Louis Erard: Honest Affordable Watches & the Rolex California Dials

[@nssomething8370]

Great post Bill. Brands like Louis Erard are great ways for beginners to get into the hobby and understand what they are buying.

[@watchartsci]

Hi NSsomething ... if a beginner gets used to knowing what's in his watch, he'll be less likely to put up with all of the movement deception that goes on! Great to hear from you! Cheers, Bill

[@digggert]

I also stumbled upon Louis Erard a while ago and really liked their honest approach. The Regulator with modern styling that you showed in the middle is probably my favorite among their current collection. My dad still wears his Louis Erard La Longue Ligne Regulateur which he bougth when he got his Ph.D., but I never really paid attention to it before I got into watches.

[@watchartsci]

Hey Diggert, thank you for your personal observation! That La Longue Ligne Regulateur is exactly the style for a well-educated man! Cheers, Bill

[@h111551]

Bill, I loved the black dialed Louis Erard 1931. Looking from the outside in, it is hard to comprehend what the current channels of distribution look like for smaller long established companies like Louis Erard or Schwartz Etiene circa 2019. Some of these companies (like Schwarz Etiene) are insinuated into the supply chains of other horology companies so they enjoy multiple streams of income, at least one stream from their brand income and another stream from their supply chain income (Schwarz Etiene is a seller of movements to other manufacturers). Because the watch industry is international, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that brands which are little known in the U.S. can have solid presences elsewhere. The internet changes the game but not totally. If Louis Erard has no marketing traction with U.S. consumers (I.e. one has never heard of the brand, one has never seen an Erard watch, one has never heard anyone extolling the virtues of an Erard watch), seeing the brand on a watch site site like Jomashop and Gemnation or a multiple product site like Touch of Modern is not going to trigger a buying decision unless there is a lot of discounting and Erard is featured as one of the day’s horological equivalent of a K-Mart blue light special. Then a consumer is often bound to think, “If this watch is so heavily discounted, it must be a dog.” You are to be praised for making your viewers aware of Louis Erard. Also liked the California dial information. The anti-restoration tropical dial movement precludes the kind of redialing that Kirk Rich did. I would imagine that if you could establish that a vintage Rolex had been redialed by Kirk Rich with a California dial, this might enhance the collectability of the watch. Your constant energy and enthusiasm is laudable.

[@watchartsci]

Howard Meyers There’s a single shop for LE watches in the US...Lincoln, Nebraska... I guess they wanted a central location. The California dials were actually in Rolex watches as standard dials prior to the re-dials as early as the 1940s. A Panerai with a California dial and a Rolex movement from 1943 used by Italian frogmen was another interesting tidbit-interestingly, Panerai calls their watches with the Roman-Arabic dial, 'Radiomir California - www.panerai.com/us/en/collections/watch-collection/radiomir/pam00424-radiomir-california---47mm.html movement Cheers, Bill😉

[@mt24Carson]

Thanks Bill for the Louis Erard review. Looked at these ~decade ago, was intrigued though did not get one. Glad to know they are still in operation.

[@watchartsci]

Hi David, they're sort of in a gap for me. I like their designs and honesty, but I'm not sure where they belong in my collection. They don't belong with the higher end or especially unique watches, and they're over-priced for me for watches with ETA/Sellita movements since I've been making my own watches with the same movements for a couple hundred bucks or less. That doesn't mean I don't like them; I do. Finding a fit for me is hard. Kindest regards, Bill

[@mt24Carson]

@@watchartsci I am in no rush to buy one, and I agree that they are a tough fit in a collection. Pre-owned might make sense, though could be better to direct funds into something longer term.

[@Clarkson350]

I do enjoy the review of medium/low priced watches. Did you have an episode on the great watch bands?

[@watchartsci]

Jim, not on watch bands, but they do come up in discussions of different watches. Kindest regards, Bill

[@almeladze]

Just ordered a Louis Erard collaboration with Alain Silberstein watch that was announced today ;) Good to know about Cali dials. Didnt know the term. Learn new things every day!

[@watchartsci]

That sounds interesting Alexander! When you get it post some wrist shots on the FB page, "High Horology Lounge." LE has been doing some interesting collaborations, and Alain Silberstein has some of the coolest dials around. Take care, Bill

[@almeladze]

@@watchartsci I will!

[@markphillips2072]

Have seen the brand you focused on today on alot of the watch retail ads I get on my phone but never new much about the brand but it have definitely made me look at the brand in a different light .

[@watchartsci]

If you see one first hand, Mark, I'd like your impressions. They have one shop here in the US-in Lincoln, Nebraska! That's in the middle of the country-about 2,000km from everywhere! Well for all of the Cornhuskers ... you know the watch meant for you!! Cheers, Bill

[@juniorjohnson5961]

I really like the collaboration they did with Vianney Halter .

[@watchartsci]

Hi Junior, it's a great looking watch, but all that Halter did was the dial design. Haijame Asoaka did the same thing, but they only charged under $1k. Take care, Bill

[@blueshirtbuddah1665]

Thanks Bill for another interesting video on a watch brand that I had never heard of. They seem like nice "honest" affordable watches. Though I'm not a huge fan of the California dial, there are some especially Panerai's that are rather nice. Looking forward to Sunday's review. See you then.

[@watchartsci]

Hey Bruce! The California dials are about as quirky as you can get, but fun! As for Louis Erard, their only US Boutique is in ... wait for it ... Lincoln, Nebraska. Maybe they were thinking, "Centrally located in the U.S.".... I like their regulators, but I've got one regulator being shipped and two more I have movements for. Cheers, Bill

[@TexpatOTG]

I saw the brand in Watatime in Kuala Lumpur this last weekend. Nice lookin watches. Prices were very reasonable .... Good review and commentary.

[@watchartsci]

Hi TexPat! Did you handle any of the Luis Erard watches? How do they feel to you? Light? Nice heft? or just looking nice? Great to hear from you! Cheers, Bill

[@lawrencewaite4407]

Hello Bill another great video I just love the look of the regulator watches ,this brand is new to me and the price point is not restricting and the company sounds honest in its declaration of its movments

[@watchartsci]

Hey Lawrence ... soon (I hope) there will be an unboxing of my very affordable Regulator... also I have two regulator movements that I'm using to make my own ... may take a while to get the dial squared away! Cheers, Bill

[@lawrencewaite4407]

@@watchartsci I will watch out for that (pun intended) that Chinese regulator looks pretty good and a small price to pay for something to play around with perhaps a different dial and for me and a slightly bigger case.

[@dechalertsumitkul8066]

What’s your opinion about Louis collaboration with Vianney Halter?

[@watchartsci]

That's a tough one Decha. Basically, you're paying a premium for what amounts to a Vianney Halter dial and hands. If there was a mod or complication by VH, that'd be a different story. Take care and stay safe, Bill 😷

[@tommyb5141]

I had no idea they were called California dials...... always quite liked them.👍

[@watchartsci]

They're certainly different, Tommy and another fun feature of watch collection! Kindest regards, Bill

[@ivansmith4242]

Great video. Would you say this approach is similar to habring2 as they have also built complications on to a valjoux 7750? IWC as well.

[@watchartsci]

Ivan, the Habring2 A11 is not built on top of a Valjoux 7750. Louis Erard starts with a 7750 and adds complications; Habring2 has its own movement in the A11 and builds on it with its own complications. Earlier models used vastly modified Valjoux movements, but not after they developed the A11. Take care, Bill

[@BillMrWild]

A good title for a book Bill, The Adventures of a Pretentious Watchmaker. Don't you just hate it when something pops out and you might find it but you don't know where it belongs Ahhh we have all been there Bill don't bespair.

[@watchartsci]

I got the Military Watch project one step from finishing. The seconds hand is on, and it's ticking inside the case. Got any shortcuts for getting the securing screws and tabs in place? Using Rodico putty with peg wood sticks, on the screwdriver tip ... just cannot get the screw in over the tab...groan.. Cheers, Bill

[@BillMrWild]

Now i know what a ca dial is, i like it its different, hey good luck with the stuck winding stem.

[@watchartsci]

Bill, both of my new projects have turned into nightmares. I had to take the hands and dial off the California Dial to get to the keyless works and out pops a part... the adventures of a Pretentious Watchmaker! Learning a lot about how watches work and where to get all the parts I manage to mangle! Cheers, Bill (I just got two Regulator movements!)

[@johnriesling2207]

So you're saying that all the Rolex bubblebacks with the cali dial are all redials? If so there are a lot of unscrupulous dealers out there selling those cali dial rolexes.

[@watchartsci]

No John, I don't think I said that. If I did, that's not right. The Roman/Arabic dials were a Rolex design as early as 1917, and there are plenty of Roman/Arabic dials on early Rolexes. After WWII, the name 'California Dial' came to replace 'Roman/Arabic' because of the dial refinishing done by an outfit in Southern California. Some of the dial refinishing was done on Rolexes with Roman/Arabic dials and some with standard Arabic dials-or just indexed. There have been lots of examples of Rolexes with the Roman/Arabic dials, that were never refinished. But you know that. Take care, Bill

[@johnriesling2207]

@@watchartsci 13:17 it was confusing because it says cali dials originated in SoCal in the 70s/80s. Thanks for clarifying that now. Cheers.

[@watchartsci]

@@johnriesling2207 I see what you mean; that is confusing. I should have said that the 'name' originated in So. Cal., and not the 'dial' originated. Thanks, Bill

[@gohawks2004]

Dear Bill, What is your opinion on the Harry Winston Z6 blue edition? Have you ever seen one in person? Best, Fernando

[@watchartsci]

Fernando, that's a tough one. For years, Harry Winstons have been underrated watches, especially the Opus and Premier series where top watchmakers worked on unique watches, but the Z6 came out with a 36,000 vph movement, which sounds like something out of Zenith's Defy Labs-but I haven't been able to find the source of the Z6 movement-the HW3304. I'm not a fan of hi-beat movements because they wear out a lot faster which means more service, but you do get higher accuracy. Also, since Swatch took over HW ... I've got my concerns. Learn more about them and the HW3304 before making a decision. Good hunting! Bill

[@gohawks2004]

@@watchartsci I was reading about it for sometime, but is very hard to decide without seeing one in person! The Z6 alarm was announced in 2010, it was produced before the company was bought by Swatch! The Alarm movement on the watch was made by Chronode ( Jean François Mojon) and the watch was designed by Emmanuel Gueit! The alarm on the Z6 project has a gouverneur to replicate the sound of a minute repeater! It is a manual movement with 2 barrels, one dedicated to the alarm!

[@watchartsci]

@@gohawks2004 Wow Fernando! Great information! I'm not familiar with Chronode ( Jean François Mojon) ; so there's a new company I can learn about! Cheers, Bill

[@BillMrWild]

The smallest screw in a watch, what holds the hairspring stud on the balance cock, i had no other choice but to magnetise my smallest screwdriver it worked a treat, don't forget to demagnetise your screwdriver after though....

[@watchartsci]

Bill, I tried to Rodico putty mine ... Brilliant. How do I magnetize a screwdriver? (I have a de-magnitizer.) Thanks, Bill

[@BillMrWild]

@@watchartsci Stroke a magnet over your screwdriver a few times then put the screw on the end and away you go

[@rainbowlady1532]

Sorry to be a pain, but what's the name of the Rolex watch in the thumbnail?

[@watchartsci]

RainbowLady, I believe it's a re-dialed Oyster Perpetual, but I could be wrong. It was used as an example of a California. Take care, Bill

[@rainbowlady1532]

@@watchartsci hey Bill, thank you for the kind & helpful reply. Awesome video btw 😊👍

[@trujr5295]

That Chrono w roman numerals looks copy cat to Cartier Calibre even the lugs. At 1/4 the price.

[@watchartsci]

Hi TruJr...it seems that everything is a copy of something. Keep in mind that you know what's in the watch ... and of course you can see the dial. Cheers, Bill

[@BillMrWild]

despair

[@watchartsci]

....replaced by elation when it's complete!