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Louis Erard Le Régulateur x Massena Lab Limited Edition 42mm Unisex Watch Gold
Ref. 85237AA75.BVA103
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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
- 12.25mm
- 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
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 49.60mm
- 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 (4,908), Stainless Steel Watches (3,241), Automatic Watches (1,645), Leather Strap Watches (1,065), Skeleton Watches (307) and Limited Edition Watches (194).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Louis Erard Le Régulateur x Massena alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 85237AA75.BVA103 | FC-718NWM4H6 | WWDK01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,950 | £3,995 | £3,995 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Fabric strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 38 hours | 38 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.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. 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 49.60mm, 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
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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