Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin have rejoined forces once again, creating a new edition of the regulator complication with a froggy flair.
Creative thinking in watchmaking is rarely rewarded in aesthetics. There are enthusiasts that appreciate watches as works of art, but would never find themselves gravitating towards ownership for their perceived lack of functionality or stratospheric price point. But what if you were to combine avant-garde aesthetics and practical watchmaking into a single catalogue? That’s what Louis Erard does on a daily basis, providing accessible mechanical bases for wild, expressive artistry to flourish.
Though most of Louis Erard’s original collections are solid on their own, there’s nothing like a bit of teamwork to further enhance their take on watchmaking. Over the years, they’ve teamed up with the likes of Alain Silberstein, seconde/seconde, and Vianney Halter, among many other creatives, but one name stands out more clearly than the rest. I am, of course, talking about Konstantin Chaykin, Russia’s horological mad scientist responsible for groundbreaking watches like the ThinKing.
Another popular line Chaykin is known for is his WristMons, turning watch dials into literal faces. It’s a design which he’s translated in various forms for both Chinese brand Behrens and Louis Erard, with the latter gaining notoriety for their Time-Eater series. In 2025, they released a new interpretation called the Unforgettable, inspired by the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Frog Prince. This year, Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin have returned to the design, presenting two new interpretations of the incredible timepiece.
Frog-Tastic Team-Up
The new Louis Erard Unforgettable models once again showcase the singular creative force of both Chaykin and Louis Erard’s powers combined. Encased in grade 5 titanium, the watch measures up to the same 40mm case diameter, 46.5mm lug-to-lug, and 12.5mm thickness of the original duo. Come to think of it, given the lightweight nature of most frogs, as well as their agility, no other material but grade 5 titanium is perhaps the most appropriate case material.
What immediately sticks out about the case, literally, is the uniquely shaped crown, positioned at 12 o’clock instead of the usual three. This is due to the functionality of the movement, but we’ll get to that later.
For now, all you need to understand is its shape, befitting a frog prince. Should you get the brown rendition, the crown will be finished in rose-gold PVD, too. Because of the layout, the lugs also had to be reworked so as not to impede on the crown itself. Flaying outwards from the case, they almost serve as the ‘legs’ of the frog atop the tonneau-shaped case.
Both watches come on a black leather calfskin strap, courtesy of Himeji Kurozan and finished with urushi lacquer. With either purple or black accents, it guarantees a comfortable wear on the wrist with a lightweight grade 5 titanium pin buckle. Unsurprisingly, such an expressive watch is hardly a super-sporty one, with just 50m of water resistance. Still, it should get most wearers through the average day without going into any extremes.
Ribbiting Stuff
But the silhouette of the new Unforgettable duo is only half the story, as the dial must be perplexing to those unfamiliar with Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin’s work. I’ll start with the familiars, which introduces a grained backdrop in either turquoise or brown.
Darker accents of each make up the minute track and subdials, but the former uses a two-tone structure of both the base colour and either purple or lighter brown. Either way, “Louis Erard <3 Konstantin Chaykin” can be seen running the lower dial periphery, both subtly branding and paying tribute to both parties’ three-year run of team-ups.
The frog identity is further established by two nostril details located just below the subdials, while a large, lumed arrow orbits the outer track of the dial. That brings us, of course, to the subdials. Louis Erard has built up a penchant for using the regulator complication in their watches, and the Unforgettable is no exception. Read from left to right, the nine o’clock eye indicates the hours, the large arrow points out the minutes, and the three o’clock eye shows the seconds.
Contrary to initial belief, it’s not the pupils that point out the time. Instead, large, circular plots of lume have been placed in each eye to show where the current time is. As I said before, it’s a hint towards Chaykin’s own WristMons collection, which does the same thing with a variety of different designs and characters.
Hopping To It
But where Konstantin Chaykin’s original works and Louis Erard’s Unforgettable collaboration differ is in the movement. Chaykin uses his own in-house calibre, specially developed as a distinctive piece of haute horlogerie. However, Louis Erard makes things more accessible with the Sellita SW266-1 movement. Beating at the classic 4Hz (28,800VpH) atop a 38-hour power reserve, the Unforgettable is set on a base that is ultra-reliable and just complex enough for its unusual requirements.
The regulator complication of the SW266-1 usually displays linear displacements of time from top to bottom, but both parties have elected to instead rotate it 90 degrees to present it with a 12 o’clock crown. This way, Louis Erard and Konstantin Chaykin were able to put a literal crown atop their frog prince, as well as keep the horizontal eye layout signature of Chaykin’s creations.
Initial Thoughts
Konstantin Chaykin is a name that has been slowly building up momentum in the watch mainstream, and I absolutely love him for it. What I appreciate even more is that he’s not content to rise on his own, taking brands of a particular flair along with him on the ride. Both Behrens and Louis Erard have been privileged to do so, and the latter seems to not want to slow down on the partnership anytime soon.
The new Unforgettable duo is more or less a colour change, but I feel the release is still impactful given I can count the number of watches that look like them on one hand, and they’re all from the same brand. In any case, those that missed the first limited-edition run will be happy to see them return, but with only 178 pieces each, it surely won’t be long till they hop out of stores once again.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | 85340AA03.BVA192 (Turquoise) 85340AA04.BVA193 (Brown) |
| Dimensions | 40mm case diameter x 46.5mm lug-to-lug x 12.5mm thickness |
| Case | Grade 5 titanium |
| Dial | Grained dark turquoise / brown with purple / brown accents depicting frog eyes & nose |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Open, sapphire |
| Movement | Automatic Sellita Cal. SW266-1 with regulator (hours, seconds registers) complicatiojn |
| Power Reserve | 38h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 50m / 5bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Purple / black leather strap with titanium pin buckle |