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Louis Erard Excellence Régulateur Lapis-Lazuli Limited Edition 42mm Unisex Watch Blue
Ref. 85237AA35.BVA35
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Stepping up in Louis Erard's range
Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest decorative stones in recorded use — ground down for millennia to make the ultramarine pigment that medieval painters reserved for the robes of figures worth the expense. Louis Erard's decision to cut it into a watch dial is not merely decorative; the stone brings with it a specific visual quality that no lacquer or printing can replicate, a depth that shifts with the light and reveals the mineral inclusions that make each example unique. Restricted to 99 pieces, this is a watch where no two dials are identical. The regulator layout does something useful with a stone face that would be wasted under a conventional three-hand display. By separating the hours to 12 o'clock, the minutes to a central hand, and the seconds to 6 o'clock in a vertical figure-eight arrangement, the dial stays legible and architecturally balanced — the lapis acts as a ground rather than being interrupted by overlapping hands. The rhodium-plated fir-tree hands echo the signature crown profile, and the exhibition caseback puts the openworked rotor on show, its cutaway weight carrying the Louis Erard mark. At 12.25mm the case sits closer to the wrist than the 42mm footprint might suggest, which matters on a leather strap with quick-release levers — the whole assembly changes without tools, so the stone dial is not locked to a single wearing context.
- Reference
- 85237AA35.BVA35
- Brand
- Louis Erard
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 12.25mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW266-1
- Functions
- Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 49.40mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- 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), Blue Dial Watches (730) and Skeleton Watches (260).
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What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 49.4mm lug-to-lug keeps the 42mm 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 Régulateur Lapis-Lazuli Limited alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 85237AA35.BVA35 | FC-397HLBN5B6 | BM0A10330 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,950 | £2,995 | £2,900 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 62 hours | 48 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 49.40mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ 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 Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £2,950, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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