Louis Erard Releases a New Excellence Petite Seconde with a Special Dial in Two Sizes

To say it’s unlikely that Louis Erard has emerged as a brand that the watch community has come to watch incredibly closely, hanging on every new release, is an understatement. But thanks to a series of creative collaborations with the likes of Alain Silberstein and Vianney Halter, Louis Erard has done just that. They already have a nicely built out niche in the form of regulator watches, and they’ve done an admirable job of breathing new life into this format by allowing others to take the lead on design in unexpected ways. Not every Louis Erard release will be one that you’ll want to purchase immediately, but they have a knack for not being boring, which is certainly appreciated in a watch climate that seems to be overstuffed with ideas based on things that have been done many times already. 

Their latest release is a bit of a departure. It’s another limited release, but this watch is no regulator. The Excellence Petite Seconde Terracotta is, as the name suggests, a simple time only watch with a small seconds register at 6:00. Like their string of recent collaborative regulators, it’s part of the Excellence line, where a similar watch in a different dial variant has existed for some time. 

According to Louis Erard, this watch exists as an extension of their recent trio of stone dial regulators. Terracotta is a clay-based, unglazed ceramic (the translation from Italian is “baked earth”) known for its distinctive brown color, although this dial seems to have taken on a copper-like tone. Louis Erard has finished each of the dial sections in a different way, with the small seconds register featuring a delicate snailing pattern, and the hour ring with a circular brushing. The interior section most closely resembles the matte clay that comes to mind when one thinks of terracotta. 

Another reason this release is a departure of sorts for Louis Erard is that they’re offering the watch in two sizes. The 42mm case is in line with most of the recent limited editions we’ve seen recently, but they will also be producing a 39mm case with the same dial. This ought to be welcome news for collectors who balked at the recent LEs because of their size, and it also marks what appears to be the debut of a 39mm case in the Excellence collection. 

The movement used here is the Sellita SW261-1, a simple time only Swiss caliber with 38 hours of power reserve. Both cases measure 12.25mm thick and have 50 meters of water resistance. Other technical  and aesthetic elements are common to both versions of the watch as well, including a sapphire caseback, the brand’s signature fir tree crown, and glossy anthracite indices meant to contrast sharply with the matte effects of the dial. 

The retail price for the Excellence Petite Seconde Terracotta is CHF 1,950 (in both case sizes). The watch is limited in production to approximately 100 pieces per year, per reference, but is not a limited edition in the strict sense. More information can be found on the Louis Erard website right here.