News Known for its affordably priced mechanical watches, Louis Erard launches its first "in-house" module and strengthens its watchmaking credentials.
Watches inspired by luxury watchmaking at affordable prices: a slogan? A utopia? No, a reality. Louis Erard today takes a new step in this direction by launching its very first "in-house" module, developed in partnership with Soprod. Its 1931 collection is supplemented by two new families with complications: the 1931 Réserve de marche (from 2,495 to 2,650 francs) and the 1931 Régulateur Réserve de marche (from 2,595 to 2,750 francs).
"When I took over Louis Erard in 2003, I insisted on the fact that this existing module, a power reserve on the ETA 7001 movement, should be part of the ‘marriage settlement’," said a delighted Alain Spinedi. "Although initially the priority was to revive the brand, I’m making a second dream come true today by bringing Louis Erard into the world of complications. I didn’t want to make do with simply reproducing this movement, my aim was to make it a product of excellence in the tradition of luxury watchmaking."
The launch of the 1931 Régulateur Réserve de marche is a real master stroke on the part of Louis Erard. Based on one of the original pillars of watchmaking art, it respects the latter’s codes of precision while at the same time proposing a highly innovative design. At the heart of this exclusive model beats the all-new module hot off the workbenches of Soprod, a complication featured by Louis Erard as a world first on one of its original movements. Its 1931 Régulateur, one of the firm’s most emblematic models, acquires a whole new character in the guise of a luxury timepiece. Horological components of the very finest quality are clothed in a resolutely hi-tech exterior. The traditional hour hand disappears in favour of a disc system, while the dial with its contemporary engine-turned finish reveals a highly original power reserve. Meticulous satin or black micronized PVD finishes create bold contrasts with the rubber strap.
Less than five years after returning to the front of the stage, Louis Erard thus dispels all doubts and reaffirms its position as a watchmaker of standing. The figures speak for themselves: 650 points of sale, with 100 in Switzerland alone, opened in around 40 countries in less than five years; annual production less than 1,000 pieces in 2003, as opposed to nearly 17,000 in 2007. In 2008, 17,000 timepieces left the firm’s workshops despite being outstripped by demand, their numbers reduced by a shortage of mechanical movements. A resounding success, even if Alain Spinedi remains cool headed: "Some people thought I was mad when I took on this project. They told me there was no place for mechanical timepieces in the segment of lower-priced models. Thanks to some highly driven individuals who believed in my idea, the reality now demonstrates that the opposite is true."
Only around 200 of the new 1931 Régulateur Réserve de marche and 1931 Réserve de marche models will be available in 2008, exclusively on the Swiss market. From 2009 they will gradually be distributed in the forty or more countries where the company is present.
December 08, 2008
