Le Régulateur Louis Erard x seconde/seconde/. Once again, Louis Erard is putting its iconic regulator to the test of free collaboration with an independent creator. And this time, a taboo has been lifted in the world of fine watchmaking: the internet takes its place at the heart of the mechanism, with the dreaded “404 Error” reinterpreted as a minute hand.
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x seconde/seconde/. This new collaboration will come as no surprise to those already familiar with seconde/seconde/, aka Romaric André, and his modus operandi: Arsène Lupin-style appropriation of vintage watches for the Banksy generation. It will also be no surprise to those who have followed the recent shift in Louis Erard watches towards a mechanical triptych, artistic crafts and collaborations, the first of which are already a milestone — Alain Silberstein, Vianney Halter, atelier oï — with more to come.
For those climbing on the bandwagon, rest assured that no one will be left waiting on the platform — except, perhaps, for latecomers. The watch comes in a limited edition of 178 pieces: a symbolic number signifying that we are always stronger together. Louis Erard puts its iconic regulator back into play and gives carte blanche to the rising star of ultimate customisation, with independent Paris-based creator, seconde/seconde/.
seconde/seconde/ has made watch hands his playground and trademark, combining diversion, iconoclasm and a mix of styles. Clash of contrasts between deliberately ludicrous patterns and scrupulous execution at a fine watchmaking standard. The creator shamelessly draws from contemporary culture, the internet, the streets and video games. He extracts pop symbols, which he sets on dials like little bombs, exploding the meaning of every watch he lays his hands on.
His interventions shock, shake up and challenge. They’ll never leave you indifferent, because every intervention has a meaning behind it. Funny, clever and mischievous, his designs command attention and serve as a reminder that watches are not only functional. They must still tell the time, of course, and in the most beautiful way possible — Louis Erard is on-hand to make sure of that — but watches are also a marker of identity, an object that looks at us.
And Louis Erard has the courage to say so: human beings wouldn’t be complete without a good dose of humour and self-mockery. From Louis Erard to Louis Error. Le Régulateur, le régule à tort (wrongly regulates). Quelle erreur est-il? (What error is it?). Find the Error. 404 Error: just like faulty addressing in computing, there’s an error in the fitting — this hour does not exist. 404 Error: except that this hand returns to cross the dial with a blue line each time the minute strikes quarter to the hour. One small change, one big difference.
And the price? Two thousand… and 404 Swiss francs, of course.
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x seconde/seconde/ ref. 85237AA61 Technical Specifications
Limited edition of 178 pieces / Recommended retail price: CHF 2,404
Movement
- Automatic regulator, Sellita SW266-1 calibre,
- 11½’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.60 mm,
- 31 jewels,
- 28,800 VpH (4Hz),
- élaboré grade movement,
- special openworked oscillating weight with Louis Erard symbol,
- approx. 38 hours of power reserve
Functions
- HMS
- Hour hand at 12 o’clock, central minute hand, second hand at 6 o’clock
Case
- Polished stainless steel,
- Ø42 mm, lug width: 22 mm, lug to lug: 49.60 mm, thickness: 12.25 mm,
- 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),
- signature fir tree crown,
- caseback engraved with “Limited Edition 1 of 178”
Dial
- Opaline (matt silver),
- snailed double counter with diamond-cut area,
- anthracite transfers,
- polished silver indexes,
- polished blue plate at 3 o’clock,
- white signature seconde/seconde/ “ERROR” transfer
Hands
- Blue signature fir tree hour and second hands,
- central blue minute hand,
- white signature seconde/seconde/ “404” transfer
Strap
- Chocolate calf nubuck leather with tone-on-tone stitching,
- 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 seconde/seconde/ in a limited edition of 178 pieces
About seconde/seconde/
“Disruptive, provocative, rebellious? No! A little dissonant, maybe, and undeniably spontaneous.”
seconde/seconde/ (real name Romaric André) prefers his adjectives more old-fashioned than overused. And his penchant for things of the past seems to run through most of his work. It was his passion for vintage watches that led him to develop the hand swap several years ago.
Now his signature, the hand swap principle is “a watchmaking game, aesthetically radical but technically harmless, where you replace one or more hands on an existing watch”.
seconde/seconde/ mostly takes on watches from major brands from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, making the contrast created by his hand swap all the more striking. Patinated dials showing the signs of time are electrified by hands with a colour-saturated design, for a visibly anachronistic result.
“At first, I am guided by a drive for irreverence. And I am here to disrupt an age-old balance, to break a preliminary harmony. It’s quite exhilarating to unseat the product: deconstructing the piece first, then reconstructing it to reveal an unknown side of it. In every watch, I see an opportunity to bring out a whole new perspective, whether serious or lighter in nature.”
All the hands redesigned by seconde/seconde/ say something about the watches they decorate, or else they come to strike a chord that is sometimes sensitive. In his deceptively naive aesthetic, poetry and irony are never far from each other.
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, continuing the work of its founder and honouring the watchmaking tradition, the Maison is reinterpreting the codes in a contemporary language, revisiting its artistic crafts 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.