Another collaboration project for Louis Erard. This time with Label Noir to create a novelty based on their Le Régulateur in black and fluorescent green accents.
Press Release with commentary in italics.
New: Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Label Noir
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Label Noir ref. 85237NN57 Limited edition of 178 pieces Recommended retail price: SGD 5,050 inclusive of GST / CHF 3,500.
Commentary
Continuing the streak of collaborations and new releases for 2022…we were whispered to expect a total of 10 novelties this year, Louis Erard releases another project. This time with Geneva based customisation house. Well known for customising Rolex and other hard to get watches, the atelier has built their portfolio using black as the starting point, hence their name, and building creative solutions which often completely change the look of the original watch. This is evident in this novelty.
Though the base is the well known Le Régulateur, the final watch has only some cues to the donor base, and perhaps carries a good dose of the Label Noir DNA than it does the Louis Erard. Though, the obvious Louis Erard references – the fir hands and the case shape remains.
As usual the movement is the unmolested original Selitta used in Le Régulateur, safe for the use of a greenish tint on the sapphire glass.
Louis Erard has maintained the standard price of CHF 3.5k, and the limited edition of 178 pieces.
Release details
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Label Noir. More than a collaboration; a piece of teamwork. More than an exercise in style; a composition by four hands, each adding its own nuances. More than an exchange; a meeting of two brands. And, once again, the challenge of accessible exclusivity: CHF 3,500, 178 pieces
The hour isn’t dark; it’s glossy. First, it captures the eye, then releases its grip for a glance at the minute and second hands: a thin hand as if taken from a fir bud that splits the black dial with its acid green tip, as if to remind you that the watch is alive and moving.
Once again, this new variation on the regulator theme captures the essence of collaboration. Louis Erard X Label Noir. Louis Erard has been one of the Franches Montagnes region’s more maverick brands for almost 100 years. And Label Noir has been a Geneva-based atelier at the forefront of customisation for more than ten years. The meeting of these two worlds produced a spark: a green spark, like the last ray that the sun sends over the earth before hiding behind the horizon. A spark that illuminates the rich black tones that watchmaking expertise is capable of producing.
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Label Noir is all about depth. Emmanuel Curti, head watchmaker and founder of Label Noir, wanted to redesign the regulator in his own way of reading the time: first the hour, then the minute, then the seconds. This order of reading led to graduated finishes, from true matte to a glossy sheen.
The first thing that jumps out at you is the small hour dial: the only glossy black element on the entire watch, highlighted by a thread of mirror-polished steel. The rest of the dial is in vertically brushed matte, accentuating the contrast, while the case is treated in matte black so as not to interfere with the dial. The strap adds a finishing touch: black Cordura woven fabric that stands out from the rest, as if adding to the play of textures and extending the range of black tones.
In this design, director and artistic director of Louis Erard, Manuel Emch, found a new way of drawing the lines of collaboration. Each element in this watch leads back to the same principle: we are always stronger together.
Emmanuel Curti has found a training ground in Label Noir’s style. It’s a style that’s been developed over time, through customisations for private clients and collaborations with other brands. A style that was already in an embryonic phase in Label Noir’s very mission: to take the concept of watchmaking to another level, by daring to add variety, matte, black, and acid colours.
Without teamwork, Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Label Noir wouldn’t exist. This model was built in dialogue, in a series of exchanges, over many proposals and iterations. Multiple prototypes and different versions were created. In the end, the most iconic model was chosen: the one that best reflects both worlds. Label Noir’s chromatic concentrate. Louis Erard’s signature components: the Excellence case, the fir-tree hands, and the regulator. And subtleties with surprising origins: the idea of green glass on the open caseback came from Louis Erard, but is so Label Noir that it was kept.
Other collaborations are still to come.
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Label Noir Specifications
Movement
Automatic regulator, Sellita SW266-1 calibre, 111⁄2’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.60 mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 VpH (4Hz), élaboré grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions
HMS
Hour hand at 12 o’clock, central minute hand, second hand at 6 o’clock
Case
Sandblasted stainless steel with black PVD coating, Ø42 mm, lug width: 22 mm, lug to lug: 49.60 mm, thickness: 12.25 mm, 3 pieces, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent green caseback, water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m/165 ft), signature fir tree crown, caseback engraved with “Limited Edition 1 of 178”
Dial
Black, satin finish at 6-12 o’clock with white and green transfers, polished black lacquer counter at 12 o’clock with polished rhodium-plated ring and white transfer, counter at 6 o’clock with white and green transfers. Logos Louis Erard X Label Noir at 3 o’clock
Hands
Signature fir tree hands, rhodium-plated hour and minute hands and green lacquered second hand
Strap
Black nylon with green stitching, black calf leather lining, sandblasted stainless steel pin buckle with black PVD coating, functional catch spring bars enabling the strap to be changed quickly
Dimensions: 22/20mm width, 80/115mm length
Collaboration
Watch developed in collaboration with Label Noir in a limited edition of 178 pieces
