The Louis Erard x Konstantin Chaykin Regulator Time Eater III

Watchmaking is generally considered serious business. Luckily, there are more and more brands that embrace humour. Which is not to say they are not serious about their watches; far from it. Louis Erard, under the inspired leadership of Manuel Emch, is one such brand, enlisting famous designers like Alain Silberstein to enliven models with his bold primary colours and fun geometric shapes. Another collaborator is Konstantin Chaykin, the indie master watchmaker who mixes high-end watchmaking with a unique sense of humour. Two years ago, Louis Erard and Chaykin teamed up to create the unforgettable Time Eater, a creepy one-eyed monster with a gaping mouth devouring the passing seconds. Well, due to popular demand, the Time Eater is back for round three, with an interesting commercial twist.

Demonstrating his ability to inject humour into serious watchmaking, Chaykin’s recent revelation of the ThinKing, the world’s thinnest mechanical watch (final prototype), features his signature smiley face. His menagerie of Wristmons (wrist monsters), like the Mouse King and Grimaldi the Clown, delivers a refreshing, whimsical take on watchmaking and sits happily alongside mechanical fireworks like the Stargazer.

When invited to collaborate on a watch with Louis Erard, Chaykin was given the brand’s classic Regulator model with its traditional separation of minutes (usually on the perimeter), hours at noon and seconds at 6 o’clock. A flagship model of Louis Erard, the Regulator has undergone makeovers by Sylvie Fleury, Olivier Mosset, Eric Giroud, Vianney Halter, Cédric Johner, atelier oï, Seconde/Seconde, Massena Lab, et al. In line with Emch’s goal of democratising costly métiers d’art techniques, the Regulator has been treated to hand-guilloché and Grand Feu enamel dials.

Presented in a polished stainless steel case with a domed sapphire crystal over the dial and a transparent caseback, the Time Eater III will be available in two different sizes. The commercial twist we referred to earlier regards the two slightly different versions of the Time Eater III, both limited editions of 178 pieces. The 39mm model with a red minutes track and a grained calfskin strap will be sold exclusively by Chaykin, while the larger 42mm version with a blue minutes track (photographed) and an appropriately cringey toad green leather strap will be retailed by Louis Erard. The strap on both models is attached by quick-release spring bars for DIY changes and comes with a polished steel pin buckle.

Adapting the classic layout of the Regulator, Chaykin’s latest cyclops features a large revolving eye at noon for the hours, a gaping hole with bared teeth at 6 o’clock for the seconds and the minutes on the peripheral track. The silvery background of the dial is decorated with a wavy kinetic pattern that seems to dip and rise before your eyes. With its black satin-brushed ring for the hours, the top sub-dial has a white interior and a black pupil that rotates to indicate the time. Framed by a bright red ring, the lower sub-dial features a black star-shaped disc that spins as it devours the seconds. The peripheral minutes track, in shiny blue or red with white dots, is indicated by a squiggly long black central hand with a cheeky raised middle finger and devil horns as counterweights. Two plaques with Konstantin Chaykin’s name and Louis Erard are placed above and below the two sub-dials. The crown is a signature Chaykin crown.

The Sellita automatic SW266-1 calibre with a 4Hz frequency, a 38-hour power reserve, and a customised LE rotor can be seen through the transparent caseback. The 42mm Time Eater III, featuring a blue minutes track, is retailed exclusively by Louis Erard and has a price of CHF 4,450 (excluding tax). The 39mm with a red minutes track model shares the same price but is sold exclusively by Konstantin Chaykin. The watches will be available from June 18.

More information at louiserard.com.