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Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Malachite Limited Edition 39mm Unisex Watch Green
Ref. 34238AA39.BVA136
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Stepping up in Louis Erard's range
Malachite is quarried, not manufactured, which means the dial here cannot be replicated — the banded green striping it carries is unique to this one stone, and no two examples of this edition look identical. Louis Erard works under the Noirmont Métiers d'Art banner for pieces of this kind, where the movement and the case are chosen to frame the material rather than compete with it. At 39mm the case sits at a size that belongs to neither the oversized nor the compact camp, which gives it an unusual range of wrists. The rhodium-plated hands are filed into the brand's fir-tree profile — a narrow silhouette that keeps the dial readable without cutting across the malachite patterning beneath them. The small seconds at six runs on a snailed silver sub-dial that sits quietly against the stone without trying to match it. The exhibition caseback reveals an Élaboré-grade Sellita, finished above standard but honest about what it is — a movement there to be seen, not to anchor the asking price. The quick-release strap makes swapping straightforward, which matters on a dial distinctive enough to invite changing its context.
- Reference
- 34238AA39.BVA136
- Brand
- Louis Erard
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 12.25mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW261-1
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Green
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
Learn more about Louis Erard
Louis Erard was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1893, into a town then producing a large share of the world's watches. He worked in its workshops, founded a watchmaking school in 1929, and set up a casing and assembly business with André Perret the same year. The first watches under his own name followed in 1931.
Assembly was the trade at the time: components came from independent artisans and the assembler built, adjusted and finished the watch. By 1937 Erard employed more than sixty people and was selling internationally.
The quartz crisis did its usual damage. The company was sold in 1991 and production moved to Le Noirmont in the Jura, then sold again in 2003 to a group led by Alain Spinedi, who refocused it on mechanical watches at prices that undercut everyone doing similar work.
The regulator became the signature — the dial layout that separates hours, minutes and seconds onto their own axes, borrowed from precision reference clocks, and rarely seen at this price.
What has made the brand's recent reputation is collaboration: limited editions with independent watchmakers whose own work is unobtainable, among them Vianney Halter, Konstantin Chaykin and Alain Silberstein, on Sellita and Valjoux movements.
- 1929
- Founds a watchmaking school and a casing business with André Perret.
- 1931
- The first watches carry the Louis Erard name.
- 1991
- Sold, with production moving to Le Noirmont.
- 2003
- Relaunched under Alain Spinedi around mechanical watches.
- 2020
- Collaborations with independent watchmakers define the brand.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (3,714), Stainless Steel Watches (2,629), Automatic Watches (1,627), Leather Strap Watches (857), Dress Watches (475) and Green Dial Watches (362).
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What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 39mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Sits in the lower half of Louis Erard's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Malachite alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 34238AA39.BVA136 | 118535 | L16504526 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,750 | £2,645 | £2,800 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 42 hours | 72 hours |
| This watch |
| Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as unisex, and at this size it suits any wrist that takes the dimensions.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £2,750, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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