Striking while the iron is hot, Louis Erard has announced a new edition of the 2340 integrated bracelet sports watch that caused a stir with its debut just last month. On top of that, the new edition is also Louis Erard’s first limited edition in a new series of cultural crossover collaborations with pop culture icons. In layman’s terms, it’s their first character watch featuring a famous cartoon character. Specifically, it’s the Louis Erard x Astro Boy 2340.
Structurally, it’s identical to the standard 2340 models, which makes sense as it’s a new collection. That means a hybrid titanium and stainless steel construction that measures 40mm x 8.95mm with an integrated bracelet. The bracelet has the signature round centre links that are a reference to the pill-shaped motif on the dials of the original collection, though here the dial has been repurposed to display a scene from classic Astro Boy stories.
Astro Boy is presented between 3 and 5 o’clock in full colour, jetting away from one of his signature villains who now sports the watch brand’s logo in his chest. The two are doing battle against the backdrop of Metro City, which is engraved into the dial. In order to keep the illustration legible, Louis Erard have foregone the applied hour markers, retaining only the peripheral minute track with Louis Erard markings.
On the rear of the watch, Astro Boy features again with a special engraving. He appears to be looking at the commemorative inscription that marks the watch as 1 out of 178. Behind that caseback is the Sellita SW300-1 with 56-hour power reserve. The movement itself has elaboré grade finishing and a custom Louis Erard rotor, though you’ll only see that when you open the caseback.
Louis Erard are well known for their penchant for collaboration watches but traditionally they’ve kept to the realms of watchmaking and artistic designers. This shift toward pop culture is a first foray into more mainstream collabs and might be what’s needed to alleviate LE’s reputation as a super niche brand, especially in combination with the popularity of the 2340 design. It’s priced at CHF 3,990 excl. tax (approx. £3,760), exactly £1,000 more than the standard model, which is due to the addition of the intricated detailing of the engraved dial and exclusivity of being a limited edition.
Price and Specs:
More details at Louis Erard.
