The latest Louis Erard x Vianney Halter collaboration goes closer to the Antiqua while staying distinctly Louis Erard. It is called Futur Antérieur, offered in Gold and Silver, and it asks a playful question with a straight face: what if the future had already happened on your wrist?
The headline is architectural. Two separate dials, each with its own automatic movement, sit like riveted portholes. One reads hours and minutes. The other runs the seconds. Raised, riveted bezels and Vianney Halter’s signature crowns set the tone, while blued steel hands add a cool glint.
The case is an all-new stainless-steel construction for Louis Erard: 67 components, circular brushing on the face, vertical brushing on the flanks, polished chamfers picking out the geometry. Despite the complexity, thickness is a trim 8.85 mm. Dimensions are Ø38×44 mm, lug width 20 mm, water resistance 5 bar. Two sapphire crystals carry anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The solid back reads “Louis Erard x Vianney Halter 1 of 178”.
Inside, a pair of Sellita SW100 automatics do the quiet work. Each is 7¾”’ in diameter with 25 jewels and beats at 28,800 vph. Minimum 38 hours of reserve, typically 42. Rotors are decorated with Côtes de Genève and the Louis Erard logo. One movement drives central seconds; the other handles central hours and minutes.
The dials reward close inspection. Both versions use grained baseplates with applied outer rings that are circular brushed with polished chamfers and black transfers. Gold goes warm with yellow-gilt 1N dials and black ostrich leather. Silver goes cool with rhodium-plated dials and blue ostrich leather. Yellow-gilt 1N rivets tie the family together on bezels and crowns.
Wearability shows in the details: quick-change ergot bars, a brushed and polished pin buckle engraved with the Louis Erard symbol, and measured proportions that keep the sculpture close to the wrist rather than floating above it.
Each colorway is limited to 178 pieces, the house’s familiar collaboration number. For those who prefer symmetry, 78 duo sets pair Gold and Silver in an FSC wood box. Pricing is CHF 4,950 excluding tax per watch, or CHF 9,900 excluding tax for the set.
Futur antérieur is the French tense for what will have happened. It suits this piece. You see the Antiqua spirit through two windows, yet the construction is wholly Louis Erard. Past and future nod, then get on with the time.
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