Louis Erard, a watchmaker steeped in history and heritage since its inception in 1929 in the Jura region of Switzerland, remains to this day focused on creating horological excellence with a focus on value, affordability and quality. A focus that has been extended to and entertained with the brand's latest collection, the Louis Erard La Sportive family of watches.
Made up of four chronographs, each made in a limited run of 250 pieces, the La Sportive collection of watches embody the tenets of a true luxury sports chronograph with a focus on precision, reliability, readability, technical achievement, elegance and exclusiveness. Each of the four models feature a smoked neo-vintage dial, a ceramic bezel as well as a case crafted out of bronze or grade 5 titanium.
Fortunate as we are to be in a position to cover watches of this nature, we were even more fortunate to be able to see and handle one of these limited edition pieces in the metal, specifically the La Sportive Limited Edition in titanium with a black smoked neo-vintage dial.
The grade 5 titanium case measures 44mm in diameter, perfectly suited to the job of being a sports chronograph coupled with the addition of a day-date indicator. The watch itself was surprisingly light and comfortable to wear. The black ceramic bezel continues the theme of the watch being sporty in nature, as do the prominent chronograph pushers, riveted crown and elongated lugs. The case is subject to satin finishing and polished surfaces, a lovely addition and point of textural differentiation.
The graduated black smoke dial is lighter in the centre and darkens the closer it gets to the rehaut. The vertically aligned registers opens up a lot of dial real estate, enabling the addition of a warmly welcomed day-date indicator to work. The black background of the day-date windows are coloured black, matching the black sub-dial registers and ceramic bezel, ensuring a consistent flow throughout the dial.
Powering the La Sportive Limited Edition is the exceptional Valjoux 7750 calibre. Often lauded as one of the greatest chronograph movements, the Valjoux 7750 is also comprised of a day-date indicator, ensuring daily useability and real-world applicability. Louis Erard has covered the caseback in a sapphire crystal, enabling the wearer to view the movement, along with the openworked rotor which has been redesigned in a resolutely sporty spirit.
Expanding on the comfort of the La Sportive Limited Edition, I found the vintage calfskin leather strap to be absolutely superb. It was thicker than other leather straps, but it wore beautifully well, and the innovative titanium folding buckle which abolished the need to puncture the leather worked exceptionally well, too.
My experience with the La Sportive Limited Edition was a wholly positive one. I had absolutely no issues using, wearing or setting the watch, and its sporty aesthetic is one that I was immensely fond of. I particularly admire the fact that Louis Erard chose to use the Valjoux 7750 movement, while keeping the price of the La Sportive Limited Edition relatively accessible. The watch was impressive, well executed and featured fine details, with my overarching sentiment towards it being completely efficacious.
The Louis Erard La Sportive Limited Edition is priced at 2,950CHF for the bronze version, while the titanium variants will cost 3,250CHF.
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