The Minimalist Louis Erard Regulator x Olivier Mosset

An exceptional collaboration between renowned Swiss abstract artist Olivier Mosset and watchmaker Louis Erard results in a minimalist black-on-black model destined to become a sought-after collector’s piece. Translating the artist’s abstract, reductionist codes into the miniature canvas of a watch, the Louis Erard Regulator flaunts the monochromatic palette of the rebellious Swiss artist. Produced in a limited edition of 178 pieces, Olivier Mosset’s Regulator is a case study of minimalism taken to the max.  

Olivier Mosset

Olivier Mosset is a 79-year-old Swiss visual artist and member of the former BMPT art collective, formed in 1966 with Daniel Buren, Michel Parmentier and Niele Toroni. Challenging conventional artistic ideas by shunning subjectivity and expressiveness, the four artists embraced abstraction and minimalism. Mosset’s work is often associated with abstract expressionism underscored by geometric shapes, repetition and monochromatic palettes.

Mosset moved to Tucson, Arizona, in 1977, where he cultivated his lifelong passion for motorcycles. Owner of several iconic Indian Larry Desmedt customised bikes, Mosset began exhibiting motorcycles alongside his art in Paris while he was a member of BMPT. Now donning a long, flowing white beard, the iconoclastic Swiss artist is the hand behind the latest Louis Erard Regulator.

As many of our readers know, Manuel Emch, director of Louis Erard, is also an avid collector of contemporary art. When Emch reached out to Olivier Mosset, the artist, who had never made an object in his career, let himself be drawn in. After all, Mosset grew up in the watchmaking canton of Neuchâtel, and his grandfather was associated with the history of Ébauches SA. (Images above by MAMCO Geneve – www.mamco.ch)

Collaborations

Since Emch’s arrival, collaborations, especially with the Regulator model, have become Louis Erard’s calling card, a canvas beckoning artists, watchmakers, artisans and design studios to leave their imprint, allowing people to buy original watches without breaking the bank. We’ve seen everything from Alain Silberstein’s colourful geometric shapes and Konstantin Chaykin’s time-devouring cyclops monster to the stunning kinetic model produced by atelier oï or the Escher-like dial of the exquisite hand-guilloché edition.

Jura Biker

As a passionate biker, Mosset describes a scene from Easy Rider that sums up his view of watches as accessories. “What amuses me about watches is their accessory aspect – a watch is useless today”, he says. “It reminds me of the scene in Easy Rider when they’ve just bought their bikes and are about to leave, Peter Fonda takes off his watch and throws it away.”

Noir de Rigueur

Black from head to toe, the Regulator comes in a 42mm diameter x 12.25mm thick black PVD-coated steel case with a matte sandblasted finish. Minimalism is the operative word here, and the black dial is bereft of markings – no logo, no hour indices, just three black hands. The black lacquered background of the dial is sprinkled with silver glitter that might remind you of the colour and gritty texture of black asphalt glinting in the sun or the bodywork of one of Mosset’s motorbikes.

Abstract Regulator

While the classic Regulator layout is hard to visualise, and the three rounded baton-style hands share the same length and width and are not aligned on the same axis, the dial responds to Mosset’s signature abstract artistic ethos. The one distinguishing feature identifying the functionality of the three hands is the size of the holes. The largest hole on the top hand is for the hours, the middle-sized hole represents the minutes, and the smallest is for the seconds. Since the hands are aligned on different axes, their configuration constantly changes.

Even the caseback succumbs to the black theme and is fitted with a black-tinted crystal. And, like other straightforward three-hand Regulator watches in the Excellence collection, the movement is an automatic Sellita SW266-1 beating at 28,800vph with a 38-hour power reserve.

Availability & Price

Each of the 178 timepieces comes with a red seal bearing the serial number certifying the product’s authenticity and the words “work of art – do not wear”. Two interchangeable straps, one in black Baranil calfskin with black stitching at the lugs, are presented with the watch. The price is CHF 3,750. For more details, please visit louiserard.com.