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Louis Erard Fil D'or Louis Erard X Wire Art Likmited Edition 39mm Mens Watch
Ref. 34248AA52.BVA158
Sits in Louis Erard’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Louis Erard watches we list, which start at £1,975.
Price range £1,975 to £17,500 across 31 Louis Erard watches in stock.Wire Art Switzerland began as an engineering practice — its founders trained to build the infrastructure of connected systems, not decorative objects. What they have done here is carry that precision into an entirely different discipline: 2,320 threads of 24-karat gold wire, micro-soldered onto a black lacquer base to form a trompe-l'œil cube that shifts as the light moves across it. The edition is capped at 99 pieces, and the sapphire caseback is engraved to say so. At 39mm the case wears closer to the wrist than most men expect, and the absence of a running seconds hand keeps the dial uncluttered enough that the wire geometry reads clearly at a glance. The Sellita SW261-1 running inside is specified to Élaboré grade — a step above the standard finishing that puts it toward the upper end of what that movement family offers. The rotor is open-worked and lacquered in black, worth a moment through the caseback. Sword hands with diamond-polished angles catch light in a way that flatters the dial without competing with it, and the beige calfskin sits naturally against both formal and casual dress, its tone chosen to complement the gold wire rather than contrast with it.
- Reference
- 34248AA52.BVA158
- Brand
- Louis Erard
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 5.6mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Brown
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW261-1
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Beige
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 45.9mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Warranty
- 3 years
- Strap
- Interchangeable
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 Limited Edition Watches (187).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 39mm suits most wrists
- 5.6mm is unusually slim for a 39mm case
- 45.9mm lug-to-lug keeps the 39mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- One of Louis Erard's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Louis Erard Fil D'or Louis Erard alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 34248AA52.BVA158 | BMM0A10758 | 805 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,990 | £4,450 | £4,900 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39mm | 39.9mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 120 hours | 42 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 45.9mm, 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 men's, though at 39mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £4,990, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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