Louis Erard Le Régulateur x Atelier Oï Limited Edition 42mm Unisex Watch Grey

Ref. 85237AA53.BVA33

Louis Erard has worked with Atelier Oï before, but this piece — one of 178 made — pushes the collaboration toward something more considered than most limited editions manage. The Swiss architecture and design studio took the regulator format as a starting point and stripped it back to a single question: what would a sundial look like if it told mechanical time? The answer is a slate grey dial engraved with sixty lines that radiate outward from the centre, each planed at a shallow angle so that the surface changes character entirely as the light shifts across it. Hours read at twelve, central minutes sweep the main dial, small seconds sit at six — the separated axes of a regulator layout, which forces the eye to read the time actively rather than at a glance, and which suits a dial this architectural. At 42mm with a lug-to-lug span just under 50mm, it sits with some authority, but 12.25mm of thickness means it stays neater under a cuff than that footprint might suggest. There is no lume on the blue baton hands, which is the right decision: luminous material would break the engraved surface at night and the watch has no pretence of being a tool. The Sellita SW266-1 runs the movement; through the sapphire caseback, the openworked rotor carries Louis Erard's own decoration, which is a small detail worth looking for when the watch is off the wrist. The grey calf nubuck strap changes straps without a tool, which matters when a piece this considered deserves more than one wearing context.

Reference

85237AA53.BVA33

Brand

Louis Erard

Case size

42mm

Case thickness

12.25mm

Lug width

22mm

Case material

Stainless steel

Case shape

Round

Dial

Grey

Crystal

Sapphire

Movement

Automatic

Calibre

SW266-1

Functions

Small seconds, Skeleton dial

Water resistance

50m

Bracelet / strap

Leather strap

Strap colour

Grey

Clasp

Buckle

Lume

Luminous

Retailer

Goldsmiths