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Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde 39mm Unisex Watch Blue
Ref. 34248AA08.BVA141
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The Excellence Petite Seconde has been part of Louis Erard's core collection for some time, and this iteration arrives as a considered exercise in colour coordination rather than mechanical ambition. The dial's matte ice-blue finish — Bleu Glacier — sits within a satin-finished chapter ring, with a snailed small-seconds subdial at six o'clock whose diamond-cut zone catches light differently from the surrounding surface. The signature fir-tree hands, polished to a mirror, pick up the same cool tone from the strap below rather than reading as a separate element, which is a detail many manufacturers at this level leave unconsidered. At 39mm the case suits a wide range of wrists without the compromise that comes with genuinely unisex sizing, and the domed sapphire with its anti-reflective treatment gives the dial a slight depth that a flat crystal would not. The transparent caseback opens onto the Sellita SW261-1 — a competent, industry-standard movement rather than a house calibre — and the fir-tree crown is a small but consistent piece of Louis Erard identity that the owner will notice every time they wind.
- Reference
- 34248AA08.BVA141
- Brand
- Louis Erard
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW261-1
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
- Warranty
- 3 years
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 (4,154), Stainless Steel Watches (2,848), Automatic Watches (1,518), Leather Strap Watches (940), Blue Dial Watches (795) and Dress Watches (474).
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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 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 34248AA08.BVA141 | R27086162 | 01 403 7776 4065-07 5 19 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,500 | £2,450 | £2,440 |
| Case size | 39mm | 38mm | 38mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Ceramic bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 80 hours | 120 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | 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.
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 £2,500, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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