Two good friends, Cédric Johner and Manuel Emch knew each other so well. Finally there is one collaboration to bring them to Hong Kong.

Louis Erard has made a habit of opening up the field of vision of contemporary watchmaking, by inviting architects, artists, craftsmen and independent watchmakers. This new collaboration with Geneva-based Cédric Johner is at the crossroads of all these paths.

With a sleek 39-millimeter case available in two captivating variations –blue and mauve – this limited edition release consists of two sets of 178 meticulously crafted pieces each. You can see signature hexagonal Abyss shape in both models.

Today, Cédric Johner practises his traditional skills on a daily basis in his workshop in Geneva, using entirely traditional tools. He takes customisation order. He works on vintage movement, customers can discuss with him the dial color, strap leather and even the level of case polishing.

Each of his watch reflects all Cédric Johner’s ancestral know-how and my experience for over 30 years. Handmade “small seeds” decoration on the surfaces of the bridges and the mainplate, hollow-out of the mainplate and resting of the pearl bridges, angled and rimmed wheels, polished bevelled parts, the watch carries a part of Cédric Johner within it.

One day in the 1990s, he took the plunge and made his first watch, for himself. He designed a case, which he named Abyss. A unique design. He developed his own decorations, using the traditional machines such as his tapestry of beads made with a perloir, a pure jeweller's tool. He would indulge in all manner of variations, from three hands to grand complications.

Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Cédric Johner. All the signatures are present. The extreme sophistication of the dial, with its hand-engraved guilloché decoration and concave turned hour and minute counters to add contrast and volume. The iconic hexagonal bezel opening further adds to its distinctive allure. witness the meticulously adorned automatic movement, each delicately decorated by the skilled hand of Cédric Johner with 230 intricately crafted beads, meticulously placed one by one, oscillating weight by oscillating weight, within the confines of his workshop.

It was at that moment when Manuel Emch, both Artistic Director and CEO of Louis Erard, reached out to Cédric Johner. Having already established a mutual understanding and shared values, their meeting was more akin to a reunion. Their handshake symbolized a bridge connecting two distinct realms: the realm of artistic watches and that of refined yet accessible watchmaking.

Manuel has brought us the novelty, Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Smile-Day. Choose from 7 emojis to boost your day! Whether you’re feeling a bit blue or on top of the world, simply select the face that matches your mood and watch the good vibes roll in.

French interior-architect-turned-watch-designer, Alain Silberstein is a pioneer. According to Manuel Emch’s words:

“Since the 1980s, his bold, Bauhaus-inspired designs have challenged these norms with simplicity, rebellion, and fun whimsical quirkiness. Playfully twisting time, he injects a refreshing positive artistic vision into watchmaking, staying true to what art, creativity, time…truly are… just the way we like it!”

What seems like whimsy actually has deep ties with serious art and color theory. That’s where the Louis Erard collaboration once again reflects a brand culture. Through his words, Alain Silberstein explains how the Louis Erard collaboration is a celebration of the primary essence of time, in a clear, playful yet grounded design, where tradition is honored and boundaries are whimsically pushed.

In a 40mm microblasted grade 2 titanium & polished grade 5 titanium openworked round-shape case – flanked by arched bars that extend to form lugs – Silberstein’s distinctive signatures smile up your day! Featuring his trademark design elements since the 1990s, days are brightened with the iconic “smile-day” aperture at a 6 o’clock.

The Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Régulateur Tourbillon Black houses a Swiss made tourbillon and is available in a limited edition of 78 pieces at an unbeatable price. Time gains in depth, as does the timepiece, opened at six o’clock, to let the tourbillon breathe and appreciate the mechanics beneath the bodywork.

The dial boasts alain’s bauhaus kandinski-inspired 3 hands in a mix of primary colors and bold shapes: a red triangular hour indicator, a blue arrow-like minute hand and a yellow squiggly seconds. The crown features silberstein’s red lacquered touch. The grey nylon strap and its hook & loop fastener system make adjustment easy.

Manuel Emch is also the co-founder of Kollokium, which is born to explore new possibilities in watchmaking from alternative perspectives.

The first project was reserved to friends and families (and fools). The dial is actually a 3D reconstruction of an intentionally pixelated image rendered by Adobe Illustrator. If you squint your eyes, you can clearly make out 12 “maxi” hour markers, with batons for the cardinal hours and circles for the others.

While there is no visible branding on the dial, there is a little signature of sorts. The second hand features an open triangle counterweight, as if it were a single strip of metal that was bent into form.

Set with 468 individually hand-applied cylindrical hour markers (is that a world record?), which come in six different diameters and heights. Each of these cylinders is sandblasted, then filled with white Super-LumiNova (also by hand) that glows with a blue emission.

Forged from 316L stainless steel, the case is not made using typical milling and machining processes at all, though the process is in fact industrial and rather old-school: die casting steel. Because of the die-casting process, the edges and angles are slightly rounded off, while the steel has a surface that is neither entirely matte nor sparkly.

Almost like an optical illusion, the oblong-shaped hour and minute hands are black with Super-LumiNova outlines, seemingly floating above the dial.

Kollkium watch comes with a Swiss movement manufacturer La Joux-Perret’s G101 automatic movement with a power reserve of 68 hours, so you can take it off on Friday and wear it again on Monday.

Our customers are having great discussion with the duo. We look forward to meeting Cédric Johner and Manuel Emch again!