Louis Erard is at it again! They released two new bicolour versions of their Petite Seconde in a guilloché dials. Available now in two sizes of 39mm and 42mm.
Press Release information with commentary in italics.
New: Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché
Both versions of the Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché 39mm anthracite blue ref. 34248AA21.BVA150 and 42mm anthracite black ref. 34237AA42.BVA170 are priced at CHF 2,300 excluding tax.
Commentary
The third in their series of Petite Seconde Guilloché, this latest addition comes in two sizes – in either 39mm or in the original 42mm. The first two have been in 42mm cases with the Guilloché Main in 2021, followed by the Guilloché Main II in 2022. Both are magnificent watches, with exceptional guilloché dials, depicting geometrical shapes defined by straight lines.
This novelty is perhaps more traditional in the design of the guilloché. The four part dial features an outer ring, a guilloché chapter ring for the hour markers, an inner guilloché medallion and an insert of a guilloché pattern within the small seconds hand sub-dial with its own seconds chapter ring surrounding. The blue grey model in 39mm has a dial pattern which reminds us of the work of Kari Voutilainen through his facilities at Comblémine. Added on 1 March, 2024, after confirmation from Manuel Emch of Louis Erard. The guilloché pattern on both these novelties are stamped, but finished to a very high level. We will confirm when we have the opportunity to inspect and photograph the dials, but Manuel tells us that is hard to see the difference with the naked eye over a rose engine turned dial. On this note, we also add that Kari’s Comblémine dials are engine turned.
The same Sellita SW261-1 élaboré grade is used in both these novelties, as with the earlier Petite Seconde models. Both are excellent examples of the craft of the guilloché. But if we had to pick one, our taste tells us that our choice would be the monotone 42mm version in anthracite black.
Pricing wise, the novelties are proposed at CHF 2.3k, which we think is an incredible price given the artisanal nature of the guilloché in the dial. We think this is par for the course that it is even lower than the engine turned Guilloché Main watches which carries a CHF 3.9k retail price. Both these earlier versions feature straight line patterns which are more novel and challenging to execute. Added on 1 March 2024: This is not completely unexpected as the pricing of CHF 2.3k for the watches are very attractive and would not have been possible to use an engine turned dial. The Louis Erard engine turned dial guilloché watches carry a CHF 1.6k premium.
Release details
Louis Erard unveils two new bicolour versions of the complex guilloché pattern. Essence of luxury, yet accessible. And without compromise: all the codes of high watchmaking are present.
The Excellence Petite Seconde, the entry-level model in the Excellence collection redesigned in 2020, needs no introduction. Evolving with the times, it has seen only one modification: the addition of a second case size, 39mm alongside the original 42mm. Over the past four years, it has cemented its status as the quintessential contemporary classic – elegant, reliable, and timelessly distinctive. More than a tool watch, it’s a companion watch. A must-have even, by turns discreet or iconoclastic, it has demonstrated its versatility through numerous variations, colors, materials (gemstones, grand feu enamel) as well as capsule creations – with Seconde/Seconde/ and The Horophile.
This year, it returns with two variations on a theme dear to Louis Erard: haute horlogerie finishing. Always with the same motive in mind: to make know-how accessible. Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché 42mm in anthracite black and Excellence 39 Petite Seconde Guilloché in anthracite blue born of an ancient technique that flourished in the 18th century, championed by luminaries such as Abraham-Louis Breguet and Urban Jürgensen.
This technique, known as guillochage, represents the essence of mechanical decoration, blending dexterity and imagination. Louis Erard has already explored this field with a viscerally contemporary piece of craftsmanship – Excellence Guilloché Main, limited edition, 2021. This time, the aim is to explore the classic side of guilloché, embracing codes from haute horlogerie to create a sophisticated art form that intertwines motifs and colors.
The Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché duo features a four-part dial. The center catches the eye with its radiant draped pattern, a light trap where the flatness of the dial deepens into evolving waves, growing from the center. A classic effect of flinqué guilloché – traditionally practised manually on a rose engine. This central panel is encircled, a classic transition that leads to the large hour circle, covered with a panier motif, finely staggered like scales. A new hoop closes the design, followed by a minute “rail track”. The small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock displays the same guilloché patterns in darker tones.
The visual impact of guillochage is further accentuated by two-tone combinations – anthracite tones for the 42mm model, and a blend of anthracite and blue for the 39mm variant.
Remaining true to Louis Erard’s ethos, every detail is meticulously crafted, from the signature fir tree hands to the monogrammed crown and Sellita caliber movement. And with its affordable price point, it stands in stark contrast to other manufacturers in this category, making it an accessible luxury timepiece.
Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché Specifications
Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché 39mm anthracite blue ref. 34248AA21.BVA150
Movement Automatic, Sellita SW261-1 calibre, 3 hands with small seconds at 6 o’clock, 11½’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.60 mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 VpH (4Hz), élaboré grade movement, special openworked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions HMS / Central hour and minute hands, second hand at 6 o’clock
Case Polished stainless steel, Ø39 mm, lug width: 20 mm, lug to lug: 45.90 mm, thickness: 12.82 mm, 3 pieces, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m/165 ft), signature fir tree crown
Dial Blue guilloché style, anthracite ring and seconds counter, Pantone 2C white transfers
Hands Rhodium-plated signature fir tree hands
Strap Black grained calf leather with tone-on-tone stitching, black grained calf leather lining, polished stainless steel pin buckle, ergot bars for quick strap change.
Dimensions: 20/18mm width, 80/115 mm length
Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché 42mm anthracite black ref. 34237AA42.BVA170
Movement Automatic, Sellita SW261-1 calibre, 3 hands with small seconds at 6 o’clock, 11½’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.60 mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 VpH (4Hz), élaboré grade movement, special openworked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions HMS / Central hour and minute hands, second hand at 6 o’clock
Case Polished stainless steel, Ø42 mm, lug width: 22 mm, lug to lug: 49.90 mm, thickness: 12.25 mm, 3 pieces, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m/165 ft), signature fir tree crown
Dial Black guilloché style, anthracite ring and seconds counter, Pantone 2C white transfers
Hands Rhodium-plated signature fir tree hands
Strap Black grained calf leather with tone-on-tone stitching, black grained calf leather lining, polished stainless steel pin buckle, ergot bars for quick strap change.
Dimensions: 22/20mm width, 80/115 mm length
