"Just beautiful" - Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary is impressed by Louis Erard's stone dial watch

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary, in a recent Instagram video, sat down with Teddy Baldassarre and analyzed the Louis Erard Excellence Régulateur Lapis Lazuli. The watch, according to Teddy, has integrated Swiss craftsmanship and artisanal dial work. It also features a lapis lazuli dial that has a regulator layout.

The company, Louis Erard, goes back to 1929. The brand combines elements such as traditional watchmaking with handcrafted components that also feature mechanical complexity.

Kevin is an avid investor in watches and oftentimes, shares some of the pieces that he likes, on his personal social media accounts. He has adequate knowledge about the timepieces and after witnessing the Louis Erard dial, appreciated the hard work that went behind having stone cut. He said,

"That's very interesting. Gives it depth. Just beautiful. That's very, very interesting."

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Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary talks about Louis Erard's stone dial watch

During the conversation with Teddy Baldassarre about the Louis Erard watch, Kevin expressed his praise for the makers. He acknowledged the complexity of working with a stone dial because of how challenging it is.

The problems that generally arise with this kind of work occur during cutting and shaping the lapis lazuli because it can break very easily.

As he examined the dial in his hand, he noted the gold flecks that were embedded in the deep blue surface of the stone. This adds to its aesthetic appeal and Kevin loved it. He said,

"I like this a lot. Oh, wait a second. What's going on with these gold flecks in here?"

Teddy explained that it is a lapis lazuli. He also talked about the regulator-style display of the watch. It is a more historical design that helps in precision when it comes to timekeeping.

Pointing out the layout, he noted the unique layout where the hour hand, the minute hand, and the second hand are all separate from each other. He said,

"So you're getting a regulator. So a regulator, what that is known for, is having the hours be smaller on the subdial. Then you have the minutes as a central hand solely. And you get second down here. So it splits it up."

For the unversed, lapis lazuli is a semi-precious metamorphic rock that has a deep blue hue as seen in the video shared by the Shark Tank investor. As for the gold-colored flecks which are visible on its surface, these are caused by the pyrite inclusions.

O'Leary rightfully acknowledged the difficulty that arises when dealing with lapis lazuli because there is a high chance of breakage during its production. One of the key points about this Louis Erard watch is that no two dials are the same. There are natural variations in lapis lazuli which differentiates them.

As for its hour display, it is decentralized and placed at the 12 o'clock mark. Another counter for seconds is located at the 6 o'clock mark. The central hand is dedicated for the minutes which is larger than the rest of them.

This element is common in precision timekeeping watches. Here are the technical aspects as highlighted in the video by Kevin O'Leary at the end;

• Price: $3,900
• Case Diameter: 42mm
• Thickness: 12.4mm
• Lug-to-Lug: 49.6mm
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: Sellita SW266-1 (automatic regulator movement)
• Crystal: Sapphire

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes drop out on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time on Fridays.