Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein. Pushing the boundaries of its artistic design even further, Louis Erard reveals a completely unique triptych. Alain Silberstein was given carte blanche, designing the series of three watches like an picture over three panels to make a whole work of art. This is an unprecedented combination of high-end watchmaking and accessible watches. Three lots of 178 models with an entry price of CHF 3,500, and a collector’s box at CHF 11,111.
Press Release info with commentary in italics.
Commentary
This is what we have come to expect from Louis Erard. The first collaboration of note was with Silberstein in 2019, which presented us with a very beautiful Regulator with the key DNA of the Silberstein aesthetic nicely captured. It was no surprise that all 178 x2 (2 dial options were offered) were snapped up in no time.
The next Louis Erard collaboration was with Vianney Halter, another very nice watch, no doubt. But to us, we are critics and it is our job to be critical, it was a step in the wrong direction. The potential to incorporate DNA so unique to Vianney Halter was immensely strong and compelling. But alas it was a path not taken. Instead the watch was nothing more than an exercise putting a logo to an existing watch with minimal changes. We were disappointed. Yet, it sold out within days. All 178 of them.
Then came the phenomenal Excellence Guilloché Main, which reclaimed the magnificence. Bravo Louis Erard. And now this. The icing on the cake. The topping on the ice cream. The crème de la crème, so far in the new Louis Erard story of collaborations. Needless to say, the entire lot of 178 pieces were spoken for in quick time. This is a recurrent theme. And one to note.
Examining each piece of the latest release was a joy. Each piece contains all the essential characteristics of the Silberstein signature. The flamboyance was captured. So was the whimsical use of colour, which is so effective and powerful. And then the use of shapes in such an architectural way that there can be no doubt to the origins. Alain was trained and had practiced as an architect. Each piece, representative of a complication branch, a genre so to speak, in traditional watchmaking. We have a day date display, a regulator, and a monopusher chronograph. This is a marvelous set. Each and every one. The only nit we can pick is that the regulator is the same as the first 2019 edition, only the colours have changed. But still, it captures the spirit of the collaboration. And at the typical approachable price that Louis Erard is known for. Even for the three piece set.
The serious collector would be well advised to quickly make that call and book the triptych – the special box set of all 3 pieces in a special presentation package. Remember the recurrent theme in the earlier releases – they go fast! Snapped up in no time! If you want one, you must make your move! Make it quick!
New: Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein
– the ultimate collector’s triptych
In 2019, Alain Silberstein revisited ‘Le Régulateur’ from Louis Erard, a historic, emblematic model produced by the Jura brand. This collaboration resulted in an exceptional model: two series of 178 models which sold in just a few hours and were immediately extremely sought after on the secondary market. And all this even before it was selected for Geneva’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie and it received an award in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021.
2021 marks a new frontier in the collaboration between Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein, with the launch of this triptych. Three watches as work of art; three family members able to shed new light on Alain Silberstein’s artistic approach, as well as Louis Erard’s watchmaking mastery. Each item is limited to 178 models, 78 of which are to be sold in a collector’s box containing the entire capsule as well as a digital artwork signed by the artist. The retail price makes a very strong statement: an entry price of CHF 3,500 and the collector’s box at CHF 11,111.
By purchasing Le Triptyque Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein collector’s box set, the 78 privileged owners will also be able to enjoy a personal, non-fungible token linked exclusively to their triptych. This guarantees and protects the authenticity of the limited edition, as well as containing all its technical specifications. In addition, collectors will have the opportunity to customise their digital token with a private message, making it even more unique and timeless.
Louis Erard is one of the first in Swiss watchmaking to offer such a technology, and this can only be offered thanks to Qiibee, which already partners with the brand for its loyalty program.
The triptych brings together three different timepieces – three signature models, each with its own unique features: La Semaine, Le Régulateur II, and Le Chrono Monopoussoir.
Everything begins with the case, a blank canvas for the artist. It consists of a frame with vertical sidebars called “brancards”, flanked by a conical crown. This is architecture in pure form, each element perfectly held, resulting in geometric simplicity and effects created by contrasts, shapes, materials (grade 2 and grade 5 titanium) and finishes (microblasted and polished). Water-resistant to 100 meters, the case is further complemented by a nylon strap with a flap, guaranteeing uncompromising comfort. Soft, breathable and lightweight, the strap features a quick-fit closure, while the tight mesh of the double-layer nylon forms a surface that won’t retain moisture. Against this canvas, the designer offers his exercises in style: three movements, three functions, three stories.
The triptych begins with a reference to the artist with the La Semaine Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein. With its three hands, date and day, this model features the exquisite weekly planner developed by Alain Silberstein, easily recognisable as his work: the days do not have names, but rather playful smileys – small, stylised faces symbolising different moods and reminding us that time is a flow, an experience, an emotion evolving through the days. From grey Monday to radiant Sunday (or vice versa), depending on the mood of the wearer!
The central piece is a new variation on the regulator: Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein II. Once again, the designer’s signature touch is instantly visible: a large blue arrow hand for the minutes, a red triangle for the hours, and a small yellow serpentine hand for the seconds. Telling the time becomes separated into its different parts in a joyful language, sophisticated and childlike at the same time, with the artistic and philosophical depth that characterises all Silberstein’s work: it is a game of proportions, with references ranging from Bauhaus to the rich history of watchmaking.
The third part of the triptych is an all-new chronograph design from the guest artist: Le Chrono Monopoussoir Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein. It features centrally placed hour and minute hands, with the chronograph seconds hand at the centre and a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock. As on the La Semaine model, the monopusher chronograph incorporates the designer’s new signature hour hand: a red circle pinned with a triangle.
“A watch is a search for harmony,” says Alain Silberstein. “Just like a choir or philharmonic orchestra, where you rehearse until you find that certain something, the crystallisation. These watches are made to awake the inner child within all of us, and my work is only really finished when they make someone smile. Without carte blanche from Louis Erard, it would have been impossible to succeed in this goal.”
More creations will follow with other guest creators, each produced in a limited series of 178 pieces, a symbolic number which signifies that we are stronger together.
La Semaine Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein ref. 75357TT02.BTT88
Recommended retail price: CHF 3,500
Movement Automatic, ETA 2836-2 calibre, day/date at 6 o’clock, 11½’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.05 mm, 25 jewels, 28.800 VpH (4Hz), standard grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions HMS, mood of the day/date
3 central hands
Case Microblasted grade 2 titanium & polished grade 5 titanium, Ø40 mm, lug width: 22 mm, lug to lug: 47 mm, thickness: 11.60 mm, 2 pieces, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bars (100 m/330 ft), Alain Silberstein red lacquered signature crown with Louis Erard symbol, caseback engraved “Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 1 of 178”
Dial Matte black, white transfers, Alain Silberstein signature days disc (“smiledays”) and date at 6 o’clock, flange featuring yellow
and red indexes
Hands Alain Silberstein signature hands: red lacquered hour hand, blue lacquered minute hand and yellow lacquered second hand
Strap Black nylon and microblasted grade 2 titanium, hook-and-loop fastener system for quick adjustment, functional catch spring
bars allowing the strap to be changed quickly
Dimensions: 22.70 mm width, 225 mm length, suitable for a wrist circumference of 140 to 200 mm
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein II ref. 85358TT02.BTT88
Recommended retail price: CHF 3,500
Movement Automatic regulator, Sellita SW266-1 calibre, 11½’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.60 mm, 31 jewels, 28.800 VpH (4Hz), élaboré grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions HMS
Hour hand in a counter at 12 o’clock, central minute hand, second hand in a counter at 6 o’clock
Case Microblasted grade 2 titanium & polished grade 5 titanium, Ø40 mm, lug width: 22 mm, lug to lug: 47 mm, thickness: 11.60 mm, 2 pieces, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bars (100 m/330 ft), Alain Silberstein red lacquered signature crown with Louis Erard symbol, caseback engraved “Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 1 of 178”
Dial Matte black with opaline (matte silver) counter at 12 o’clock, white transfers, flange featuring yellow and red indexes
Hands Alain Silberstein signature hands: red lacquered hour hand, blue lacquered minute hand and yellow lacquered second hand
Strap Black nylon and microblasted grade 2 titanium, hook-and-loop fastener system for quick adjustment, functional catch spring bars allowing the strap to be changed quickly
Dimensions: 22.70 mm width, 225 mm length, suitable for a wrist circumference of 140 to 200 mm
Le Chrono Monopoussoir Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein ref. 74359TT02.BTT88
Recommended retail price: CHF 4,500
Movement Automatic monopusher chronograph, calibre Sellita SW500MPCa, 13¼’’’, Ø30.00 mm, height: 7.90 mm 25 jewels, 28.800 VpH
(4Hz), élaboré grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with Louis Erard symbol, approx. 48 hours of power reserve
Functions HM + chronograph
Time: central hour and minute hands
Chronograph: central second hand, 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock
Case Microblasted grade 2 titanium & polished grade 5 titanium, Ø40 mm, lug width: 22 mm, lug to lug: 47 mm, thickness: 13.90 mm, 2 pieces, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water-resistant up to a pressure of 10 bars (100 m/330 ft), Alain Silberstein signature crown with pusher in red ABS and Louis Erard symbol, caseback engraved “Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 1 of 178”
Dial Matte black with opaline (matte silver) counter at 12 o’clock, white transfers, flange featuring yellow and red indexes
Hands Alain Silberstein signature hands: red lacquered hour hand, blue lacquered minute hand, yellow lacquered chronograph
second hand and red lacquered counter hand
Strap Black nylon and microblasted grade 2 titanium, hook and loop folding strap system for quick adjustment, functional catch
spring bars allowing the strap to be changed quickly
Dimensions: 22.70 mm width, 225 mm length, suitable for a wrist circumference of 140 to 200 mm
Le Triptyque Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein ref. 11111TT02 (special box set)
Recommended retail price: CHF 11,111
2 Comments
Love the single pusher chrono!
Cool eh? We think so too…