Proof That Childhood Icons Age Better Than We Do
Astro Boy returns not as nostalgia but as design language, as Louis Erard shapes a watch that reflects heritage, imagination and lasting elegance.
Luxury today is increasingly defined not by spectacle but by resonance. The objects we choose to live with are no longer only markers of craft or refinement. They are emblems of identity, memory, and aspiration.
It is within this cultural landscape that Louis Erard introduces its latest collaborative piece: the 2340 Astro Boy, a watch that brings together precision Swiss manufacturing and one of the most enduring symbols of modern mythology.
Astro Boy, conceived by Osamu Tezuka in 1952, emerged during a period of rapid technological modernisation in post-war Japan. His story carried a profound message that remains strikingly contemporary.
Astro Boy is not a hero defined by force or dominance. Instead, he embodies empathy, innocence, and the conviction that progress must remain grounded in human values.
His world blended the mechanical with the emotional, the futuristic with the moral. It is that duality which finds a new form on the wrist.
Louis Erard has approached this collaboration with restraint and sensitivity. The dial is not a canvas for illustration but a space for sculpture. Astro Boy rises from it in layered relief, shaped rather than printed, giving him presence without overwhelming the composition.
The motion trailing behind him suggests ascent and optimism. Opposite him, a familiar figure from the series appears in deep black, more enigmatic than threatening. Between the two, the imagined cityscape of Metro City is engraved in vertical satin, lending architectural depth and a sense of narrative suspended in time.
On the caseback, a discreet engraving completes the tribute. It is quiet, almost private, echoing the idea that meaning in luxury need not declare itself to the world. It is enough that the wearer knows.
The technical foundation is equally considered. The watch belongs to Louis Erard’s newly introduced 2340 collection, named for the postal code of Le Noirmont, the brand’s home in the Swiss Jura.
This detail is more than charming geography. It connects the watch to a specific cultural terroir, the cool air and measured pace of the valley where Swiss watchmaking has evolved across generations.
The case brings together brushed titanium and polished steel, a study in texture and tone rather than ostentation. At only 8.95 millimetres thick, the watch sits close to the wrist, unobtrusive and confident.
The integrated bracelet, developed over three years, features the same dual-material treatment, offering refinement without rigidity. It is a bracelet designed to be lived with rather than simply admired.
Crucially, this is not a limited edition. Louis Erard is making a statement about permanence. Collaboration, in this instance, is not a moment of novelty but a new layer of identity.
The movement introduced here is also new to the collection, signalling both investment and intent. This watch is not an aside to the brand’s direction but a quiet declaration of it.
At CHF 3,990 excluding tax, the piece speaks to a growing category in luxury: objects that are deeply considered, culturally literate, and emotionally intelligent. It is for collectors who choose watches not simply because they are rare or mechanical marvels but because they say something about how we see the world and our place in it.
Astro Boy has long represented the hope that technology can be compassionate and that imagination can guide progress. In Louis Erard’s hands, that hope becomes something tactile and enduring. A reminder that the future is not inherited. It is chosen, shaped, and worn.
