Elka Pays Tribute To Its Neuchâtel Street on Two R-Series Dials

Elka opened a boutique on Rue des Chavannes in Neuchâtel last December, and like most things in Neuchâtel it comes with a lot of history. And a lot of that history is linked to watches and watchmaking. Until 1867, the upper end of the street was closed off by a tower with a public clock. When they removed the clock, it was done with the help of engineer Henri Ladame. So, to pay tribute to the street, Elka dug up the plans Ladame drew up of the tower the year it came down and took inspiration from the beautiful handwriting. This same lettering spelling out Tour des Chavannes, the name of the tower, appears on two R-Series editions paying homage to Elka's home street.

The case is steel, 40.8mm wide and 10.8mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 46.5mm. A box-style sapphire crystal sits on top. Those are sensible proportions for a dressy everyday watch, and trust me, despite what seems like a large diameter, the watches wear much smaller than you would expect.

The “1736” edition (ref. R01wo-0807) has a black dial with gold Roman numerals, based on the tower clock dial Samuel Müller painted that year. The “Pierre d’Hauterive” edition (ref. R02wo-0804) has a sand dial with black numerals, a nod to the yellow Hauterive limestone used in the city’s buildings, including the boutique’s walls. Dial and hands are curved on both and they have a beautiful combination of spade and leaf hands.

Inside is the La Joux-Perret calibre G101, an automatic beating at 4Hz, with 68 hours of power reserve. Time only, no date, which is pretty expected on a watch inspired by a tower clock. Each comes on a leather strap, the 1736 on a black strap and the Pierre d’Hauterive on a tan strap..

The Elka R-Series Tour des Chavannes “1736” and “Pierre d’Hauterive” editions are on sale now, and I'm not sure if they're limited or not. Price is set at CHF 1,855 with tax. See more on the Elka website.