Louis Erard - La Petite Seconde Metropolis Louis Erard x The Horophile

Louis Erard collaborated with Instagram's influencer The Horophile to create La Petite Seconde Metropolis Louis Erard x The Horophile. Price CHF 2,300

Louis Erard collaborated with Instagram's influencer The Horophile to create three new models based on the 39 mm Petite Seconde reference, a pillar in the collection of the Swiss brand since 1992, when it was first launched.

The Horophile is the alter ego of Amr Sindi, a marketing consultant to watchmakers who is also a friend of Manuel Emch, Louis Erard's director. Both are mentors for fine, affordable horology inspired by high-end watchmaking.

The three new La Petite Seconde Metropolis Louis Erard x The Horophile are housed in a 39 mm x 12.82 mm case crafted from stainless steel and equipped with the "LE" signature crown - the only place where the brand logo appears. 

The dial in conceived as a blend between the Roaring 1920s and our own 20s with the invention of a new style: neo-deco, a concatenation of Art deco (Louis Erard was born into the Art deco fever at its height, in the darkest year of the decade, 1929) and contemporary spirit.

The starting point for the design was typography, with the numerals reinterpreting the Art deco style in a subtle interplay of lines. The small seconds are not indexed, but simply marked with a single dot.

The central sector is worked in three dimensions at the centre of the watch, with a series of concentric gadrooned grooves that create nice plays of light.

The "Empire" baton hands are inspired to the Empire State Building, an Art deco skyscraper emblematic of modernity. They are perfectly executed with great attention to the proportions, floor by floor, from the foundations to the spire, and to the skeletonisation at the centre. 

Three variations are available: Slate, Salmon, and Tobacco.

The Slate version ref. ref. 34248AA44 features 5N red gilded transfers and 5N red gilded "Empire" shape hands. It is paired with a dark brown grained calf leather with tone-on-tone stitching, black grained calf leather lining, polished stainless steel pin buckle, and functional catch spring bars enabling the strap to be changed quickly. The lug width is 20 mm.

The Salmon edition ref. 34248AA64 is matched to black transfers and anthracite "Empire" shape hands. The strap is black.

Finally, we have the Tobacco edition ref. 34248AA66 that features a brown dial with 5N red gilded transfers and 5N red gilded "Empire" shape hands. The colour of choice for the strap is a warm brown. 

Visible through the transparent caseback, the automatic Sellita SW261-1 calibre beats at the frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and offers a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. The openworked oscillating weight is embellished by a black lacquered Louis Erard symbol.

The production of the new La Petite Seconde Metropolis Louis Erard x The Horophile will be limited to a total of 178 pieces (59 Slate, 59 Salmon, 59 Tobacco, plus a unique model for The Horophile) with a retail price of CHF 2,300. louiserard.com