Louis Erard and the Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury have created a new version of the Le Régulateur which plays with codes and redefine the fundamentals of design.
Juxtaposing luxury and industrial materials, denouncing the fetishization of beauty and gendered consumption patterns, Sylvie Fleury’s make-up palettes invite themselves into the counters of the Regulator. ‘Is it more than a women’s watch?’ The answer lies in the question… and in the way you define and transform reality.
Sylvie Fleury, Artist
“I unveil objects with raw simplicity, while relentlessly pushing the boundaries that try to cage them, refusing to be boxed in by the labels of what I do and who I am.”
Since her debut in 2018, she has been revising the mechanisms of desire and power by asserting that she can take her place within stereotypes. She reminds us that everything is available to us to try to shape our image and our lives with courage and pleasure.
Sylvie has been transforming make-up palettes into monumental works of art. She unfurls the tones and shades of powders into impressive, “shaped canvases”. Her paintings on cut-out canvases take the shape of the original packaging for these everyday consumer items. In this way, beauty products become part of the history of abstract painting.
Here, in the round dial of the watch, boldness becomes one of the superpowers of the timepiece. Life can sometimes be as colourful as we like it to be. Sylvie’s words sum up the identity of each Louis Erard collaboration, where synergy amplifies impact. Just like the symbolism of the number 178 associated with their limited editions, which signifies the power of unity, the strength of the whole.
Manuel Emch, CEO, Louis Erard
“Through her creations, Sylvie Fleury affirms the power of art to provoke, question and shake up the status quo. She’s much more than an artist I admire and who inspires me, she’s a friend. The strength of our collaboration is a ‘mixtape of existence’, a collection of shared and individual life experiences that shape human existence. Her art is bold and uncompromising; her works defy conformity, overturning perceptions and challenging stereotypes. Her highly aesthetic creations position her somewhere between elitist artist and popular iconographer, unfettered by either labels or the limitations of the objects themselves. This reflects the Louis Erard brand culture: blurring the boundaries between craftsmanship, art and accessibility, without letting the frame of a watch become its creative limit.”
Framed by a 39mm black PVD stainless steel case, the polished black dial and the glossy black leather strap recall the lacquered case of makeup palettes that inspired Sylvie Fleury. The Regulator’s distinctive “three in-line hands design” is adorned with coral hues for the hours at 12 o’clock and a matt magenta shade for the seconds at 6 o’clock. The Sylvie Fleury x Louis Erard collaboration is highlighted on the dial in an understated tone-on-tone script.
Technical Specifications:
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Sylvie Fleury Palette of Shadows
Limited edition of 178 pieces
Ref. 85238NN42.BVAS89
Price excl. tax: CHF 3’900.-
Movement
Automatic regulator, Sellita caliber SW266-1, 11½’’’, Ø25.60 mm, thickness: 5.60 mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 VpH (4Hz), special openworked oscillating weight with Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions
HMS
Hours counter at 12 o’clock, central minutes hand, seconds counter at 6 o’clock
Case
Polished stainless steel with black PVD treatment, Ø39 mm, lug width: 20 mm, lug to lug: 46.48 mm, thickness: 12.25 mm, 3 pieces, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent black caseback, water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m/165 ft), signature fir tree crown, caseback engraved with “Limited Edition 1 of 178”.
Dial
Inspired by Sylvie Fleury’s work in the form of make-up palettes: black polished lacquer dial with black transfers, matt coral domed hour counter and matt magenta domed seconds counter, Louis Erard and Sylvie Fleury logos at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock respectively.
Hands
Matte coral lacquered hour hand, matte magenta lacquered second hand and polished minute hand with black PVD treatment.
Strap
Shiny black calf leather strap, black calf leather lining, polished stainless steel pin buckle with black PVD coating, ergot bars for quick strap change. Dimensions: 20/18mm width, 65/105 mm length.
Collaboration
Watch developed in collaboration with Sylvie Fleury in a limited edition of 178 pieces.
For more information please visit Louis Erard