Hands-on review of the Louis Erard Regulator designed by Alain Silberstein. This limited edition, ref. 85358TT02.BTT88, has a price of CHF 3500
Following the presentation article of "Le Triptyque Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein", a set of three watches designed by Alain Silberstein and manufactured by Louis Erard, we are now delighted to share more live pictures and details about one of three new watches, Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein II.
As the name suggests, this model is characterised by a regulator-type arrangement of its indications, with the white hours counter at 12 o’clock, the central axis bearing the minutes hand only, and the seconds hand sub-dial at 6 o'clock.
Once common in clocks and pocket watches of the 18th and 19th centuries, this dial layout is reinterpreted in a fresh and creative way by the renowned French designer and architect. Alain Silberstein who started designing watches since the 1990s with his distinctive and extravagant style, inspired by the German Bauhaus movement.
The number "II" in the name of this model refers to the fact that, in 2019, Alain Silberstein already revisited ‘Le Régulateur’ from Louis Erard, a timepiece that was selected for Geneva's Grand Prix d'Horlogerie and received the Product Design 2021 Red Dot Award.
And for this new regulator watch, Louis Erard gave carte blanche to Alain Silberstein in order to allow him to express his vision without constraints, as a work of art should be.
Protected by a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, the dial is an eye-catcher with its truly unique lacquered hands: a large blue arrow for the minutes, a red triangle for the hours, and a small yellow serpentine hand for the seconds. The minutes are painted on the outer chapter ring with the five-minute intervals highlighted in yellow or red in case of the "60".
The two-piece case is no less original than the dial. It features a thin bezel and vertical sidebars called “brancards” and it is crafted in microblasted grade 2 titanium and polished grade 5 titanium.
Differently from Grade 2 titanium, Grade 5 titanium is an alloy that includes aluminum and vanadium and it offers a brighter appearance. The use of different materials and finishes highlight the geometries through contrasts. 40 mm in diameter, the case is 11.60 mm thick. It measures 47 mm lug to lug.
The signature conical crown with red lacquered Louis Erard symbol adds a nice touch well harmonising with the ensemble.
Water resistant up to a pressure of 10 bar (approximately 100 metres / 330 feet), Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein II is matched to a comfortable nylon strap featuring a hook-and-loop fastener system for quick adjustment. Thanks to the tight mesh of the double-layer nylon, it dries quickly when wet.
Functional catch spring bars allows the owner to change the strap quickly. The lug width is 22 mm.
The caseback is engraved with the individual number of each timepiece (only 178 pieces of this model will be produced).
Through a transparent sapphire crystal porthole, it displays the self-winding regulator-type Sellita SW266-1 calibre that beats at the frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour and offers 38 hours of power reserve. The openworked oscillating weight of this élaboré grade movement is decorated with the Louis Erard symbol.
Beautifully playing with proportions and bright colours, Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein II is an original and sparkling timepiece that successfully combines the love for watchmaking with that for design and art. Identified by reference 85358TT02.BTT88, this limited edition model has a price of CHF 3,500. louiserard.com
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