Determined to 'democratise' traditional crafts to offer them to a wider audience, Louis Erard continues its commitment to offering high-end workmanship at an affordable price. It has done so with grand feu enamel dials or with guilloché workmanship made in the traditional way using a hand lathe. But also with those in natural stones and mineral glass. Such as lapis lazuli, malachite and aventurine, which add a new character to three limited editions (99 pieces) of the Excellence Petite Seconde.
Each dial is unique, as each stone is different and requires painstaking processing. Because it is not easy to cut the stones and glass into discs of a few fractions of a millimetre. Even the small seconds dial at 6 o'clock with its opaline background is cut into the stone and stands out pleasingly against the forest green colour of malachite, the deep blue of aventurine glass or the lighter blue of lapis lazuli. It retains a minimalist layout with slim, tapered hour markers and silvered Arabic numerals at the even numbers.
The three versions are available with a steel case with a diameter of 39 mm and a thickness of 12.25, dimensions that make the watch elegant and compact on the wrist, combined with a grained calfskin strap matching the colour of the stone. The movement is a Sellita SW261-1 automatic calibre with a 38-hour power reserve.
All this for the sum of 2,500 Swiss francs (about 2,650 euros): decidedly competitive given the characteristics of the models. This confirms the brand's new strategy, which is focusing heavily on creativity and an offer of value at affordable prices.
