Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB unites the worlds of Manuel Emch, CEO and Artistic Director of Louis Erard, and William Massena, the founder of the eponymous brand, Massena LAB. The result of this collaboration is a classically-styled regulator watch encompassing a seemly combination of depths, textures and tones. And yet, consistent with other Louis Erard timepieces, it proves remarkably affordable.
The first regulator clocks
The regulator clock can trace its origins to the middle of the 18th century. James Harrison and Benjamin Vulliamy, two English gentlemen, reputedly produced the first regulator clocks at some point between 1760 and 1780. Incidentally, James Harrison was the brother of John Harrison, the inventor of the first marine chronometer.
The first regulators were highly accurate pendulum clocks, equipped with deadbeat escapements and eschewed unnecessary complications such as calendar functions. The hands on these regulator clocks were each driven by an independent mechanism. While the regulator clock was invented in England, it did not prove popular. However, this type of clock was very popular in Vienna where they were widely used in public places eg post offices and railway stations. Superior precision was the overriding reason for selecting a regulator clock. Moreover, such was the precision of regulator clocks, they were often used by watchmakers as a reference when setting other clocks or watches. Ultimately, this influenced the design of regulators, culminating in the oversized minute hand we have grown accustomed to.
Surprisingly, it was not until the 1980s that regulator-style watches arrived. Several brands now offer this form of timepiece, albeit many examples are prohibitively expensive, precluding acquisition for many.
Quality watches at affordable prices
Louis Erard, a Maison known for producing quality watches at affordable prices, has democratised the regulator watch and made it a signature dish which many collectors have come to relish. While some brands have stuck doggedly to one style of watch, the luxury brand from the Swiss Jura has collaborated with several creative partners, including Atelier Oï, Eric Giroud, Vianney Halter, Seconde/Seconde and Alain Silberstein. Quite simply, nobody could ever accuse Louis Erard of being typecast.
Massena LAB
Now, the Swiss brand has unveiled Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB, a joint effort drawing on the skills of Manuel Emch, CEO and Artistic Director of Louis Erard, and William Massena, the founder of the eponymous brand, Massena LAB.
Image – William Massena
In this instance, Louis Erard has set aside the avant-garde styling of its Alain Silberstein collaborations in favour of classical lines and restrained aesthetics. Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB is offered in two versions, one encompassing golden dial tones and a second sporting a silvery-grey display.
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB – two dial variants
Despite the modest asking price of CHF 3600, there are no signs of penny-pinching. The dial is presented on two levels. The hours are shown on a dedicated hour counter in the upper region of the dial, while the seconds are shown on a separate counter below. Both counters share the same dimensions and feature a classical circular satin finish. Upholding regulator convention, the minute hand assumes most importance, circumnavigating the whole of the dial. Again, respecting traditions, the minute hand is executed in blued steel and converses with a circular satin finish minute track. While the aforementioned counters, hands and minute track sit on a higher plane, a textured vista resides on a lower level. This seemly combination of depths, textures and tones imbues each composition with a sumptuous feel usually only found on costlier watches.
Both versions of the Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB are limited to 178 pieces and, based on past experience, I expect they will sell like hot cakes.
The brand’s press release
Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB. A new collaboration. A meeting of minds in the world of classic watchmaking. A dash of Antide Janvier; a touch of 19th century marine chronometry. A concentrate of fine watchmaking references brought together in one affordable design: CHF 3,600, with two variations in a limited series of 178 pieces each.
This is not a watch, it is a meeting place. A centre of gravity. Louis Erard production, Massena LAB co-production, against a backdrop of classic chronometry with the Régulateur Louis Erard as the training ground for this new collaboration, adding to an already impressive list of names: Alain Silberstein, Vianney Halter, Atelier OÏ, Seconde/Seconde/, Eric Giroud.
The result, Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB, comes in two variations. The only defining element between the two is the dial: on one, the lower plate is plated in 2N gold, while the other is rhodium-plated. Both models come in a limited edition of 178 pieces—a symbolic number meaning “together we are stronger”, a principle dear to Louis Erard’s work—and are available at the same price: CHF 3,600.
This new achievement is the result of dedicated energy. It stems from a meeting between Manuel Emch, CEO and artistic director of Louis Erard, and William Massena, founder of Massena LAB, former CEO of Antiquorum, and known collector. Launched in 2018, Massena LAB is an independent platform centred around watchmaking collaborations and experimentation. It is a little-used approach in the field of watchmaking, closer to the profession of an independent producer in the film industry, for example. And that is what this is all about: production or, more precisely, co-production.
The Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB was designed to put on a show. Louis Erard provided the setting, set the stage and directed the theatre of operations, always with the same goal: to offer fine watchmaking quality at an affordable price. Massena LAB wrote the dialogue between a contemporary watch and a 19th century marine chronometer with its own guiding principle, as William Massena explains: “A successful collaboration is one that makes sense. Louis Erard allowed me to mix codes, to cite the classicism of a master watchmaker like Antide Janvier, and to democratise a style that’s usually reserved for wealthy collectors”.
The meeting place is the regulator: a mechanical complication linked to the history of chronometry and to Louis Erard’s history. The reference to the marine chronometer results in an even more advanced search for readability than usual. The result is an unusually sophisticated dial for a watch in this price category.
The dial is made up of two levels. The two flanges on the hour and seconds counters (at 12 and 6 o’clock) are rhodium-plated with a circular satin finish, with centres in silver-plated opaline. The large central minute hand points towards the outer rhodium-plated flange with a circular satin finish. The lower plate is rhodium- or gold-plated, with a grained finish to further increase the contrast with the counters and enhance the readability of the blued steel leaf hands. The polished steel case is fitted with a signature Massena LAB crown.
Other collaborations are still to come.
Further reading
Pricing
- Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB ref. 85237AA75 Limited edition of 178 pieces
Recommended retail price: CHF 3,600
- Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena LAB ref. 85237AA76 Limited edition of 178 pieces
Recommended retail price: CHF 3,600