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Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde Guilloché 39mm Unisex Watch Blue
Ref. 34248AA21.BVA150
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Stepping up in Louis Erard's range
The Excellence line is where Louis Erard makes its argument for dress watches built around traditional dial craft rather than complication. This particular reference centres on guilloché work executed across four concentric zones: a wave motif radiating from the middle, a panier pattern across the main chapter, a separator ring, and a minute track at the edge — each zone shifting the texture so that a single glance reads as depth rather than decoration. The small seconds at six carries the same pattern in a darker register, which keeps the subdial from reading as an interruption. At 39mm the watch sits at the natural point for a dress piece that works on a range of wrists without making a case for itself. The lug-to-lug of 45.90mm is trim enough to drape well, and the domed sapphire sits with a slight presence on the wrist rather than lying entirely flat. The two-tone stitching on the strap — blue and grey against the black calf — picks up the dial palette in a way that reads as considered. The caseback opens onto the Sellita SW261-1 with an openworked rotor finished in black lacquer, which gives the movement display something to actually show.
- Reference
- 34248AA21.BVA150
- Brand
- Louis Erard
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 12.82mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Anthracite
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW261-1
- Functions
- Small seconds, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 45.90mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
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 Skeleton Watches (260).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 39mm suits most wrists
- 45.9mm lug-to-lug keeps the 39mm case wearable
- 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 Guilloché alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 34248AA21.BVA150 | 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 45.90mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs 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 Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £2,500, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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