Meet the new Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie Limited Edition
Saturday - 08 April 2023
If you’re partial to a collaboration watch or two, Louis Erard has probably been your watch brand of choice within the luxury sector. It has been occupying this space for a few years, offering a broader scope of collectors a larger choice in metiers d’art dials. This new addition to Louis Erard’s Excellence watch collection showcases yet another hand-made dial, this time depicting an abstract cubic pattern that plays with the light in a never-been-seen-before way. Meet the new Louis Erard Excellent Marqueterie Limited Edition watch with a contemporary geometric dial pattern in shades of blue, achieved by the intricate Marquetry technique.
The new Excellence Marqueterie watch by Louis Erard has been exclusively manufactured in a limited number of just 99 pieces worldwide, making it an instantly appealing collectable amongst fans of the Excellence watch collection. For those who didn’t know, these hand-crafted dials made in-house by Louis Erard have been around since 2019 and have been amazing fans with their highly intricate finishes and full-of-depth character. The Jura-based atelier has reached yet another remarkable feat with the new Marqueterie model under the direction of Manuel Emch who has, since he arrived, turned the brand’s focus towards a new contemporary yet thought-provoking direction. By doing so, the brand has worked with several leading names like Massena Lab, Alain Silberstein, Label Noir, Eric Giroud and Vianey Halter. In doing so, Louis Erard demonstrates that you can still get a lot for your money so long as you know where to look. By indulging horophiles with its exquisitely crafted dials, Louis Erard presents hand-guilloche dials and grand feu dials for an affordable price, and this new Excellence Marqueterie watch is no exception to the rule.
The dial of the Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch
The dial of the new Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch is just 1 of 99 like it. That said, each one is different to the next since the technique used to achieve the display is unique each time. The Marquetry process requires the cutting out of wooden veneers via the use of a scalpel and then forming a unique pattern by assembling them upon a surface. A cabinetmaker may carry out this process and can sometimes emulate an animal or object with his or her pattern. For this Louis Erard watch, artisan dial designer, Bastien Chevalier is the chosen individual for the task at hand and began the process by stacking several wooden sheets together and nailing them. The wood is then cut to shape using a previously traced design for guidance, with minor tolerances of just 0.1mm. Even breathing must be slowed to complete this meticulous process – a skill that very few in the world can match. The pieces of cut wood are then assembled, which are then affixed to a mount with glue with the help of a microscope. The surfaces are then sanded before the dial is ready to receive its timekeeping components.
The geometric design of the new Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch is incredibly contemporary. The checkerboard motif is executed in three shades of blue whilst the fir tree hands are presented in blued steel – a familiar feature of watches from the Excellence collection. The absence of hour markers creates a huge impact on the dial, exuding an artistic canvas to read the time.
The Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie Limited Edition watch measures a diameter of 42mm and has been crafted from stainless steel. Its polished case is met with a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front and a matching sapphire exhibition caseback that affords a clear view of a self-winding movement within. The watch is also water resistant to 50 meters and features a sapin-themed crown at 3 o’clock. The watch is worn on a blue grained calfskin leather strap with a polished Louis Erard-engraved stainless steel pin buckle with quick-release spring bars. Inside the case is the automatic SW-261-1 movement with a power reserve of 38 hours to offer and a performance of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
If you appreciate the charm of the artistically hand-crafted dial in the new Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie watch, you may want to secure yourself one of the 99 pieces available. You can do that by chatting with one of the members of our Jura Watches sales team on 01335 453453
