Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Futur Antérieur: The Spirit of the Antiqua in a Two-Movement Watch

In 1998, Vianney Halter unveiled the Antiqua, a perpetual calendar watch that seemed to have come straight out of a Jules Verne novel. Nearly thirty years later, the independent watchmaker is joining forces with Louis Erard once again for a new creation called Futur Antérieur. Two riveted portholes, two independent automatic movements and a completely new case: this third collaboration takes their partnership in a particularly interesting direction.

Available in two versions, Gold and Silver, each limited to 178 pieces, the Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Futur Antérieur is priced at CHF 4,950 (approximately €5,400). That sum provides access to a slice of Vianney Halter’s highly distinctive universe, without claiming to reproduce the mechanical sophistication of his most exclusive creations.

From the Antiqua to the Futur Antérieur: a story dating back to 1998

To understand this new watch, we need to return to one of the most singular creations in contemporary watchmaking: the Antiqua.

Presented in 1998, this timepiece helped establish Vianney Halter as one of the most original figures in independent watchmaking. Its aesthetic evokes 19th-century scientific instruments, navigational equipment and the imaginary machines of a future as Jules Verne or H. G. Wells might have dreamed it.

The Antiqua features four distinct portholes, surrounded by rivets, housing the various indications of a perpetual calendar. Its in-house movement, calibre VH198, notably features a mysterious oscillating weight developed by Vianney Halter. It is a highly complex timepiece, fascinating as much for its mechanical architecture as for its appearance.

This blend of horological tradition and retrofuturist imagination has since become one of the watchmaker’s signatures.

The partnership with Louis Erard began in 2020, driven by Manuel Emch, who made artistic collaborations one of the pillars of the Jura-based brand’s revival. Their first Regulator drew on Vianney Halter’s aesthetic codes, notably the rivets, blued hands and elaborately finished dials. A second chapter followed in 2024.

With the “Futur Antérieur”, the approach has evolved. This is no longer simply a matter of reinterpreting a Louis Erard regulator through Vianney Halter’s aesthetic language. The two partners have devised an architecture of their own for this new watch, much closer in spirit to the Antiqua.

The name chosen is far from incidental. The future perfect tense precisely evokes the temporal dislocation so dear to the watchmaker: a vision of a future imagined in the past, whose remnants we would discover today.

Two portholes and 67 components: an entirely new case

The first thing that obviously catches the eye is this two-dial construction.

The larger dial displays the hours and minutes, while the second is devoted entirely to the small seconds. Each has its own sapphire crystal, treated with anti-reflective coating on both sides, and its own raised bezel.

This arrangement immediately recalls the portholes of the Antiqua. The family resemblance is particularly visible in the bezels, each adorned with twelve polished rivets plated in 1N yellow gold.

The two crowns also adopt Vianney Halter’s characteristic design, with six rivets apiece. This attention to detail is essential: without these elements, the concept would lose much of its identity.

Louis Erard specifies 67 components for the case alone, an unprecedented construction in its catalogue.

The treatment of the surfaces also contributes to the watch’s personality. The upper section features circular brushing, the flanks are vertically brushed, while polished chamfers highlight the various volumes. Inside the portholes, the grained dials are surrounded by circularly satin-finished rings, whose polished edges catch the light.

The whole design plays on contrasts between materials, reliefs and finishes. The result has that aesthetic of old, almost industrial machinery that Vianney Halter handles so masterfully.

Another notable feature is that, despite its two-movement construction, the case is only 8.85 mm thick.

Its dimensions of 38 × 44 mm also appear reasonable, particularly compared with the 43 mm diameter of the collaboration’s previous regulators. Naturally, only hands-on experience will allow a true assessment of its balance on the wrist. On paper, however, the proportions seem well judged for a watch with such an architectural design.

Water resistance is rated at 5 bar, or 50 metres. The solid caseback is engraved “Louis Erard x Vianney Halter 1 of 178”.

Two Sellita automatic movements: a complication or an architectural choice?

The true mechanical originality of this “Futur Antérieur” lies in its use of two separate automatic movements.

Under the main dial is a first Sellita SW100 calibre, responsible for displaying the hours and minutes.

A second Sellita SW100 drives the seconds hand of the small dial exclusively.

The two mechanisms are positioned side by side inside the case. Each has its own automatic winding system and operates independently.

Their specifications are identical:

• Frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz.
• 25 jewels per movement.
• Typical power reserve of 42 hours, with a stated minimum of 38 hours.
• Diameter of 17.20 mm and thickness of 4.80 mm per calibre.
• Oscillating weight decorated with Côtes de Genève and engraved with the Louis Erard logo.

It is important, however, to understand what this architecture offers.

The use of two movements does not, in itself, improve the watch’s accuracy. Nor does it provide a horological complication comparable to that of the original Antiqua.

The two calibres perform relatively simple functions. The seconds hand has its own mechanism and is therefore not driven by the one displaying the hours and minutes.

The value of this solution is primarily architectural and aesthetic.

It makes it possible to create two genuine watchmaking instruments within a single watch, with physically separate displays, without resorting to an in-house movement developed specifically for this configuration.

This choice deserves emphasis. Designing an exclusive calibre with two displays would most likely have involved considerable development costs. Using two Sellita SW100s allows Louis Erard to devote a substantial part of the project to the case and its visual identity.

One can naturally question the practical value of an entire movement dedicated to a simple seconds hand. The arrangement is more a matter of creative freedom than functional necessity.

Futur Antérieur Gold and Silver: two clearly distinct personalities

Louis Erard offers two interpretations of this new creation.

Futur Antérieur Gold: a warm, retrofuturist aesthetic

The Gold version features dials plated in 1N yellow gold, paired with rivets in the same tone.

The contrast with the blued steel hands is particularly appealing. Their distinctive design, drawn directly from Vianney Halter’s universe, further reinforces the watch’s personality.

The watch is fitted with a black ostrich-leather strap, featuring tone-on-tone stitching and a grained calfskin lining.

The combination of steel, gold-toned surfaces and black leather accentuates the piece’s vintage character. It evokes a precision instrument from another era more than a conventional contemporary watch.

Futur Antérieur Silver: a cooler, more technical interpretation

The Silver version retains exactly the same architecture but adopts silver rhodium-plated dials.

The gold-coloured rivets introduce a touch of warmth into an ensemble dominated by steel and silvery reflections.

The blued hands find a natural continuation in the blue ostrich-leather strap, which also features a grained calfskin lining.

This version appears more restrained and technical than the Gold. The contrasts between the finishes and the volumes of the case should play a particularly important role here.

In both cases, the choice of ostrich leather is an interesting one. Its distinctive texture complements the metallic details without seeking to compete with them. The straps are fitted with quick-release spring bars and a steel pin buckle engraved with the Louis Erard symbol.

It is difficult to distinguish between the two versions based solely on the official photographs. The Gold probably has the more assertive character, while the Silver appears to offer a more discreet reading of this highly original design.

Pricing and limited editions: CHF 4,950 for each version

The Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Futur Antérieur is priced at CHF 4,950 (approximately €5,400), regardless of the version.

Each version is limited to 178 pieces, a number that has become emblematic of Louis Erard’s collaborations.

A box containing both models, called the “Futur Antérieur Duo Set”, is also available at CHF 9,900 excluding tax. This special presentation is limited to 78 sets and includes an FSC-certified wooden presentation box.

Here are the main specifications of the two watches.

Both editions, as well as the set, are presented on the official Louis Erard website.

Our verdict: a collaboration that has finally found its own territory

For several years, Louis Erard has multiplied its partnerships with creators possessing a distinctive horological language. Alain Silberstein, Konstantin Chaykin and Vianney Halter have all helped give the brand a singular identity.

The strategy is a smart one. It allows watch enthusiasts access to the worlds of creators whose personal productions are often extremely difficult to acquire, both because of their price and their rarity.

This approach nevertheless raises a question: how far can an independent watchmaker’s identity be transposed into a watch produced by another brand?

The first two regulators created with Vianney Halter already offered a convincing answer, but they retained an architecture familiar from Louis Erard. The dials and finishes carried the creator’s signature without truly departing from the collection’s fundamentals. The “Futur Antérieur” takes things a step further.

With its two autonomous movements, separate portholes and case developed specifically for the occasion, it possesses a genuine personality. It does not simply look like a Louis Erard decorated by Vianney Halter; it feels more like a project conceived jointly.

Naturally, it is important to keep things in perspective. At CHF 4,950 (approximately €5,400), the buyer acquires a watch equipped with two relatively simple Sellita calibres, without any major complication or in-house movement. The price therefore rests largely on the development of the case, its finishes, the singularity of the whole and the artistic collaboration.

This distinction matters. The “Futur Antérieur” is not an affordable Antiqua in mechanical terms. Above all, it shares its aesthetic vocabulary, spirit and a certain way of looking at watchmaking.

For enthusiasts drawn to this universe, the proposition nevertheless has strong arguments in its favour. Its compact dimensions, slim case and meticulous attention to detail point to work that goes well beyond a mere stylistic exercise.

The watch also retains what makes Vianney Halter’s creations so compelling: an immediately recognisable design.

The Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Futur Antérieur is not meant to compete with the Antiqua, of course. It’s a little like M.A.D. Editions watches in relation to those of MB&F: a gateway into a watchmaker’s imagination.