Tom Austin Louis Erard has unveiled Grave Maine, the latest hand-carved creation. Gravée Main is limited to 99 pieces, and each watch is unique as each piece is meticulously worked on for over 50 hours. Each sculpture is inspired by 18th-century Baroque floral motifs and is combined with a classic style black lacquered dial with subtle contrasting anthrarasite details.
Louis Erard is a brand that never sticks to the lanes of watchmaking. In the past, I have worked with several designers and creators. Each takes their watches in a completely different direction, offering custom-made artisan work at a more affordable price. The latest watch to name Louis Erardo is Gravé Main, and once again, it is completely different from what we saw previously by the brand. The collection, consisting of 99 individually carved watches, will be presented in collaboration with the brand and Ukrainian artisan sculptor Maxamsha Black.
Each Gravemain begins as a Louis Elardo 42mm recognizable stainless steel Neumont. This is as simple as you get in terms of the design of the watch. It is a modern everyday dress watch in the mind, relatively large, but finely finished and featuring competitive details such as dome-shaped reflectively coated sapphire crystal, display case back, and 50 meters water resistance.
Noalmont’s classic round shape with a thin bezel and subtle curved rug provided the perfect canvas for artisan creativity and served as the basis for some of Louis Erardo’s more creative works. And Louis Ellard commissioned 99 cases to Ukrainian sculptor Maxim Shalablack, famous for his extraordinary skills in evoking a new life in vintage watches through his traditional and exquisite sculpture process. The results are phenomenal, with all the surfaces of the tombs engraved by hand with swirling floral motifs inspired by 18th century Baroque style pocket watches and comtoise watches.
The process begins with a hand-sleek pattern transferred via a stencil to the case surface. Maksym Drypoint then acquires patterns to complete the design and guides Burins during engraving. Each line is carefully carved at different depths, gradually, until the final effect is achieved. Following that, texture and shading are applied again by hand, adding drama and depth to the overall finish. The case is then cleaned, polished and confirmed to be perfect. The process for each case takes about 50 hours to complete. Of course, each watch is hand-engraved, so the two cases aren’t the same. The meticulous process gives each case a unique character and introduces the incredible expert artistry of Sharak.
(Editor’s note: There were some commentary online about whether Gravée Main is really fastened in the hand. There are advanced CNC machines that can generate similar patterns, but in a way, this kind of intricate sculpture, done by hand, is done at this price.
The Gothic look of the watch is highlighted by a black lacquer-shaped dial, once again inspired by a baroque watch and beautifully finished. Rather than opting for a bright contrast dial print, Louis Erard has combined black and anthracite printing for the minute track and dial segments with oversized Roman numbers. The brightest side of the dial is rhodium-plated and polished pear-shaped hands, providing a classic and very easy-to-read look, with a small amount of dial sitting at 6am.
You can peer into the smoke display case and see the movement powering the watch. This is an automatic Sellita SW261-1. A classic in Louis Erardo’s catalogue, it features 31 gems and a Nivaflex main spring, providing a 38-hour power reserve while pounding at 4Hz.
The exhibition’s caseback reveals a small Louis Ellard logo on the rotor, but it seems a bit odd to suck it in to blur the movement. It would have been great to see the sculptures that Maksym could have come up with just a solid caseback or movement rotor. It feels like a missed opportunity, but overall, given the reasonable price range of the level of craftsman finishing, we can’t complain much. Each Grave main comes with a black calf leather strap with contrasting stitching and a beautifully carved pin buckle, once again finished by Maxim’s own hand.
Louis Erard Gravée Main Prices and Availability
Louis Erard Gravée Main is currently available for pre-order via waitlist and is limited to 99 items. Price: CHF 5,450
Brand Louis ERARD Model Grave Main Reference 34237GA82.BVAG170 Case Dimensions 42mm(D) 12.25mm(T) Case Material Stainless Steel Water Resistant 50m Crystal Automatic Power Reserve 38 Hours Function 99 Pieces Limited to Availability of CHF 5,450
