APOSE: ULTIMATE SOPHISTICATION

Apose is exemplary of watchmaking that is the epitome of French elegance, manufactured in France. Founders Didier Finck and Ludovic Zussa imagined Apose as a means of reconnecting with the fundamentals of time measurement, ignoring the race for ever more complicated mechanisms to make watches that simply give the time. The essence of an Apose watch lies not with complications but compelling designs, pleasing forms and surfaces, original technical solutions, colour harmony and interactions of texture and light.

Apose Douz Celadon

These are the foundations of the “Apose style”. Straight lines bring order while curves add sensual softness. Particular thought is given to the play of light on materials, forms and surfaces. The result is a sophisticated personality, inspired by jewellery.

Like a conductor leading an orchestra, the brand is at the head of a unique grouping of 17 manufacturers, which had never previously worked together: a gathering of expertise that represents the finest French know-how. The automatic movement, for example, is designed in partnership with Soprod and produced by France Ébauches. Didier Finck and Ludovic Zussa were told it would be impossible to make a watch entirely in France. That it would be too complicated and too expensive. Apose has proven it can be done.

BUCI: POETIC WATCHMAKING

“Our vision is to poeticise time,” explains Nousseïma Baraket, the founder of Buci Paris. Imagined as an allegory for the poetry of time, the brand is, indeed, one of the most “literary” on the contemporary watch scene. Its collections spring from the work and passion of French artisan-watchmakers and artists.

Buci Beige

Just as poetry defies time, a Buci watch is endlessly elegant, guided by the same sense of detail and refinement as a poet considering each word of their composition. One such detail is the dial, whose parchment-like texture suggests the poetry of time all around us, framed at the four cardinal points by hour markers in the shape of a fountain pen nib.

Each strap is engraved with a quotation from a poem. In fact Buci organises its own Poetry of Time competition, judged by a panel of literary and horology enthusiasts. A reminder that there are values and words which elevate the everyday.

MAISON ALCÉE: THE PLEASURE OF MAKING

Already represented by The Hour Glass in Singapore and by MB&F’s M.A.D. Gallery; awarded the Audacity Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Maison Alcée has won over some of the most respected names in the industry with its original concept. Founded in 2022 by a husband-and-wife team, Maison Alcée offers the opportunity to assemble a desk clock, at home, from components which are designed and manufactured exclusively in Switzerland and in France, by and for Maison Alcée.

Maison Alcée Persée Or

“We need to end the notion that certain forms of expertise are beyond reach. It’s by taking them out of their small circle that they can enjoy a new life and more people will see them in a fresh light,” insists Alcée Montfort. “In today’s connected world, I want people to relearn how to create with their own hands and rediscover that peaceful bubble of concentration that came so naturally to us as children.”

A wood box contains the 233 components for the clock’s movement and exterior, 169 of which require assembly. All the necessary tools are supplied, in addition to an illustrated instruction book to guide each watch lover along their journey to crafting their very own clock.

PEQUIGNET: GREAT AMBITIONS

One of France’s “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant”, a distinction awarded to companies with a high level of artisanal or industrial expertise, Pequignet, with its Calibre Royal®, manual-winding Calibre Royal® and Calibre Initial®, is the epitome of French ambitions in mechanical watchmaking. Last year, this already impressive array was extended with the addition of the Calibre Royal® Tourbillon. Assembled from 318 components, Calibre Royal® is the first French-made movement to have all its complications on the same plate. It is protected by eight international patents.

Peqiugnet Concorde Titanium

Pequignet travelled from its workshops in Morteau to this year’s Watches and Wonders fair, where it presented the Royal Paris, a completely refreshed setting for its movement, in a 39.5mm diameter, in Day-Date-Moonphases or Power Reserve-Small Seconds versions, and proposed in a range of colours. Case, dial, bezel and hands have all been refined and finished to the highest standards, ensuring that every detail benefits from the same flawless execution as the watch’s now famous movement.

Peqiugnet Royal Paris

Pequignet has also imagined new interpretations of its Concorde, introduced in 2023 in celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary. They include a version in titanium, with a sleek and stylish contemporary personality.

SEMPER & ADHUC: A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

The brand which Colin de Tonnac founded in Bordeaux in 2019 has brought a breath of fresh air to French watchmaking, with its distinctive cushion cases and its concept to recondition vintage calibres, including movements by France Ébauches. “Semper & Adhuc is my love story with watchmaking. My fascination with the infinitely small, these tiny wheels, began in childhood and has stayed with me ever since,” says Colin de Tonnac.

Semper & Adhuc Immédiate Transatlantique

Despite coming from a region with fewer historical ties to watchmaking than other parts of France, Semper & Adhuc has succeeded in building a network of local partners. Proof that craftsmanship and watchmaking can thrive anywhere! De Tonnac is himself a graduate in watchmaking and its métiers d’art.

Part of its upcycling ethos, Semper & Adhuc collaborated with Bulova on the Immédiate Transatlantique, which is fitted with a restored movement by the American maker. It also worked with LIP for the Instantanée, whose movement (a 50-year-old R100 calibre), case, dial, hands, strap and presentation box are all designed and made in France.

XRBY: A BRIDGE BETWEEN ARTS

Xavier Rousset set up XRby as a bridge that connects precision mechanics with high-level craftsmanship, reflecting his training as a micro-mechanical engineer and his family history in dial-making. Every XRby watch is a unique collaboration with a specialist in a time-honoured craft: marquetry, enamelling, engraving or illustration. Thus each dial becomes a canvas for them to express themselves.

XRby Rose Saneuil Le Quetzal

Already, the brand has collaborated with Rose Saneuil, Gabriel Colliard, Matteo Stauffacher and Philippe Jacquin-Ravot, with breathtaking results. The brand takes its environmental responsibilities seriously, hence each piece is crafted to order, in the Jura mountain region, and components are sourced within a 75-kilometre radius. Powering each watch is a Swiss automatic micro-rotor movement that provides 72 hours of power reserve, under a dial framed by a case in sapphire or polished titanium. Each collection is produced as an ultra-limited edition of seven pieces, whose every detail is a celebration of the artisan’s hand.

ABOUT FRANCÉCLAT INTERNATIONAL

The path to French excellence: Francéclat is responsible for developing French timepieces, jewellery and tableware brands. It aims to expand and develop these three symbolic sectors both in France and around the world, showcasing the country’s highly admired art de vivre.

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