Le Chronographe Monopoussoir Louis Erard x Massena LAB. The second collaboration between Louis Erard and Massena LAB, two platforms dedicated to accessible collector’s watches. An air of the 19th century. A concentration of classic codes in a resolutely contemporary model equipped with a 21st-century monopusher chronograph calibre.
Limited series of 178 pieces, CHF 4,250.
This is not the first time that Louis Erard has opened the door to classical watchmaking and taken a look back at the 19th century. His aim is to demonstrate that a watch is also – and above all – a means of expression, a wrist notebook in which small mechanical stories can be written.
Nor is this the first time that Louis Erard has invited Massena LAB to co-produce a creation. After Le Régulateur, shortlisted for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the four-handed collaboration this time focused on the monopusher chronograph. A highly technical speciality – a single pusher to start, stop and reset the chronograph – which is expressed with great simplicity by Louis Erard: a single 30-minute totalizer on a separate dial at 12 o’clock.
Now for the Massena LAB touch. As its name suggests, this is a laboratory, with a laboratory technician, William Massena. He is a leading figure in the world of collector’s watches. A collector himself, William Massena ran Antiquorum for several years before launching his own label in 2018, not a brand but a platform focused on collaborations.
With a single idea in mind: to promote the watchmaking he loves and “democratise a style usually reserved for wealthy collectors“, historical watchmaking from the 18th and 19th centuries, in his own way following in the footsteps of Antide Janvier and marine chronometry.
Making the exceptional accessible. Meeting Louis Erard was a logical and natural step. Manuel Emch, CEO and creative director of the Franches-Montagnes-based brand, has made watchmaking culture his hallmark, opening up his collections to everything that haute horlogerie had previously reserved for itself: métiers d’art, cutting-edge collaborations, independent watchmakers, creative people, artists, craftsmen; Alain Silberstein, Vianney Halter, Konstantin Chaykin, atelier oï, seconde/seconde/, Eric Giroud, Bastien Chevalier – and all the others to come.
“Together we are stronger” has become the motto of Louis Erard, the new signature of this historic manufacturer, born in the Great Depression of 1929. And it’s not just a posture, as Louis Erard is proving, exploring every area of expertise, from collaboration to collaboration, each time pushing the quest for excellence as far as possible.
How does this excellence reveal itself? In the style, which is thorough, meticulous and detailed. In the finishing, of course. This monopusher chronograph is a striking example: rhodium-plated outer flange and counter with circular satin-finish and diamond-cut corners, rhodium-plated or 2N gilded lower plate with grained finish and silver opaline counter centre, black transfers with Louis Erard symbol and Massena logo at six o’clock. And from this quest for excellence comes exclusivity: sophistication is always achieved by hand, and hands are not made for mass production.
Like all the other collaborations, Le Chronographe Monopoussoir Louis Erard x Massena LAB is therefore produced in a limited series: 178 pieces – a figure that symbolises “together we are stronger”. 178 pieces in two variations: rhodium-plated or gilded dial.
“To be successful, says William Massena, a collaboration has to make sense“. Duly noted. And there are more meaningful beauties to come.
Le Chronographe Monopoussoir Louis Erard x Massena LAB Technical Specifications
Silver Ref. 74239AA70, Limited series of 78 pieces – Price excl. tax: CHF 4,250.—
Gold Ref. 74239AA71, Limited series of 100 pieces – Price excl. tax: CHF 4,250.—
Movement
- Automatic monopusher chronograph,
- Sellita SW500MPCa calibre,
- 13¼’’’, Ø30.00 mm, height: 7.90 mm,
- 25 jewels,
- 28,800 VpH (4 Hz),
- élaboré grade movement, meticulously decorated, special openworked oscillating weight with LOUIS ERARD symbol,
- around 48 hours of power reserve
- Functions HM + chronograph
- Time: central hour and minute hands
- Chronograph: central second hand, 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock
Case
- Polished stainless steel,
- Ø43 mm, lug width: 22mm, lug to lug: 50.40mm, thickness: 15.70 mm,
- 3 pieces,
- domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides,
- movement visible through the transparent back,
- water-resistant up to a pressure of 5 bar (50 m / 165 ft),
- Massena LAB signature crown,
- caseback engraved with “Limited Edition 1 of 178”
Dial
- Silver
- Rhodium-plated outer flange and counter with circular satin-finish and diamond-cut corners,
- rhodium-plated lower plate with a grained finish and silver opaline counter centre, black transfers,
- Gold
- Rhodium-plated outer flange and counter with circular satin-finish and diamond-cut corners,
- 2N gilded lower plate with a grained finish and silver opaline counter centre, black transfers,
- Louis Erard symbol and Massena logo at 6 o’clock
- Hands: Blued steel leaf-shaped hands
Strap
- Black-grained calf leather with tone-on-tone attachment points,
- blue-grained calf leather lining,
- polished stainless steel pin buckle, functional catch spring bars enabling the strap to be changed quickly
- Dimensions: 22/20 mm width, 80/115 mm length
Collaboration Watch developed in collaboration with Massena LAB, limited series of 178 pieces
ABOUT MASSENA LAB
Massena LAB, founded by noted watch collector and industry veteran William Massena, is a creative horological studio that designs, develops, and produces timepieces, often in collaboration with respected watchmakers from around the world. Massena LAB exists to be a reference point of horological culture and to play an integral part in its constant evolution, using elements of style from the past to enhance the future of watchmaking. It aims to create and nurture a community of informed watch enthusiasts with a passion for novel timepieces from independent watchmakers.
The “LAB” in Massena LAB is a combination of two words: “laboratory,” for the willingness to experiment and embrace new ideas, and “collaboration,” for the fruitful, long-standing relationships that Massena LAB enjoys with its partner brands.
ABOUT LOUIS ERARD
Based in the Jura mountains, the birthplace of watchmaking, Louis Erard embodies the values of Swiss mechanics, the tradition that keeps its promises. Combining luxury, timelessness and elegance, this independent brand is renowned for its mechanical watches and, in particular, its iconic regulators. A collection on which the brand, founded by Mr Louis Erard in 1929, built its reputation.
Today, under the impetus of Manuel Emch, the company continues the work of its founder and honours the watchmaking tradition by reinterpreting the codes in a contemporary language, revisiting its métiers d’art and opening up its field of expression through collaborations and exchanges of know-how. Louis Erard continues to set itself apart from mass-market brands. Inspired by high-end watchmaking, the brand draws on its values to enhance its mechanical timepieces.