Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin Partner to Create the Le Régulateur “Time Eater”

Louis Erard has gained recognition for its ability to incorporate métiers d’art decoration techniques like enamel, guilloche, and wood marquetry into its watches at an uncommon price point, but also for its collaborations with a range of notable independent watchmakers such as Alain Silberstein and Vianney Halter. Its latest collaboration with Konstantin Chaykin brings his creative, distinctive, and quirky style to a broader audience at a more accessible price point, allowing more people to experience the world of independent watchmaking.

But Louis Erard manages to incorporate these design elements into their timepieces, while preserving its identity. As usual, the newest maintains the brand’s typical regulator display where the hour, minute, and second hands are positioned on distinct points along a vertical axis, dividing the dial. This presented a challenge for Konstantin Chaykin, who fitted his Joker design into the format, resulting in a watch that bears his unmistakable style while remaining distinct from his Wristmons collection.

Chaykin’s signature Joker watch debuted in 2017, featuring displays in the form of eyes and mouth, and has grown into a collection of Wristmons watches that include various characters, such as the Minions. However, in the latest collaboration with Louis Erard, it gets a new face. Instead of the twin-eyes display, the Le Régulateur “Time Eater” features only one eye at 12 o’clock, conforming to the regulator display with the hour indicator at the top. Still, the mechanics of the eye in the “Time Eater” are the same as those in the Joker watch. The hour indicator is made of a disc with a dot near the edge, giving the impression of a rolling eye while indicating the hour.

Chaykin did not see it as a compromise, but rather as an interesting exercise. As he explains, “Every Halloween, I created a new type of monster, such as the pumpkin head watch and the Dracula watch, for example. [When I was] looking for ideas for this story, I turned to the one-eyed Likho character from fairy tales.”