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As an owner of the first La Semaine, I always look on with a mixed dose of curiosity and excitement when Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein come together to remix their initial success from 2021. As the embargo gets lifted today, the two are once again at it again with a new limited release of 178 pieces, but this time, it only comes as a single model, the Smile-Day.  The three original watches consisted of the three-hander with the emoji date complication, the mono-pusher chronograph, and the regulator.

The original La Semaine on the left, a regulator version which was released afterwards

Today, I am not just going to copy and paste the best from a press release, but I will convey what it has been like to live with the La Semaine and why you should consider getting either today’s new release or those which most certainly come in the future. But first, we are going to do a quick recap and overview of what this watch is, and what has made it such a success for Louis Erard.

What’s the same & new with the Smile-Day

The new release shares the overall design aesthetic of the first La Semaine, including its distinctive case. When pressed for comparison, only the opulent offerings from De Bethune and their stunning DB28 models come to mind.

The inner portion of the case features a micro-blasted grade two titanium case, while the outer case element is polished and of the fifth grade. The crown is also polished grade five titanium and features the gorgeous red lacquered logo.

The dial features the same design layout as the original, with the three primary-coloured hands mounted in the centre and the day-date complication, which replaces the traditional day display with emojis. Typically, one would set Monday for the sternest and most upset emoji, with every passing day, becoming happier before reaching its climax on Sunday with a wide-open smile. The dial does seem a little deeper and more nuanced, with a more detailed white flange encircling the glossy grey inner portion. Louis Erard is not simply resting on their laurels with these watches. They are making subtle improvements with every iteration.

Louis Erard decided to partner with Alain Silberstein for this recurring line of limited watches for good reason. Under the guidance of their CEO, Manuel Emch, the brand has become an absolute darling within the watch industry. With a brilliant finger on the pulse of not only the industry but also of the most devoted consumers and collectors, Louis Erard’s direction of working with artists has disrupted the industry in a manner that aligns with the industry’s most committed customers.

Louis Erard has come to exemplify the most valued essence of mechanical watches in a world of disposable wrist-mounted plastic computers – artful timepieces that are not only tools but heirlooms. Anyone who works in the watch industry owes Mr. Emch a lot of gratitude, for he has brought designs once only associated with haute horology to prices obtainable by the lower and upper middle classes.

When speaking about the partnership with Mr. Silberstein, Mr. Emch said, “In watchmaking, seriousness is the norm, functionality, the usual drill. Since the 1980s, his bold, Bauhaus-inspired designs have challenged these norms with simplicity, rebellion, and fun whimsical quirkiness. Playfully twisting time, he injects a refreshing positive artistic vision into watchmaking, staying true to what art, creativity, time…truly are… just the way we like it!”

Alain Silberstein’s history as an interior architect/designer informs his Bauhaus-driven designs but with his unique and jubilant approach.

“Simplifying means stripping down to the raw essence of forms and colors, tapping into the primal roots of creativity. That explains why I am sticking to primary colors as my go-to, enhancing readability with clarity. My designs may seem playful, but they’re grounded in a profound understanding of art and color theory. My colored squares, circles and triangles pay homage to Kandinsky’s exploration of the connection between primary colors and shapes, while echoing the bold aesthetic of the 1980s Memphis Group in a boundary-pushing aesthetic take on timeless traditions. This perfectly sums up what we share and build together with Louis Erard,” said Mr. Silberstein.

So, what can you, a potentially new owner of such a watch, expect? Well, let’s get down to it.

What’s it like to wear a LE X AS work of art every day?

Wearing the La Semaine for the last three years has been very informative for me and for many others. Besides usual social events where the curious naturally inquire about such a unique timepiece, this watch has mostly been worn in hospitals and medical centres. In these environments, both despondent patients and their loved ones all immediately smiled when seeing this watch on my wrist. Depending on how much time I had, which usually maxes out for forty-five seconds for such small talk, I would give all of them a brief history of the watch and its significance.

Its 40mm case, which also measures 47mm from its lugs, does wear bigger than the numbers imply. This is not a bad thing, for the Smile-Day and my La Semaine are not normal watches. The case’s outer portion acts like a frame, encompassing the watch in a stable orbit of one’s arm. Over my years, man how time flies, with the watch, the case barely has any scratches or blemishes. The same can be said of the sapphire crystal, which is treated with an anti-reflective on both sides. The Sellita movement has proven highly reliable at a stable plus eight seconds a day.

The strap makes these watches a wonderful joy to wear every day. Mr. Silberstein was not shy upon the initial release of the La Semaine, and he wanted a strap that closely mirrored the experience one had with the Apple Watch. Louis Erard rose to the challenge by making the strap a work of art with its micro-blasted grade two titanium hardware.

Honestly, when I first got this watch, I was hesitant to wear it. Keep in mind, this was during the pandemic when assets such as watches were skyrocketing in price. The population struggled to make sense of our world. For the first time in recent memory, we scrambled to navigate a cost-of-living crisis. I wore the watch with great regularity, for I realized that I never sell my watches. More importantly, the biggest lesson I learned from the pandemic was that we should be mindful of appreciating assets; it was that life is fragile and that we should enjoy life as much as we can.

That is what Mr. Emch and Mr. Silberstein have brought to my life, and every single person has seen this watch on my wrist. The only other watch that comes close to impacting the lives of those around me with unrelenting joy is my Omega Speedmaster X-33, and that only excites space nerds. The new Louis Erard Smile-Day, like my La Semaine, is sure to improve the lives of any of its new owners, that is, of course if they ever wear it.

Final Thoughts

Pedestrian consumers and highly involved collectors alike are all too familiar with the very conservative watch industry landscape. Seemingly on everyone’s wrist is a boring representative of what they may want to portray to the world when they are not wearing a smartwatch. This is out of necessity. In many environments, wearing any number of mechanical watches that are instantly recognizable as a luxury product would be highly distasteful of me. This is why my Nomos Orion 89, with its sober grey dial and muted logo, has been on my wrist for most days of this year.

The occasions that I wore my Le Semaine were never accompanied by awkwardness because I was wearing a luxury watch. Every single interaction surrounding the watch was filled with joy. The cost of the watch was never brought up, for it did not matter. Mr. Silberstein’s playful exuberance bypasses demographics and economics and cuts straight into the joys that humans feel when their curiosity is rewarded. There is absolutely no reason that comes to mind which would stop me from recommending this watch to anyone who has the means.

Previous models were priced at 4000 CHF and limited to 178 pieces, just like today’s release.

Specifications:

  • Reference: 75357TT03.B TT83
  • Movement: Modified Sellita SW220-1
    • Skeletonized rotor with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol
    • Power reserve approximately 38 hours
  • Functions:
    • Mood of the day/date, three central hands
  • Case:
    • Grade 2 Titanium case micro-blasted
    • Grade 5 Open-Worked outer case polished
    • 40mm
    • 22mm lug width
    • 47mm lug to lug
    • 11.6mm thick
  • Sapphire Crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides
  • Water Resistance: 100 metres
  • Dial: Glossy grey with glossy white outer ring
  • Hands: lacquered
  • Strap: grey nylon with micro-blasted Grade 2 Titanium hardware and Velcro
    • 22.7mm by 225mm
    • Suitable for wrists ranging from 140mm to 200mm

All photographs of the new Smile-Day and quotes were provided by Louis Erard.
Time of writing: June 27th, 2024