Louis Erard Le Régulateur x Massena Lab Limited Edition 42mm Unisex Watch Gold

Ref. 85237AA75.BVA103

The Régulateur has been part of Louis Erard's catalogue since 2011, but this 2022 collaboration with William Massena gave it a specific ancestry to answer to. The dial draws directly from the marine chronometers of Ferdinand Berthoud — those instruments of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries that managed to be both beautiful and exactly right — with Antide Janvier's classicism cited as a further reference point. Only 178 pieces were made, a number chosen deliberately: the edition size is itself a statement of intent about the partnership. The Gold variant is distinguished from its rhodium-dialled sibling solely by that dial treatment; everything else is shared. The regulator layout separates what most dials conflate — hours run in a sub-register at twelve, the central hand sweeps minutes alone, small seconds sit at six — and on a gold-plated grained dial with blued steel hands, the result reads with the unhurried clarity of an instrument dial rather than a decorative one. The rhodium-plated flanges and counters with their diamond-cut corners introduce just enough contrast to keep the surface from flattening, and the domed sapphire above it adds a further layer of depth. At 49.6mm lug-to-lug the proportions are substantial, but the curved lugs pull the case closer to the wrist than that figure implies. Through the sapphire caseback, the SW266-1 carries a custom openworked rotor with a black lacquered Louis Erard symbol — the most visible evidence of the finishing work done to what is otherwise a capable but unremarkable base movement. The caseback is engraved individually, and the quick-release bars on the black calf leather strap make changing it straightforward for a watch that will suit more than one context.

Reference

85237AA75.BVA103

Brand

Louis Erard

Case size

42mm

Case thickness

5.60mm

Lug width

22mm

Case material

Stainless steel

Case shape

Round

Dial

Gold

Crystal

Sapphire

Movement

Automatic

Calibre

SW266-1

Functions

Small seconds, Skeleton dial

Water resistance

50m

Bracelet / strap

Leather strap

Strap colour

Black

Clasp

Deployant clasp

Lume

Luminous

Retailer

Goldsmiths