Louis Erard Introduces the Le Régulateur Massena Lab
Having made collaborations a habit, Louis Erard’s latest joint venture is with Massena Lab, an American brand that is equally adept at collaborations. Together the two have put together the Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Massena Lab. In contrast to its recent abstract or Bauhaus collaborations, the Louis Erard’s new regulator is resolutely classical. It takes inspiration from the aesthetics of 18th century timepieces, which were all brass, steel, and frosted gilt, explaining the colours and granular dial finish. Initial thoughts Demonstrating Louis Erard’s versatility when it comes to collaborations, the Massena Lab regulator is basically a new dial style for the brand’s signature model yet it manages to look different enough that it’ll please someone who already owns a Louis Erard regulator. Although the grained dial is produced with industrial methods, it is a good approximation of a traditionally frosted dial and looks good on the wrist. Between the two I favour the gold-plated dial for its contrast, though the large case size means the rhodium version is appealing for its restrained palette. But because the new pair are essentially the standard regulator model at heart, they also has the dimensions of the standard model, which is bigger than would be ideal, especially in terms of thickness. At the same time, the two watches are priced in an accessible fashion typical for Louis Erard – just under US$3,900 in this case – making them well-priced propositions...