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Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II Watch Review

Since Louis Erard was put under the strategic direction of Manuel Emch, the Swiss watch manufacturer has experimented with some of the industry’s most expensive and artistic crafts. Together with dials set with gemstones and centrepieces finished in hand guilloche, Louis Erard endowed their Excellence model with a Grand Feu dial in 2021 with the original Excellence Email Grand Feu watch. A year later and the brand introduces its second instalment, this time with a 39mm case and a white enamel dial detailed with blue and red touches. Meet the new Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II

Before Louis Erard, Grand Feu enamel was reserved for high-priced luxury watches. Then their Excellence Email Grand Feu watch reinterpreted the métier d’art, celebrating the marriage of traditional fine watchmaking techniques with comparatively affordable pricing, allowing collectors of all kinds could experience the beauty of enamel. The new Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II watch does the very same, offering a modest price for a labour intensive and eye-catching finish. The Grand Feu dial of the new release is once again entrusted to Donzé Cadrans, an esteem firm based in Le Locle, renowned for making artistic dials for some of the most prestigious Maisons in Switzerland.

The Grand Feu Enamel Dial

Grand Feu enamel dials are not easy to come by. Their long-lasting and lustrous appearance is unmatched by no other technique and yet due to the complex nature of creating them, they are typically very expensive to make. Like the original Louis Erard Grand Feu watch, the new Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/products/louis-erard-watch-excellence-email-grand-feu-ii-limited-edition-34238aa54-bva95?_pos=3&_sid=f379c455c&_ss=ris created using silica and crushed oxides which forms the enamel powder, which in this instance is white in colour. This is then dusted on the top of an alcohol treated dial before being placed in an oven operating at 800°C. The firing time is not specified, but instead is based entirely on the artisan’s experience. The process is repeated, entirely by hand, until the right thickness is attained. The whole process must be done under close inspection to ensure no cracks or bubbles form under the heat.

The dial of the Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II watch also presents blue and red touches on the indexes, Roman numerals and small seconds dial. These markings are also engineered using the same firing process, taking hours just to prepare and days to create. Typically, 60-70% of Grand Feu enamels dials won’t make the cut, with only the finest examples selected. With this in mind, and due to the complex nature of creating the dials, Louis Erard will only be releasing 99 pieces of the Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II watch. Completing the enamel dial is three fir-tree shaped hands, two at the centre for the hours and minutes and a third on the small seconds dial. The shape of the hands take inspiration from the shape of the trees around the village of Le Noirmont and are finished in Louis Erard blue.

Case, Movement & Strap

Pairing beautifully with its enamel dial, the Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II watch presents  a handcrafted red grained calfskin leather strap detailed with blue stitches and a polished stainless steel buckle. The strap secures the stainless steel case neatly to the wrist with the help of curved lugs, offering a universal diameter of 39mm and a height of 12.25mm. The case also delivers the familiar knurled crown at 3 o’clock engraved with the same fir-tree shaped motifs as the dial’s hands and domed sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment.

Housed inside the Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II watch and displayed through the sapphire crystal glass back is the Sellita SW261-1 automatic winding movement. Alongside hours, minutes and smalls seconds function, the Swiss made calibre delivers 31 jewels, a frequency of 28,800vph and a power reserve of 38 hours. The openwork rotor is detailed with a black lacquered Louis Erard monogram.

If you’d like to learn more about the Louis Erard Excellence Email Grand Feu II watch and get your hands on one of the 99 limited edition pieces for yourself, 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:

  • Case Size: 39mm
  • Case Material: Stainless steel
  • Bezel: Fixed
  • Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
  • Case Back: Exhibition
  • Crown: Non-screw locked
  • Water Resistance: 50 metres
  • Movement: Sellita SW 261-1 automatic
  • Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
  • Power Reserve: 38 hours
  • Jewels: 31
  • Frequency: 28,800vph
  • Dial: White Grand Feu enamel with red and blue accents, blued fir tree hands
  • Strap: Red grained calfskin with blue stitches
  • Buckle: Pin, stainless steel
  • RRP: £3,400
  • Limited Edition: 99 pieces