Manuel Emch, CEO and artistic director of Louis Erard, has once again invited Alain Silberstein, and the collaboration they began in 2019 now takes the form of a diptych.
Le Diptyque pairs two new white variants: Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Blanc and La Semaine Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Blanche. Each is limited to 178 pieces, a number whose meaning, the brand says, grows from collaboration to collaboration: together we are stronger.
The two halves speak different languages. The regulator is an original complication from Louis Erard. La Semaine carries Alain Silberstein’s emblematic Smiley weekly calendar, where every day has its face, its mood, its humour. Both share matt silver opaline dials, blue and red indexes, and Silberstein’s red, blue and yellow lacquered hands.
Apart from the white dial and light grey strap, the pair takes up the exterior of the 2021 triptych. A tubular titanium container sits on a polished sidebar called a “brancard”, beside a conical crown stamped with the Louis Erard symbol. The nylon strap is breathable and adjustable.
Some of the watches come together, in a special diptych box set. “It’s as if the two had lost their heads,” Louis Erard writes.
The Basics
Brand: Louis Erard
Model: Le Diptyque Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein: Le Régulateur Blanc and La Semaine Blanche
Reference: 85358TT01.BTT83 (Le Régulateur Blanc); 75357TT01.BTT83 (La Semaine Blanche); 11111TT01.DIPTYQUE (box set)
Diameter: 40mm
Case material: Microblasted grade 2 titanium and polished grade 5 titanium; sapphire, anti-reflective on both sides; see-through case back
Dial: Opaline (matt silver), blue and red indexes on the flange; Régulateur: counter at 12 o’clock; La Semaine: “smiledays” day disc and date at 6 o’clock
Water resistance: 10 bars (100m/330ft)
Strap: Grey nylon; hook-and-loop fastener
Limited edition: 178 pieces each; diptych box set of 28 pieces
The Movement
Calibre: Sellita SW266-1 (Le Régulateur); Sellita SW220-1 (La Semaine)
Functions: Régulateur: hours, minutes, seconds. La Semaine: hours, minutes, seconds, mood of the day, date
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: Around 38 hours
Images courtesy of Louis Erard.