Louis Erard sacrifice their regulator to a very strange creature: a grotesque saw-mouthed cyclops. A mythological figure reinterpreted by the master watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin.
Louis Erard, maker of beautiful and accessible Swiss made watches, has become a mentor for cross-disciplinary collaborations under the direction of Manuel Emch, with métiers d’art (guillochage, marquetry, enamel), with creators (seconde/seconde, atelier oï, Label Noir, Massena Lab) and great names of independent watchmaking including Alain Silberstein and Vianney Halter.
The meeting between Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin ( member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants or AHCI) gave birth to a strange creature. A one-eyed monster to which the mechanics give life. The difference is that this time we are not even looking at the time, it is the time that is looking at us: the hour is a single, large, round eye. This cyclopean gaze takes up the original elements of the Wristmons and more particularly of Konstantin Chaykin’s first Joker watch – whose eyes were made up of white discs marked with a dot, both pupil and indicator.
“Every Halloween I created a new type of monster, i.e. wristwatches with a Halloween theme, such as the pumpkin head watch and the Dracula watch, for example. Looking for ideas for this story, I turned to the one-eyed Likho character from fairy tales.”
Konstantin Chaykin
This is not Konstantin Chaykin’s first diversionary exercise, nor is it Louis Erard’s, who have built up a solid reputation in this field over the last few years, with special editions that link two worlds that do not normally interact: fine affordable watchmaking in the Swiss tradition and high creativity. The latest creation respects the architecture of Louis Erard’s signature regulator, with central minute, hour at noon and second at six o’clock.
The monster was only missing an arm. The central minute hand will give him that. Konstantin Chaykin makes it cross the dial and gives it ‘two hands turning in a circle’. For the small second at six o’clock, the watchmaker dressed it in a disc with pointed teeth, turning like the devouring mouth of an ogre.
The creature is completed with a black toad strap and comes in two versions. A purple hour circle for the 39 mm piece and a green one for the 42 mm, both at the shockingly reasonable price of CHF 4,000. The two versions form a diptych, proposed in a special box at CHF 7,900 and limited to only 28 pieces.
Technical Specifications:
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin ref. 85237AA88
Limited edition of 178 pieces
Price excl. tax: CHF 4,000
Movement: Automatic regulator, Sellita SW266-1 calibre, 11½”’, Ø25.60mm, height: 5.60mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 VpH (4Hz), élaboré grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours power reserve
Functions: HMS
Hour disc at 12 o’clock, central minute hand, seconds disc at 6 o’clock
Case: Polished stainless steel, Ø42mm, lug width: 22mm, lug to lug: 49.60mm, thickness: 12.25mm, 3 pieces, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m/165 ft), Konstantin Chaykin signature crown, caseback engraved with “Limited Edition 1 of 178”
Dial: Shiny green hour-circle, silver lower plate with sunray wave pattern, anthracite circular satin-finished hour flange, shiny red seconds flange, white transfers, circular satin-finished cartouches with logos transferred in black (Louis Erard at 6 o’clock and Konstantin Chaykin at 12 o’clock)
Hands: Shiny white hour disc with black transfer, matt black star-shaped seconds disc, matt black hand-shaped minute hand
Strap: Black toad leather with green attachment points, green rabbit leather lining, polished stainless steel pin buckle, functional catch spring bars enabling the strap to be changed quickly
Dimensions: 22/20mm width, 80/115mm length
Collaboration: Watch developed in collaboration with Konstantin Chaykin in a limited edition of 178 pieces
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin ref. 85248AA89
Limited edition of 178 pieces
Price excl. tax: CHF 4,000
Movement: Automatic regulator, Sellita SW266-1 calibre, 11½”’, Ø25.60mm, height: 5.60mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 VpH (4Hz), élaboré grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours power reserve
Functions: HMS
Hour disc at 12 o’clock, central minute hand, seconds disc at 6 o’clock
Case: Polished stainless steel, Ø39mm, lug width: 20mm, lug to lug: 45.90mm, thickness: 12.82mm, 3 pieces, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent caseback, water resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m/165 ft), Konstantin Chaykin signature crown, caseback engraved with “Limited Edition 1 of 178”
Dial: Shiny purple hour-circle with logos transferred in white (Louis Erard at 6 o’clock and Konstantin Chaykin at 12 o’clock), silver lower plate with sunray wave pattern, anthracite circular satin-finished hour flange with white transfers, shiny red seconds flange
Hands: Shiny white hour disc with black transfer, matt black star-shaped seconds disc, matt black hand-shaped minute hand
Strap: Black toad leather with purple attachment points, purple rabbit leather lining, polished stainless steel pin buckle, functional catch spring bars enabling the strap to be changed quickly
Dimensions: 20/18mm width, 80/115mm length
Collaboration: Watch developed in collaboration with Konstantin Chaykin in a limited edition of 178 pieces
Le Diptyque Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin ref. 22222AA88
Special box set, 28 pieces
Price excl. tax: CHF 7,900
For more information please visit Louis Erard