Louis Erard calls aventurine, malachite and lapis lazuli three stones charged with positive energies, and emblematic of its home in the Franches-Montagnes.
The Excellence Petite Seconde now comes with a dial in each of the three, every version a limited edition of 99 pieces. They take up the codes of the brand’s stone and mineral glass dial Régulateurs of 2021. The colours are the same: the midnight blue of aventurine, the forest green of malachite and the morning blue of lapis lazuli.
The dials are openworked. The small seconds at 6 o’clock pierces the flat stone or glass, so a snailed opaline counter in matt silver sits within the colour. Each dial is unique, the brand says, and cutting the stone or glass into discs of a few fractions of a millimetre is a test of patience and delicacy.
The case takes a new 39mm format, further refined, with metal indexes, fir-tree hands and the logo crown. Inside is the automatic Sellita SW261-1. Each strap matches its dial in grained calf leather, lined in Louis Erard blue.
Louis Erard sums up the result in one line: “There is nothing more to add, nothing more to take away.”
The Basics
Brand: Louis Erard
Model: Excellence Petite Seconde (Aventurine, Malachite, Lapis-Lazuli)
Reference: 34238AA32.BVA134 (Aventurine); 34238AA39.BVA136 (Malachite); 34238AA35.BVA133 (Lapis-Lazuli)
Diameter: 39mm
Case material: Stainless steel; domed sapphire crystal, anti-reflective on both sides; see-through case back
Dial: Openworked aventurine, malachite or lapis lazuli; snailed opaline (matt silver) counter at 6 o’clock; glossy silver indexes
Water resistance: 5 bars (50m/165ft)
Strap: Grained calf leather in deep blue, forest green or morning blue; blue lining; pin buckle
Limited edition: 99 pieces per version
The Movement
Calibre: Sellita SW261-1
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: Around 38 hours
Images courtesy of Louis Erard.