Ukrainian engraver Maksym Shavlak spends more than 50 hours turning each stainless steel Noirmont case into eighteenth-century Baroque foliage, and no two are alike.
Louis Erard today introduces the Gravée Main, a new chapter in its Métiers d'Art series devoted to hand engraving, limited to 99 pieces.
Every metal part of the 42mm Noirmont case is engraved and finished entirely by hand: case, bezel, lugs, crown and buckle. The work uses burins, drypoints and hand shading, and takes more than 50 hours. The motifs draw on eighteenth-century Baroque florals. Because the work is by hand, no two of the 99 pieces are the same. Inside is the automatic Sellita SW261-1, its rotor cut with the Louis Erard symbol.
Maksym Shavlak, the Ukrainian watchmaker and engraver who cuts each case, began his career reviving old pocket watches. “Starting from the clean lines of the Noirmont, Baroque floral motifs take over the entire object,” says Manuel Emch, who leads Louis Erard. “It's steel, yet it feels alive.”
The Basics
Brand: Louis Erard
Model: Gravée Main
Reference: 34237GA82.BVAG170
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 12.25mm
Case material: Polished stainless steel, entirely hand engraved (case, bezel, lugs, crown and buckle); domed sapphire crystal, anti-reflective both sides; transparent black caseback
Dial: Black polished lacquer with shiny anthracite and black transfers; rhodium-plated pear-shaped hands
Water resistance: 5 bars (50m/165ft)
Strap: Black grained calf leather, tone-on-tone stitching; polished stainless steel hand-engraved pin buckle
Limited edition: 99 pieces
The Movement
Calibre: Sellita SW261-1, élaboré grade
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o'clock
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: Approx. 38 hours
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4Hz)
Jewels: 31
Images courtesy of Louis Erard.