SpotlightThird Time’s The Charm: Louis Erard Collaborate with Alain Silberstein For ‘Le Triptyque Khaki’ Watches
Independent Swiss watchmakers Louis Erard collaborate yet again with Alain Silberstein, this time with the very voguish colour of khaki and an exceptional offering: an affordable regulator tourbillon.
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Of late, we’ve been seeing Louis Erard come out with collaborations as though they’re making light work of them. In 2023 alone, we’ve seen the following collaborations thus far: Le Régulateur Louis Erard X Konstantin Chaykin ‘Time Eater’, Le Régulateur Louis Erard X Konstantin Chaykin ‘Time Eater II’, Le Chronographe Monopoussoir Louis Erard X Massena LAB, Louis Erard X The Horophile… And of course, now, this latest Louis Erard X Alain Silberstein Khaki edition. We’re not even taking into account all the collaborations they’ve done in the past, which we talk about in detail here.
While the independent Swiss watchmaking brand display their pure aesthetic and mechanical prowess in timepieces including those from the ‘Excellence’ collection, there’s no denying that their frequent collaborations have put them on the map in recent years and that they’re working quite well for the brand.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein—French interior designer and architect, who turned to designing watches—collaborate, and the result is just as sublime as the previous efforts, if not better. Although what’s most prominent about these timepieces is Alain Silberstein’s modus operandi of the red, yellow and white hands, what’s most surprising is the inclusion of an alluringly-priced tourbillon in the collection. Let’s take a close look at the Louis Erard X Alain Silberstein Khaki.
The Holy Triptych: The Alain Silberstein Khaki Semaine, Regulateur, And Tourbillon
“It was already written. It was meant to be,” say the brand while speaking of this latest collaboration between them and Alain Silberstein, and their sentiment comes as no surprise given the number of times the two have collaborated in the past.
We’ve seen a similar timepiece from Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein grace us in the past, with the signature regulator dial layout that Louis Erard have been famous for, and the colourful hands that the once-interior designer does so well.
This time, we see a similar theme, in a matt khaki dial hue with a nylon strap to match. The ‘La Semaine Louis Erard X Alain Silberstein’ timepiece is powered by an automatic Sellita SW220-1 calibre, which gives it a power reserve of about 38 hours. The meticulously decorated movement features a special open-worked oscillating weight with a black lacquered Louis Erard symbol.
Despite the intricate finishing on the movement or the whimsical shape of the hands, what catches the eye is the smiley face you see just above the date display at six. In the technical sheet of the watch, functions are listed as: ‘hours, minutes, seconds, and mood of the day/date’. That’s Louis Erard for you.
It also features Alain Silberstein’s signature dial design: a red lacquered hour hand, a white lacquered minute hand, and a yellow lacquered seconds hand. It is colourful, with just the right graphic elements to help strike up a conversation with someone, and the mechanical aesthetics to hold the conversation. Not that you need any help with starting conversations, you superstar.
The Le Régulateur Louis Erard X Alain Silberstein is powered by the automatic regulator Sellita SW266-1 calibre, which also features the special open-worked oscillating weight with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol. The movement gives the timepiece an approximate power reserve of 38 hours.
Though it features Alain Silberstein’s signature dial design, the regulator layout means they’re displayed at different points on the dial. The red marker at 12 displays the hour, the white marker in the centre displays the minutes, and the yellow marker at six displays the seconds.
The Show Stopper: Le Régulateur Tourbillon Louis Erard X Alain Silberstein Khaki
Now, on to the star of the show: Le Régulateur Tourbillon Louis Erard X Alain Silberstein Khaki.
“This is the first time that Louis Erard have presented a tourbillon, and it is perfectly in line with the positioning of the brand, which aims to make the inaccessible accessible,” According to the brand. Honestly, that pretty much sums it up.
But that’s not all. Not only is this tourbillon timepiece khaki-coloured, sporty, chic, and contemporary; it also pairs well with the regulator layout. It symbolises the chronometric science that Louis Erard have made their own signature while bringing fine watchmaking to the world.
It features the hour hand on a counter at 12 o’clock, a central minute hand, and the seconds hand on a counter at six o’clock, behind which lies the tourbillon cage. The tourbillon régulateur mechanical hand-wound, BCP T02 calibre, gives the timepiece a power reserve of 100 hours and beats at 21,600vph. The tourbillon cage makes a complete rotation every 60 seconds.
All three watches are sized at 40mm with micro-blasted grade-2 titanium and polished grade-5 titanium. Sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment on both sides adorns all the watches, and they’re water-resistant to 100m. All three watches are numbered on the caseback and are limited to 178 pieces each.
The frequent collaborations seem to be working well for the independent Swiss watchmaking brand, and hey, if an affordable tourbillon is what we get out of such collaborations, we’re game.
