While spending time at Dubai Watch Week 2021 last year, I learned about the interesting “50 years of crafting the future with the UAE” edition of watches commissioned by local powerhouse watch retailer Seddiqi. This particular model was made in collaboration with Louis Erard, and it is known as the “Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 50th Edition” watch. Working with a number of watch brands (both high-end and affordable), Seddiqi created a prolific series of limited-edition watches to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates, known locally as UAE’s “Year Of The Fiftieth.”

This limited edition of 50 pieces is based on the existing Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein timepiece collection that has a few versions. This is also part of the larger collaboration between noted watch designer Alain Silberstein and Swiss watchmaker Louis Erard. Unique for this particular Dubai limited edition watch are the dial colors, black carbon fiber face, and the special English and Arabic “Year Of The Fiftieth” text printing on the sapphire crystal exhibition window on the rear side of the case.

Note that Seddiqi worked with Louis Erard to produce two limited-edition watches for the 50th anniversary of the UAE. In addition to this La Regulateur watch (with a regulator-style display), there is also a similar watch based on the La Semaine Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein watch that has a day/date complication display. Both watches share the black carbon fiber dial mixed with sky blue, orange, white, and yellow dial colors. Seddiqi offers the watches on either a black or orange textile strap.

The strap for these watches is directly inspired by one of the available sports straps for the Apple Watch. The strap is a bit stretchy, though the ones made for the Apple Watches are a bit more elastic than this, from what I recall. The strap uses a one-piece system that folds back around one of the lug structures and attaches back to itself using Velcro. The end of the strap is fitted to a wider metal piece, which prevents the strap end from detaching from the lugs. Speaking of lugs, this interesting case style has articulating lugs that allow this otherwise sizeable watch (it is 42mm-wide but wears on the larger side) to fit even small wrist sizes.

I will have another more in-depth review on this case and Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein watch series in the near future but overall like the aesthetic and wearing style of this case. It’s produced in titanium with a round inner grade 2 sandblasted case and an outer tonneau-shaped grade 5 polished titanium lug structure, and Louis Erard categorizes this as being a 40mm-wide watch, which it really is not, as 40mm only accounts for the inner case and is a bezel-to-bezel edge measurement. The case with the side structures is closer to 42mm-wide, is about 12mm-thick, and with the lugs bent down as much as possible has an about 56mm lug-to-lug distance. The case is water-resistant to 100 meters and, thanks to the titanium construction, it is not very heavy on the wrist.

While this is not per se a sports watch, it certainly has the DNA of one and is a superb casual wear with a huge amount of personality. Inside the watch is a Swiss Made Sellita SW266-1 automatic movement. Operating at 4Hz with about two days of power reserve, the movement has a regulator-style display, which means the hours and minutes are represented on their own subdials, while the main dial is used to indicate the minutes only. Very few do this as well or as affordably as Louis Erard, these days.

Even though he is not exclusive to Louis Erard, the brand’s Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein watches are an excellent way to enjoy the work of Alain Silberstein in a manner that is not terribly unaffordable — and is quite hip given today’s tastes and what is available on the market. Of course, there will be plenty of people invested in celebrating the important anniversary of the UAE’s formation, but pretty much anyone keen on this particular product family from Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein should take interest in these special limited-edition models available exclusively via Dubai-based Seddiqi. Price for the Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein 50th Edition watch is 18,900 AED. Learn more at the Louis Erard website here.