About this time last year, Louis Erard collaborated with the artists at seconde/seconde/ to release the “Louis Error” watch. Depicting the message received when visiting a broken website link, it was also a play on the pronunciation of Erard. Now, the two have teamed up again to create another homophonic release, La Petite Seconde Louis “Horror.” As the name implies, it shifts from a strictly digital theme to something more ghoulish.
Setting aside a few details unique to this limited edition, La Petite Seconde is a fairly conventional dress watch. It is sold with a number of exotic dial materials, but all of them still look fairly traditional. Even this new version seems straightforward, at first glance. It features a classic silver opaline sector dial. It is broken up with a sand-blasted appearance at the center, a raised, radially brushed hour track, and a matte minutes track at the outer edge. The small seconds dial is also recessed with a traditional snailed groove pattern. The subdial even has polished markers at the quarters. The brand’s fully polished fir tree hands and hour markers in anthracite color look dressy but ensure good legibility.
The three-piece case design is traditional in style and size. It is fully polished and features strong lugs and the brand’s signature fir tree crown. At 39mm in diameter, 46.48mm lug-t0-lug, and 12.25mm thick, the size shouldn’t be offensive to many people either. Making it even more functional, it has 50m of water resistance and a double AR-coated domed sapphire crystal. A black calf leather strap with a polished bezel hides a blue inner lining, but it is also quite traditional. Powering the watch is an automatic Sellita SW261-1 élaboré grade movement. It features 31 jewels and operates at 28,800 VpH (4Hz), providing 38 hours of power reserve. Louis Erard modifies it with a special open-worked oscillating weight with a black lacquered brand logo visible through a transparent caseback. All fairly standard fare for a useable dress watch.
Such a traditional watch might sound like a strange base to use for modern artistic collaboration. That, however, is specifically how seconde/seconde/ has made its mark in the watch world. The Paris-based brand gained notoriety by using vintage watches from the likes of Rolex and Patek Philippe as its canvas. It then takes those watches and replaces one or more of the hands with replacements inspired by modern pop culture, or customers can buy the hands separately to modify existing watches. The artists have also collaborated with other watch brands in the past, such as Bamford, Nivada, and even H. Moser & Cie.
In the case of the Louis “Horror,” seconde/seconde/ has installed a pixelated white cartoon ghost in place of the small second hand. “Erard” on the dial is also replaced with the word “Horror” in a stylized bloody red font. A small seconde/seconde/ “s” logo on the small (and also fully luminescent) ghost marks the brand’s involvement. The result is quite the juxtaposition of styles. The white color of the ghost makes it blend into the dial at first glance, but once you notice it, it looks quite out of place against the dial. Similarly, a small, red highlight isn’t too strange on a dress watch, but letters with blood dripping off of them certainly is.
This watch, as well as other seconde/seconde/-modified watches, will likely appeal to people with two sides to their personalities. From a distance, they appear to be traditional if even slightly boring. They tend not to offend people, or possibly even get noticed. Perhaps these people are required to wear dressier clothes and act more restrained because of their jobs or social circles, but their close friends know them better. It’s not until you get closer to the watch (or person), and pay close attention, that the fun and artistic side is revealed.
As with their past collaborations, The Louis Erard La Petite Seconde Louis “Horror” will be limited to 178 watches, with the number in the series engraved on the caseback. The brand has it priced at 1,957 CHF, which is an accessible price in the world of Swiss watches. Considering the collaboration with a renowned artist, and the limited nature of the watch, the price is reasonable. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
