Louis Erard Adds Three Colorful Variants to the Petite Seconde Collection

Louis Erard has unveiled their first new watches of 2023, and they build on one of the brand’s key developments from last year. Usually when this brand comes to mind, enthusiasts think of their watches with regulator layouts, and the many interesting collaborations they’ve undertaken in the last few years as they’ve really gained traction with collectors. The Petite Seconde, part of their Excellence collection, is perhaps a little slept on by comparison. These are simple three handers, and not as flashy or unusual as the regulators (well, except for this one), but they have a charm of their own and represent a kind of simple, elegant watch that used to be quite common but is now harder to find in an environment dominated by sport and tool watches. The new watches introduced today all use plenty of vibrant color, and come in a case size that collectors have been asking for. 

The 39mm Petite Seconde case seen here made its debut just about a year ago with the Petite Seconde Terracotta, a coppery, earthy spin on a traditional format. Until that point, the Petite Seconde had only been available in a 42mm case, which while not enormous by most standards, certainly stretched the limits for a watch of this type, which is at least attempting to approach a certain level of refinement. Notably, the Terracotta was available in either a 39mm or 42mm case, while no such option has been made available for this colorful trio. We’re not sure if that’s a signal that Louis Erard might be abandoning the larger case size, but it’s certainly a decision that makes sense for these watches in particular. 

What we have here are three executions of the Petite Seconde, each with a dial incorporating multiple finishing techniques. In midnight blue, purple, and ice blue, these dials feature an outer sector that has been satin finished and an interior small seconds scale with a prominent snailing effect. There appears to be a surprising amount of texture present in these otherwise simple dials, which also incorporate oversized Arabic numerals and Louis Erard’s signature fir tree style hands. 

These colors are all fairly loud and do not exactly fly under the radar, which would seem to be at odds with the more traditional dress watch style format Louis Erard is playing with here. But that’s also extremely typical for the brand, which has embraced flaunting certain conventions via their collaborative efforts recently to great effect. The use of color in these watches also has the effect of significantly dressing them down to the point that they could easily be worn casually in just about any situation, particularly with the similarly colorful matching leather straps that each have been paired with. 

In terms of specs, the 39mm case measures 45.9mm from lug to lug and is 12.8mm thick. The sapphire crystal is domed, and the water resistance is rated to 50 meters. Louis Erard is continuing to use the Sellita SW261 in this range, which is an automatic movement with 38 hours of power reserve.

These watches are not limited editions by the strict definition of the term. They will be produced continuously, but limited to between 100 and 150 pieces per year, according to the brand. The retail price is CHF 2,222.