Jewellery & Watch News
Over the past couple of years, Louis Erard has become one of the most talked about Swiss watch manufacturers in the industry, designing timepieces in partnership with other famous designers and watchmakers like Alain Silberstein and Eric Giroud and reviving traditional decorative techniques like enamelling and guilloche. The latter technique was utilised by Louis Erard just last year with the launch of the original Excellence Guilloche watch and now, the brand have launched a second instalment suitably named the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II.
Hand-guilloche is not a trade taught in school or college, instead knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next. Because of this, it is a technique rarely seen in the luxury watchmaking world, requiring intense attention to detail and skill. The art form is traditionally used to create repetitive patterns and a geometric motif, guided by the steady hands of a craftsman and a manual lathe with cams. As standard, guilloche is based on a repertoire of nearly 80 patterns but wishing to step out of their comfort zone even further, Louis Erard asked the dial maker to recalibrate the manual rose engine lathes to create a new original pattern. This is no easy feat. It involves inventing and manufacturing new cams and new metal stencils and requires the artisan to trace the pattern of each 99 piece Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Limited Edition one at a time by hand.
What may time consuming and tedious to some results in one of the most spectacular guilloche dials we have ever seen. At the centre, the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II watch reveals a large silver diamond shape which reaches out to the very edge of the dial set against a black varnished backdrop with decreasing pyramids within. Around the edge, the dial then opts for a series of circular lines which add a three-dimensional feel to the image and create a sense of movement on the wrist. The entire face of the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Limited Edition is dedicated to the technique with even the Louis Erard logo itself left out for the ultimate lasting effect. The only other features spotted are the blued steel fir-tree shaped hands, the unassuming minutes track and the words ‘Swiss Guilloche Main’ transferred in powdered silver at 6 o’clock.
The case of the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II watch aims to brings things back to basics, and as such, the price point of the limited edition stays remarkably low despite the calibre of watchmaking involved. The case is engineered from classic stainless steel with a polished finish, diameter of 42mm and a height of 12.25mm. On top, sapphire crystal glass protects the dial and assures easy legibility of the guilloche dial beneath with anti-reflective coating on both sides. We’re also welcomed to a unique fir-tree crown, water resistance of 50 metres and a grained black calfskin leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching and a bold blue leather lining.
Housed within the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Limited Edition and exposed delightfully through the sapphire crystal glass exhibition case back is the Sellita SW261-1 élaboré grade automatic winding movement. Its exquisite openwork rotor has been designed with a noticeable black lacquered Louis Erard symbol and pairs with 31 jewels. The movement also promises a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and a 38 hour power reserve.
If you’d like to learn more about the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II watch and get your hands on one of the 99 piece limited editions, 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 sales@cwsellors.com.
Specifications: Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II (34237AA95.BVA103)
- Case Size: 42mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with AR treatment
- Crown: Non-screw locked
- Case Back: Exhibition
- Water Resistance: 50 metres
- Movement: Sellita SW261-1 elaboré grade automatic
- Functions: Hours and minutes
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Jewels: 31
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Hand guilloche dial with blued steel hands
- Strap: Black grained calfskin leather with black stitching and blue leather lining
- Buckle: Pin
- RRP: £3,400
- Limited Edition: 99 pieces
