Louis Erard collaborates with Olivier Mosset for an easy timer
With Louis Erard’s new collaboration with a historic and rebellious figure in abstract art, Swiss artist Olivier Mosset, it is bringing its fine watchmaking to the world of contemporary art. A black-on-black model with sparkling inlays – a limited edition of 178
When a manufacturer of fine mechanical timepieces and a contemporary artist figure of 60’s collaborate, the result is more than a watch. Everything is black: case, bracelet, hands. A pure work of art, with no labels, no logos. Only the dial contrasts, decorated with silver glitter. This watch is an abstraction. A minimalist geometric reinterpretation of the regulator, whose three hands – minute in the centre, hour at the top, seconds at the bottom – are mechanically separated. Normally, this improves precision and legibility. In this case, though, it is a work of art.
The artist’s codes have been translated into the watch’s design – geometric reduction, chromatic reduction, and flat colour tints. Then comes the dial, which takes up another aspect of Olivier Mosset’s work. The artist loves street culture, including motorbikes and cars, all of which have a place in his work. He adapts and presents them like sculptures. This watch evokes the look and feel of an automobile body with its metallic paint, black and glittering dial. This collaboration was initiated by Manuel Emch, director of Louis Erard and a keen connoisseur of contemporary art, of which Olivier Mosset is a leading figure since his participation in the B.M.P.T group – founded in Paris in December 1966 by Daniel Buren, Olivier Mosset, Michel Parmentier, and Niele Toroni.
Olivier Mosset had never designed an object, and certainly never a watch. But when Manuel Emch suggested this project, he let himself be drawn in, with amusement and a touch of sentiment. After all, he grew up in the Val-de-Ruz, in the watchmaking heartland of the canton of Neuchâtel, and his grandfather is linked to the history of Ébauches SA: “Time is a rather complex matter.”
Erected as a work of art, each of the 178 timepieces comes with a red seal bearing the words “work of art – do not wear”. Two interchangeable bracelets complete the case, one signed by the artist. Shaking up the codes of watchmaking is the direction taken by Louis Erard through its artistic collaborations, which delight collectors and contemporary art lovers the world over.
With Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Olivier Mosset, the watchmaking brand continues its initiatory journey. Other collaborations are to come, involving artists, craftsmen, and independent watchmakers. Always limited to 178 pieces. This number holds significance, representing strength in unity.
