Horologii

Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Watch Review

Louis Erard continues to reinvent traditional métiers d’art with their second guilloche dial. Still as affordable and utterly breathtaking as its predecessor, meet the new 99-piece Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Limited Edition.

A truth we’ve all had to learn at some point in our lives is that if we want something that is rare, beautiful and of quality, we will have to pay an equalising price for it. That was until Louis Erard landed on the scene in 1929, understanding the frustrations of those that recognised excellence and yet couldn’t necessarily afford it. The brand freely admits to working on smaller margins, opting against expensive advertising campaigns and engineering luxury watches at insanely affordable prices. And yet despite this philosophy, Louis Erard refuses to be restricted in their manufacture and have used some of the rarest and most expensive techniques in the industry, as well as having worked with other famous watchmakers like Alain Silverstein and designer Eric Giroud. Alongside métiers d’art techniques like enamelling, Louis Erard showcased their first hand guilloche dial last year with the launch of the original Excellence Guilloche. The chequered centrepiece was a sight to behold and retailing at only £3,400, it is no surprise that the limited edition has already nearly sold out. Now, with the intention to doing the very same, Louis Erard have launched their second guilloche instalment, the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II.

The creation of a guilloche dial is no easy task and requires the impeccable attention to detail and talent of a skilled craftsman. For this reason, Louis Erard opted for the expertise of Fehr & Cie SA, a specialist firm based in La Chaux-de-Fonds to produce the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II. Each 99-piece limited edition is created one at a time, entirely by hand, using a rose-engine lathe equipped with an array cams which determine the trajectory of the chisel and create the desired pattern. Typically, guilloche is based on a repertoire of nearly 80 patterns but rather than sticking to convention, Louis Erard asked for a new original pattern, meaning new cams and stencils had to be designed and manufactured. The result however is a guilloche engraving worthy of the 21st century.

The crisp lines and concentric circles of the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II’s dial is utterly breathtaking. At the centre, the array of lines form a pyramid or diamond shape with a three-dimensional finish. Then around the edge are circular lines offering a sense of movement with every tilt of the wrist. To ensure the guilloche remained the centrepiece to the design, Louis Erard opted to remove their logo, usually spotted at the 12 o’clock position, and keep just the simple fir-tree shaped hands in blue, an understated minutes track and the words ‘Swiss Guilloche Main’ transferred in powdered silver at 6 o’clock.

As for the case of the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II watch, you can expect similar architecture to what has been spotted previously in the Excellence collection. The case is crafted from polished stainless steel and sits on the wrist at 42mm in diameter and 12.25mm in height. There’s also sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment, a fir-tree crown and a water resistant of 50 metres. To secure the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Limited Edition to the wrist, a stunning grained black calfskin leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching is added. When the watch is off your wrist, unsecured by the pin buckle, you will find the strap’s contrasting blue leather lining.

Housed within the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II Limited Edition and exposed through the sapphire crystal glass exhibition case back is the Sellita SW261-1 élaboré grade automatic winding movement. It comes equipped with an openwork rotor designed with a noticeable black lacquered Louis Erard symbol and a total of 31 jewels. The movement also promises a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and a 38 hour power reserve.

If you’d like to learn more about the Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II watch and get your hands on one of the 99 piece limited editions, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.

Specifications: Louis Erard Excellence Guilloche Main II (34237AA95.BVA103)

  • Case Size: 42mm
  • Case Material: Stainless steel
  • Bezel: Fixed
  • Glass: Sapphire crystal with AR treatment
  • Crown: Non-screw locked
  • Case Back: Exhibition
  • Water Resistance: 50 metres
  • Movement: Sellita SW261-1 elaboré grade automatic
  • Functions: Hours and minutes
  • Power Reserve: 42 hours
  • Jewels: 31
  • Frequency: 28,800vph
  • Dial: Hand guilloche dial with blued steel hands
  • Strap: Black grained calfskin leather with black stitching and blue leather lining
  • Buckle: Pin
  • RRP: £3,400
  • Limited Edition: 99 pieces