News · Louis Erard

Louis Erard Builds a Blue Dial From Rye Straw

Bernardo d'Orey arranges 28 hand-formed zones into the Broken Ice dial of a 25-piece, 39mm automatic edition.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 4 min read · 2 September 2026

• Bernardo d'Orey forms the Broken Ice dial from 28 rye-straw zones, with each fibre direction altering how the blue surface reflects.
• A polished 39mm steel case houses the automatic Sellita SW261-1, with two-hand display, 38-hour reserve and 50-metre resistance in the finished watch.
• The Marqueterie de Paille is limited to 25 pieces at CHF4,500 excluding tax, with online delivery listed at five to 10 days.

Louis Erard introduced the Marqueterie de Paille on 1 September 2026, using rye-straw marquetry to create a blue abstract dial in a 39mm automatic watch. Reference 34248AA45.BVA158 is limited to 25 pieces and priced at CHF4,500 excluding tax.

The dial is made by Portuguese artist Bernardo d'Orey. Its composition, named Broken Ice, is divided into 28 individually formed zones. Each differs in shape, scale and fibre direction, allowing the natural material to reflect light from changing angles.

There is no printed logo, minute track or applied index interrupting the surface. Rhodium-plated hour and minute hands provide the only time display, with satin-finished upper surfaces and diamond-cut edges to separate them from the layered blues beneath.

The round polished case, narrow bezel and restrained crown surround the marquetry, while the beige strap repeats the natural-material theme without matching any one shade of blue.

Rye straw arranged by hand

Louis Erard describes 28 individual rye-straw sections, each positioned entirely by hand. Their varied fibre directions play with colour, texture and light, so the abstract dial changes as the watch moves.

Louis Erard says every dial is unique and entirely handmade by d'Orey. The 28 zones are individually positioned, and each dial takes about two days of meticulous work. Natural variation means the edition shares one composition without producing 25 identical surfaces.

The restraint of the hands is essential. A conventional set of numerals would divide the Broken Ice pattern into a more familiar watch face. By leaving the field open, Louis Erard lets the dial read first as an object of craft and only then as a time display.

That choice does reduce instant precision. There is no minute scale, and the hands have no luminous material. The watch is built around visual texture rather than instrument-like timing, which is consistent with both the material and the small production run.

The absence of a seconds hand helps too. Continuous motion above such a detailed surface would create another visual layer, while the two broad hands let the fibre directions remain legible. This is a watch that asks for an approximate glance and then rewards a longer look.

Because straw is natural, variation is part of the specification rather than a production fault. The 25 dials follow the same Broken Ice plan, yet their fibres and reflections cannot align in precisely the same way. The edition is numbered, but each face has a second form of individuality.

A simple automatic frame

The polished stainless-steel case measures 39mm across. A domed sapphire crystal receives anti-reflective treatment on both sides, and a transparent darkened caseback reveals the movement. Water resistance is rated to 5 bar, or 50 metres.

Inside is the automatic Sellita SW261-1. Louis Erard specifies central hours and minutes and an approximate power reserve of 38 hours. There is no seconds display or added complication, keeping the movement's job aligned with the two-hand dial.

The supplied beige grained calf-leather strap uses tone-on-tone stitching, a black calf-leather lining and quick-release spring bars. A polished steel pin buckle matches the case. The neutral strap is a useful decision because another strong colour would compete with the dial.

Quick-release bars make that restraint optional for the owner, but the supplied combination is the most coherent one. A 50-metre rating also confirms the case is sealed for normal daily exposure, even though neither the leather strap nor the decorative dial suggests a sports-watch brief.

Louis Erard's product page refers to a transparent black caseback rather than a fully clear, colourless window. The darker treatment frames the movement and creates a visual counterpoint to the bright dial, without changing the straightforward automatic architecture.

Pricing and availability

The Louis Erard Marqueterie de Paille costs CHF4,500 excluding tax and is limited to 25 pieces. The brand's product page shows a delivery time of five to 10 days and allows online ordering. It does not list a dedicated Australian-dollar price.

The three-year warranty shown by Louis Erard applies to the watch as sold through its online store. Buyers should keep the very small edition in mind when considering the listed delivery window: live availability can change before a regional price page ever appears.

That price is brand-supplied in Swiss francs and has not been converted here. Australian buyers will need to account for the final local checkout treatment, shipping and any applicable tax shown by the seller, rather than relying on an estimated conversion.

The appeal is unusually easy to locate. A familiar 39mm steel automatic case is used as a frame for a dial that cannot be mass-repeated exactly. Louis Erard has kept the movement and display simple enough that the 28 rye-straw zones remain the reason to look.