Jewellery & Watch News
In just a few years, Louis Erard has gone from being an independant, little-known watch manufacturer to one of the most coveted names in the industry. How? They’ve focused on creating unique collaboration watches and utilising traditional métiers d’art techniques at an astonishingly low price point. Just a few examples include the Louis Erard collaborations with Label Noir and Vianney Halter, the Excellence Email Grand Feu watch and the Excellence Régulateur Aventurine, Lapis Lazuli & Malachite Limited Editions. For Watches & Wonders 2023, the Swiss watchmaker does it again, but this time turns to artisan Bastien Chevalier to create an extremely rare miniature marquetry dial. Let’s take a look at the new 99-piece Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie Limited Edition watch…
The practice of miniature marquetry requires a lot of patience, talent and time which in turn typically leads to a large price tag. For the Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch however, the Swiss watchmaker has somehow created the first wood marquetry dial priced below £5,000, yet despite its pleasingly affordable price point, the creation of the marquetry dial is no less spectacular. Each 99-piece limited edition dial is created entirely by hand, piece-by-piece by independent artisan, Bastien Chevalier, based in Sainte-Croix. The mesmerising checkboard effect with a trompe-l'oeil pattern is handcrafted using different shades of wood: three shades of blue-tinted tulip tree, and grey-tinted willow burl. Each facet is cut entirely by hand with a saw to exactly a tenth of a millimetre. This ensures the dial can be assembled without any gaps. One tiny mistake, and the dial must be started all over from scratch.
Bastien Chevalier comments on the creation of the Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie Limited Edition: “Geometric design is the hardest thing to do, you have to be totally precise. The pattern won’t permit any error, the slightest deviation is visible.”
For Louis Erard, the goal is always the same: to make the delights and deliriums so exclusive to métiers d’art of high-end watchmaking accessible, and it’s safe to say the Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch, retailing at just £4,200, does exactly that. As always with premium collaboration watches like this, Louis Erard ensures the elegant artistry of the dial is given all the attention with the rest of the watch’s specifications kept simple and familiar. The dial itself is set with only two blued steel fir-tree shaped hands for the hours and minutes and the artisan’s signature at 7 o’clock. Even the Louis Erard logo is kept away from the marquetry dial and instead printed onto the domed sapphire crystal glass above.
For the case, Louis Erard elects their traditional Excellence architecture which includes highly polished stainless steel, a thin unadorned bezel, slender, curved lugs and domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The case measures to 42mm in diameter and 12.25mm in height and is set with the familiar fir-tree crown at 3 o’clock which promises a 50 metre water resistant rating. Securing to Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie Limited Edition to the wrist is a blue grained calfskin leather strap with tone-on-tone attachment points, blue grained calfskin leather lining and a polished stainless steel pin buckle.
Turning the Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch over and you’ll spot a unique, blue-tinted exhibition case back which reveals elements of the Sellita SW261-1 automatic winding movement from within. The movement is élaboré grade and promises a 38 hour power reserve, 31 jewels and runs at a frequency of 28,80vph. It also features a custom openworked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol.
No doubt you can tell this is another highly exclusive model from Louis Erard and like many of their other designs which featured a rare craft at an extremely reasonable price point, we’re not expecting the 99 limited edition pieces of the Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch to stick around for long. If you’d like to secure one for yourself, head over to the C W Sellors website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at [email protected].
Specifications:
- Case Size: 42mm x 12.25mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
- Crown: Non-screw down
- Case Back: Exhibition, blue tinted glass
- Water Resistance: 50 metres
- Movement: Sellita SW261-1 automatic winding, élaboré grade
- Functions: Hours and minutes
- Power Reserve: 38 hours
- Jewels: 31
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Handmade wood marquetry dial by Bastien Chevalier, blue steel fir-tree hands
- Strap: Blue grained calfskin leather
- Buckle: Pin
- Limited: 99 pieces
- Reference: 34237AA58
- RRP: £4,200
