Louis Erard joins forces with artisanal engraver Maksym Shavlak on the surprisingly affordable Gravée Main
Tom Austin- Louis Erard have announced its latest hand-engraved creation, the Gravée Main, incorporating traditional hand-finishing techniques across the entire case.
- The Gravée Main is limited to 99 pieces, and with each piece being meticulously worked on for over 50 hours, each watch is unique.
- Each engraving is inspired by 18th-century baroque floral motifs, and is paired with a classically styled, black lacquered dial with subtly contrasting anthracite details.
Louis Erard is a brand that never sticks to its lane in watchmaking. In the past, it has collaborated with several designers and creators, each taking their watches in a completely different direction, and offering bespoke artisanal creations at a somewhat more affordable price. The latest watch to bear the Louis Erard name is the Gravée Main, and once again, it is entirely different from anything we’ve seen from the brand before. A collection made up of 99 individually hand-engraved watches, the Gravée Main comes as a collaboration between the brand and Ukrainian artisan engraver Maksym Shavlak.
Each Gravée Main starts out as Louis Erard’s recognisable stainless steel Noirmont in 42mm, which, by comparison, is about as simplistic as it gets in terms of watch design. It’s a contemporary everyday dress watch at heart, relatively large, but finely finished and complete with competitive details such as a domed, anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal, exhibition caseback, and 50 meters of water resistance.
The classic round shape of the Noirmont, with its thin bezel and subtle curved lugs, offers the perfect canvas for some artisanal creativity and has served as the base for several of Louis Erard’s more creative pieces. And so, Louis Erard has entrusted 99 cases to Ukrainian engraver Maksym Shavlak, renowned for his exceptional skill in breathing new life into vintage watches through his traditional, exquisite engraving process. The result is staggering, with every single surface on the Gravée Main engraved by hand with a swirling floral motif inspired by 18th-century baroque-style pocket watches and comtoise clocks.
The process begins with a hand-refined pattern that is transferred to the case surface via stencil, or occasionally freehand. Then, Maksym drypoint-etches the pattern to finalise the design and guide the burins when engraving. Each line is carefully carved, bit by bit, at different depths, until the final effect is achieved. Following that, textures and shading are applied, again by hand, to add drama and depth to the overall finish. The case is then cleaned, polished and checked over for perfection. The process for each case takes around 50 hours to complete, and of course, because each watch is engraved by hand, no two cases are the same. The meticulous process gives each case its own unique character and showcases Shalak’s incredible expert artistry.
(Editor’s note: There has been some commentary online questioning whether the Gravée Main is truly hand-engraved – there are advanced CNC machines that can produce similar patterns – but in some ways, it’s kind of a moot point. This sort of complex engraving, done by hand or not, at this price, is still an extremely compelling prospect, and we have little reason to dispute Louis Erard’s claims.)
The watch’s Gothic appearance is accentuated by the black lacquered dial, which is again inspired by baroque clocks, and finished beautifully. Rather than opting for bright contrasting dial print, Louis Erard have gone for a mix of black and anthracite printing for the minute tracks and dial segments, along with oversized Roman Numerals. The brightest aspect of the dial is the rhodium-plated and polished pear-shaped hands, which offer a classical, yet highly legible look, and the small-seconds dial sits at 6 o’clock, both of which nod to those traditional clocks of old.
Peering through the smoked exhibition case back, you can see the movement powering the watch, which is the automatic Sellita SW261-1. It’s a staple in the Louis Erard catalogue, and as a simple 3-hander, it features 31 jewels and a Nivaflex mainspring, providing the movement with a 38-hour power reserve while beating at 4Hz.
The exhibition caseback reveals a small Louis Erard logo on the rotor, but it does seem slightly odd to smoke it to obscure the movement. It would have been nice to see the engraving that Maksym could have come up with for a solid caseback or even just the movement’s rotor. That does feel like a missed opportunity, but overall, considering the reasonable price point for the level of artisanal finishing, we can’t complain too much. Each Gravée Main comes supplied with a black calf leather strap with contrasting stitching, along with a beautifully engraved pin buckle, again finished by Maksym’s own hands.
Louis Erard Gravée Main pricing and availability
The Louis Erard Gravée Main is available to pre-order now via a waiting list, and is limited to 99 pieces. Price: CHF 5,450
| Brand | Louis Erard |
| Model | Gravée Main |
| Reference | 34237GA82.BVAG170 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) 12.25mm (T) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating |
| Dial | Black lacquer |
| Lug Width | 22mm |
| Strap | Black calf leather strap with engraved stainless steel pinbuckle |
| Movement | Sellita SW261-1, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 38 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Limited to 99 pieces |
| Price | CHF 5,450 |