Louis Erard x Monica Bonvicini “Not For You”

For the 14th edition of Art Genève, Louis Erard introduced its third artist watch with Monica Bonvicini. Graphic. Architectural. Slightly provocative.

Edited by “The Gallerist of Time”, the piece adapts one of Bonvicini’s emblematic sculpture for the wrist. Glamour meets rock. A mirrored message hits hard. Limited edition of 178 pieces.

This collaboration is part of our strategy to work with contemporary artists and to spotlight women in the creative field. I’ve been following Monica’s work for many years. We first met at Art Basel, and I later visited her studio in Berlin, where we became friends. That personal connection is essential to any true collaboration.
— Manuel Emch 

How to Fit a Monumental Artwork into a Watch

Translating an artist’s universe is always a challenge. Doing so for a visual artist whose works are monumental and immersive is even more difficult.

Monica Bonvicini’s sculptures are often brutal, darkly humorous, and uncompromising. They question authority, power, and gender stereotypes. Her black-and-white world, made of scaffolding, tools, chains, leather, and metal, finds a precise and powerful expression in this 39 mm watch created with Louis Erard.

Every detail counts. It is up to the attentive eye to decode them. With its 39 mm case and two strap sizes, this is a unisex watch that, like the artist’s work, blurs traditional gender boundaries.

A Radical Aesthetic and a Strong Message

How should we understand ‘Time is not for you’? Time is made of things that begin and end. Why desire it when we are already living it?
— Monica Bonvicini

The Louis Erard team captured the spirit of “not for you”, translating the artist’s signature codes through black, steel, and leather. “not for you” is a bold statement. It challenges us to reflect on our relationship with others. Since 2006, Bonvicini has displayed it on walls in neon or mirror letters, simultaneously confronting and rejecting the viewer.

I love her architectural language in three dimensions. The way she turns text, words, and slogans into sculptural objects that express strong opinions and feminist critique. In the same way, an artist watch is first and foremost a three-dimensional sculptural object. With our watches, we try to create a language, an architecture.
— Manuel Emch

On the dial, the mirror-polished text reflects whoever looks at it, as if asking, “And you? How do you behave?”

The typography stands out against a matte Clou de Paris dial, creating texture and depth. The guilloché pattern, a classic of traditional watchmaking, nods to Bonvicini’s universe, where nails, leather, and black recur throughout her work. Rhodium-plated, tapered hands cut across the dial, emphasizing the message as if it were a sculpture.

On the caseback, “not for you” is rendered in mirror-polished metallic letters beneath sapphire glass. “Louis Erard x Monica Bonvicini” and “Limited Edition 1 of 178” underline the exclusivity and rarity of this collector’s watch.

Stronger Together: Collaboration and Art as a Philosophy

Louis Erard cultivates a distinctive, unconventional vision of independent watchmaking, defined by boldness rather than price. From its base in Noirmont, Switzerland, the brand has shared this contemporary, nonconformist outlook worldwide through collaborations that explore the intersections of watchmaking, design, art, and pop culture.

Unexpected and prestigious collaborations with independent watchmakers (Alain Silberstein in 2018, Konstantin Chaykin, Vianney Halter), innovative artisans, and contemporary artists (Olivier Mosset, Sylvie Fleury), all initiated by art collector Manuel Emch, have secured Louis Erard a unique place in the world of independent watchmaking.

Through this artistic curation, expressing a singular and engaged vision, Louis Erard has connected with watch and art enthusiasts across Europe, the United States, Singapore, and Japan.

Produced in 178 pieces, a symbolic number representing “Stronger Together” in Chinese culture, these watches are collectible works of art.

LOUIS ERARD X MONICA BONVICINI “NOT FOR YOU”

Limited edition of 178 timepieces
Ref. 34242AA02.BVAS28

WATCH FACTS

• Limited edition: 178 pieces, defined by rarity and exclusivity rather than price.
• Genderless: 39 mm case, offered with two strap sizes (S and standard), blending masculine and feminine codes.
• Concept: a sculpture translated into a wristwatch.
• Design: black-and-steel rock aesthetic, packed with references to Monica Bonvicini’s signature visual identity.
• Dial: full-black Clou de Paris guilloché, mirror-polished appliqué reading “not for you.”

Movement
Automatic, Sellita SW261-1 caliber, 2 hands, 11½”‘, Ø 25.6 mm, height: 5.6 mm, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), elaborated grade movement, carefully decorated, specially openworked rotor with black lacquered Louis Erard symbol, approx. 38 hours of power reserve.

Funtions
Hours, minutes, central hour and minutes hands.

Case
Polished stainless steel, Ø 39 mm, lug width: 20 mm, lug-to-lug: 45.9 mm, thickness: 12.82 mm, 3-piece, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, movement visible through the transparent crystal caseback. “not for you” is rendered in mirror-polished metallic letters beneath sapphire glass. Water-resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m / 165 ft), signature fir tree crown, caseback engraved with “Louis Erard x Monica Bonvicini – Limited Edition 1 of 178”.

Dial
Inspired by Monica Bonvicini’s artworks. Black Clous de Paris guilloché with a central black mirror-polished “not for you” appliqué.

Hands
Rhodium-plated hands

Strap
Black Baranil calfskin leather with tone-on-tone stitching at the lugs and black grained calfskin lining. Polished stainless steel pin buckle. Quick-release spring bars for easy strap changes. Dimensions: 20/18 mm width, 65/105 mm length.
Supplied with an additional larger strap: 20/18 mm width, 80/115 mm length.

Edition
Watch developed in collaboration with Monica Bonvicini in a limited edition of 178 pieces.

MONICA BONVICINI

Born in Italy and based in Berlin, Monica Bonvicini explores architecture, the dynamics between men and women, structures of authority and power, and the concept of space. Her architectural, text-based, and light sculptures engage the viewer, challenging them to reflect. Often brutal, tinged with dark humor, and rich in political and social references, her works create a critical dialogue between the exhibition space, the materials, the viewer, and the artist.

Monica Bonvicini
(Photo credit Axel Schmidt, courtesy of Louis Erard)

Bonvicini has exhibited worldwide since the early 1990s and is featured in prestigious international biennales. Her work has earned numerous awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1999, the Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst from the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in 2005, the Rolandpreis für Kunst for Art in Public Space from the Bremen Foundation in 2013, the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing in 2019, and the Oskar Kokoschka Prize in Austria in 2020.

LOUIS ERARD
SWISS WATCHMAKER EST.1929
www.louiserard.com | @louiserardofficial

Louis Erard disrupts traditional watchmaking by making horological craftsmanship accessible to a wider audience. Its exceptional timepieces, rooted in artistic crafts, boldly merge tradition and modernity, shaped by visionary artisans who push the boundaries of horology.

Since 1929, independence has been the brand’s driving force, inspired by the wild spirit of the Swiss Jura, embodied in its iconic regulators and mechanical watches. Under Manuel Emch’s leadership, Louis Erard prioritizes innovation over conformity, pursuing lasting excellence rather than rapid growth, forging its own path in watchmaking.

Through collaborations with avant-garde creators such as Alain Silberstein, Vianney Halter, and Konstantin Chaykin, Louis Erard transcends artistic boundaries, playing with new codes to craft watches that redefine and disrupt the very essence of time.

All images courtesy of Louis Erard.

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