Louis Erard has introduced Gravée Main, a limited-edition masterpiece that takes hand engraving to its most expressive form. Part of the maison’s celebrated Métiers d’Art series, this release is limited to just 99 timepieces — each one requiring more than 50 hours of meticulous work to engrave and finish every steel surface, from case to bezel, crown to buckle.
The Power of the Human Touch
Hand engraving offers what no machine can replicate: true individuality. Each stroke, curve, and cut is performed entirely by hand, ensuring that no two Gravée Main watches are alike.
The result is not simply a watch, but wearable art, tradition reborn with character, intensity, and personality.
A Mission to Art
Since 2021, Louis Erard has pushed the frontiers of Métiers d’Art, with creations in Grand Feu enamel, guilloché, and wood marquetry, with gold wire inlay soon to follow. Gravée Main continues this journey by paying tribute to one of horology’s oldest crafts: engraving.
First practised by goldsmiths long before watches existed, engraving blossomed in the 18th century on pocket watches and clocks, often paired with intricate Baroque motifs. Gravée Main unites these rich traditions in a modern expression designed for the wrist.
The Artist Behind the Metal
Each Gravée Main is brought to life in Ukraine by watchmaker and artist Maksym Shavlak, renowned for reimagining antique timepieces into contemporary hybrids. With this project, his craft evolves into a partnership:
“Case engraving is more than decoration, it’s a way to make metal speak,” says Shavlak. “When Louis Erard approached me, it wasn’t just about surface patterns. They wanted to build a watch that gave engraving space, freedom, and presence. Gravée Main is the result — the steel itself becomes the voice of the watch.”
Métiers d’Art, Made Accessible
Louis Erard has carved a unique niche in bringing haute craftsmanship within reach of collectors who value artistry as much as mechanics.
With Gravée Main, the brand makes techniques often reserved for exclusive, inaccessible creations available in a wearable, collectable form. Alongside the hand-engraved Gravée Main, the maison also debuts Fil d’Or (gold wire inlay) at Geneva Watch Days, further expanding its Métiers d’Art universe.
Availability
The Louis Erard Gravée Main is limited to just 99 pieces worldwide and is priced at SGD 9,500, including taxes.
For connoisseurs who appreciate the irreplaceable touch of human hands, Gravée Main represents not just a watch, but a statement of craft, rarity, and meaning.
