Vianney Halter’s Antiqua remains one of independent watchmaking’s great visual shocks, a watch that looked less designed than discovered from some alternate mechanical future.
The new Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Futur Antérieur doesn’t try to reproduce that perpetual calendar outright, but it gets closer to its atmosphere than any Louis Erard collaboration with Halter so far.
With two raised, riveted portholes and an asymmetrical layout, it gives the Antiqua’s language a more approachable form without sanding away the eccentricity that made the original matter.
At a glance
- Louis Erard and Vianney Halter have introduced the Futur Antérieur, their third collaboration and the closest yet to Halter’s Antiqua aesthetic.
- The 38mm steel watch uses two raised, riveted porthole dials arranged diagonally, with one display for hours and minutes and another for small seconds.
- Each version is limited to 178 pieces at CHF 4,950 excluding tax, with a two-watch set limited to 78 sets at CHF 9,900 excluding tax.
The Antiqua language returns in a compact steel case
Halter described the Antiqua as a “relic of the future past”, and that phrase still captures its strange position in modern watchmaking.
Presented as a perpetual calendar prototype at the Basel Watch Fair in 1998, the Antiqua used riveted porthole-like displays and an unconventional case shape that helped define a new wave of avant-garde independent watchmaking.
The Futur Antérieur borrows that retro-futurist vocabulary rather than the complication itself.
Its two raised sub-dials sit diagonally across the case, each framed by 12 polished rivets plated in pale yellow 1N gold on the gold-accented version.
The case measures 38mm across, 44mm in length and 8.85mm thick, which keeps the concept wearable despite the sculptural architecture.
The upper case surface and raised counter frames use circular brushing, while the flanks are vertically brushed and finished with a polished bevel.
It’s not a conventional round watch trying to look quirky through dial graphics alone.
The personality comes from the case architecture, the protruding displays and the crown treatment, with each of the two crowns carrying six polished rivets.
Gold, silver and the Halter signature
The Futur Antérieur is offered in two versions.
One uses yellow gold-plated sub-dials, while the more restrained alternative has rhodium-plated counters.
On both, the lower dial shows the hours and minutes, and the upper dial is reserved for small seconds.
The centres are grained, the chapter rings are broad and circular-brushed, and the markings are black.
Blued steel hands in Vianney Halter’s familiar style give the watch a direct link to his design world without turning it into a replica.
Two appliqués on opposite sides of the case carry the Louis Erard and Vianney Halter names.
The dials are covered by anti-reflective sapphire crystals, while the solid caseback is engraved with “Louis Erard x Vianney Halter 1 of 178”.
Two movements for one offbeat display
The most unusual technical decision is inside the case.
Rather than developing a dedicated calibre or display module, Louis Erard uses two Sellita SW100 automatic movements positioned side by side.
One drives the hours and minutes, while the other is used only for the seconds display after its hour and minute functions have been removed.
Each SW100 measures 17.2mm wide and 4.8mm thick, with a minimum power reserve of 38 hours.
The arrangement is more about enabling the dial layout than chasing a conventional technical advantage.
It also gives the watch a slightly mischievous mechanical character, which feels appropriate for a Halter project.
Limited editions and pricing
Both versions come on ostrich leather straps with grained calfskin lining, polished steel pin buckles and ergot bars for quick strap changes.
Each Futur Antérieur reference is limited to 178 pieces.
A boxed set containing both versions is limited to 78 sets.
The individual watches are priced at CHF 4,950 excluding tax, while the two-watch set is priced at CHF 9,900 excluding tax.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Louis Erard x Vianney Halter |
|---|---|
| Model | Futur Antérieur |
| Case size | 38mm |
| Case length | 44mm |
| Case thickness | 8.85mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Two raised porthole-style sub-dials arranged diagonally, with grained centres and circular-brushed chapter rings |
| Variants | Yellow gold-plated counters or rhodium-plated counters |
| Crystal | Anti-reflective sapphire crystals |
| Movement | Two Sellita SW100 automatic movements |
| Functions | Hours, minutes and small seconds |
| Power reserve | Minimum 38 hours per movement |
| Strap | Ostrich leather with grained calfskin lining, polished steel pin buckle and ergot bars |
| Limited edition | 178 pieces per version, plus 78 two-watch sets |
| Price | CHF 4,950 excluding tax per watch, CHF 9,900 excluding tax for the set |
The Futur Antérieur works because it doesn’t pretend to be an Antiqua for less.
Instead, it translates Halter’s future-past vocabulary into a Louis Erard format that’s mechanically straightforward, visually assertive and likely to resonate with collectors who admire independent watchmaking’s weirder, braver corners.
