wear [our watches] to think about her daughter [and] to say 'I will pass it to my daughter'."

Beyond that, luxury brands have also won prestigious watch awards. Most notably, the Hermès Arceau Le Temps Suspendu was named the Best Men's Watch at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2011.

It's evident that the brands have taken traditional watchmaking in a new direction. Tapping into haute horology circles, the brands have injected new life into the world of watches.

Before joining Dior, Nicolas worked for Cartier; Chanel's Beau also had a stint at Cartier and Baume & Mercier; and Louis Vuitton's Chatti is a Piaget, Harry Winston and Montblanc alumnus.

These watch veterans have brought their expertise into the timepieces in a manner which pays respect to both their brand's DNA and Swiss watchmaking's rich heritage.

For them, it is a much needed breath of fresh air. "When you think about it, the watch market needed some creativity," Beau says. "It was very masculine. I think [that's] one of the things we, with other companies, have changed."

He cites Chanel's Premiere collection, launched in 1975, as an example. "We had queues in the boutiques - women wanted the watch because for once somebody was making one for them," he says. "The collection [inspired] the entire industry to look at the feminine market."

The brand has come a long way since then, frequently unveiling flying tourbillons or other complications, and keeping to the tradition and designing artistic pieces inspired by Gabrielle Chanel's passions.

Dior also has a similar history. Some 20 years ago, Dior timepieces were "fashion accessories", Nicolas says. Now, complications are tucked inside beautiful designs inspired by the maison's rich history.

The turning point, Nicolas says, was 2001 - when the brand opened a workshop in the heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds, a sign that the brand wanted to be taken more seriously as a watchmaker.

The key, according to the three watch veterans, is not to let the internal movement take priority over the aesthetics of a timepiece. "We start with a design and we ask the [technicians] to respect the design we originally wanted and never the other way around," Beau says.

For Dior, who works with top watch brands for the movements of its timepieces, it is important to add "a Dior twist" to them. The Zenith movement used in the Chiffre Rouge collection, for example, is encased by pure gold and features a layer of mother of pearl on the glass. "It's Zenith by Dior," Nicolas says.

Taking workshops to the next level, some luxury brands are acquiring manufacturers to streamline the production of their timepieces. Hermès, for example, boasts La Montre Hermès. Louis Vuitton acquired La Fabrique du Temps in 2011, and earlier this year merged all its watchmaking facilities under one roof to help the brand "improve" and foster creativity. Despite the milestone, Chatti does not emphasise the move.

"Quality [and] innovation are very important," he says. "[But] we are not selling the fact that [we have a manufacture]. We are selling the beautiful designs."

Similarly, for Nicolas, design is the key. She places emphasis on the fact that Dior is not a watch manufacture, but a couture maison which offers exceptional timepieces. The brand works in conjunction with specialists, in line with its haute couture history. Couture ateliers work with specialist embroiders or feathermakers to create masterpieces.

Ultimately, the brands have turned the watch industry upside down. As Louis Vuitton's Chatti says: "We challenge the way the traditional watch industry is positioning themselves."

For example, referring to the Escale WorldTime launched last year and followed, in 2015, by the Escale WorldTime Minute Repeater, he says: "[Traditional timepieces] have hands so I didn't want hands." And what results is a stunning piece etched with the brand's travel DNA.

Still, despite the leaps and bounds these brands have made, they are not yet satisfied.

"There are definitely plenty of things to do for the feminine market that [have not been invented yet], Beau says, before teasing that the brand may also have a men's collection in the pipeline.

Nicolas agrees: "Sophistication in technique is [not limited] to movements. We are always on a permanent, competitive R&D search inside and outside the Swiss watchmaking cradle to find some new techniques."

Such challenges are her motivation. "I think I can't work in a [traditional] timepiece industry now that I've had the taste of this kind of excitement."

Apart from the benefits, being a brand with a rich heritage in other areas also comes with problems.

Hamdi Chatti of Louis Vuitton stresses the importance of striking a balance when it comes to incorporating other categories into watch campaigns. The timepiece should be the hero, but the fashion of the brand should also fit the client’s taste. “It’s an interesting [issue],” he says.

Still, it helps to communicate the brand’s overall strategy, Nicolas Beau of Chanel says, adding it’s interesting when timepieces tie into other areas.

Creative director Karl Lagerfeld has, for example, used timepieces on runways before as belts, necklaces and bracelets for a twist.

Also, the L’instant Chanel campaign, launched last year, is more than just a watch campaign. “It tells the story about what Chanel stands for,” Beau says.

It makes sense, since the brand’s DNA is fused into all categories – and this is a balancing act which the brands are certainly mastering.