Vive la France! With all eyes on Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, here are five French brands that you may not know about – but should!
The 2024 Olympic Games are well and truly underway. From the mixed reception of the opening ceremony to Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympic torch to Ariarne Titmus becoming the first woman in over 100 years to defend the 400m freestyle gold medal, there’s no shortage of spectacular tales from the Games.
Regardless of your current thoughts on the Parisian backdrop, there’s no denying that France has been a goldmine for cultural and technological innovation, which is only reflected in the calibre of their watchmaking. While extraordinary brands like Cartier and Louis Vuitton dominate mainstream horology, I’d like to take an opportunity to shine a light on some of the other incredible work coming out of l’Hexagone. Here are five incredible French watch brands bound to become household names.
1 – Baltic
The microbrand Baltic has been making incredible waves in the watch industry as of late, with many pundits confidently naming them one of the greatest microbrands around, alongside the likes of Farer, Formex, and Christopher Ward.
Founded in 2016 by Etienne Malec, the Besançon company would build its reputation around heritage-inspired timepieces, bringing a neoclassical aesthetic and quality craftsmanship to an accessible price point.
Since its conception, the watch community has always had Baltic’s back. While normally frowned upon these days, they achieved their first success via their 2017 Kickstarter campaign, which saw them raise a staggering €514,806 with an intended goal of €65,000. From there, they would grow to be borderline unstoppable, gaining international acclaim for the almost improbable levels of design chops for a relatively low-level market share.
Their lineup now spans multiple niches to appease every kind of watch enthusiast. The MR and Prismic collections, for example, offer dressier silhouettes with either micro-rotor or manual wind movements. If you’re looking for something sportier, the Hermétique or Aquascaphe collections have the tough specs to go toe-to-toe with most established brands in the same market share. They’ve even experimented in the haute horlogerie space, working alongside Emmanuel Bouchet of Maclef to create the spectacular Quantième Perpétuel for the OnlyWatch auction.
Find out more about the Baltic here!
2 – Serica
Whilst younger than Baltic, SERICA operates in a similar vein as its fellow microbrand. Their aesthetic is heritage-inspired, and they also actively campaign to bring such designs into the modern space. However, the methodology is significantly different from any of its peers, allowing it to stand alone as an esoteric yet key player in the microbrand space.
Founded in 2019 by Jérôme Burgert and Gabriel Vachette, they set out with one goal: to revive the golden age of watchmaking through the creation of high-quality mechanical timepieces of a singular aesthetic sensibility and technological sophistication. Beginning their journey with the W.W.W (Wrist Watch Waterproof), Serica would begin to hit their stride in the 2020s, becoming recognisable through their simply designed yet highly versatile timepieces combined with high-quality technology befitting the modern watch.
One thing you may immediately notice is the lack of a logo on the dial. This is by design, ensuring that the dial remains free of any unnecessary details (save the Chronométre text and water resistance rating), maintaining its heritage-inspired versatility and providing Serica with a distinctive brand identity.
Even their watch models refuse to mince words beyond their overall purposes. Three models are currently decorating their lineup: the 6190 Field Chronometer, 5303 Diving Chronometer, and 8315 Travel Chronometer. Respectively. However, the attraction was never in the name – it’s in the capability. Despite only having three collections, Serica’s watches are capable of tackling practically any situation they come across.
Find out more about SERICA here!
3 – Pequignet
You would be forgiven to think that this entire list would solely be about microbrands, but to call Pequignet a microbrand would be to be completely dismissive of the level of heritage they’ve acquired.
In my opinion, Pequignet is one of the best established watch brands that nobody out of France has heard of. It’s almost disheartening to find practically zero coverage of their watches in the mainstream, especially considering the level at which they operate – and the fact that they have their own Wikipedia page!
Founded in 1973 by Emile Pequignet, the Morteau company has over 50 years’ worth of independent watchmaking heritage to draw from, and even made the switch to creating their own Manufacture movements in 2011. In fact, contemporary mechanical watch movements were not being designed, developed, or manufactured in-house until the creation of the first Pequignet Calibre Royal, which is backed by a highly respectable 88 hours of power reserve.
It seems that the Calibre Royal is one of their most versatile movements, being used in their dressier Royale, and Royale Saphir collections, but also finding utility with the diving-oriented Extrême 300 lineup. Even their unisex/female-oriented collections, such as the Concorde and Attitude, even bear their in-house Calibre Initial, which runs on 65 hours of power reserve.
While not many seem to know the brand outside of France, I would hope that times are beginning to change. Pequignet made their debut appearance at Watches and Wonders this year with a new in-house timepiece, the Royale Tourbillon, which I covered as part of a release documenting brands you may have missed during the festivities. At least I know I’m doing my part to make them more recognisable!
Find out more about Pequignet here!
4 – Yema
Joining their Morteau-based brother in Pequignet is Yema, arguable one of the most recognisable French brands in the industry. Yema’s contributions to the watchmaking world are nothing short of epic, from being alongside high-performance athletes and adventurers like Mario Andretti and Jean-Louis Étienne, to fostering one of the greatest watchmakers in history in none other than Richard Mille, who headed the company from 1982 to 1991.
Founded in 1948 by Henry-Louis Belmont, it’s hard to fault Yema’s place in the horological history books. They’ve done about everything and anything that any established brand could possibly ask for, and the fact they’ve remained in constant operation up to today is a testament to the efforts of everyone involved in the running of the company.
It seems, then, that Yema’s roster of timepieces is about as varied and dynamic as their history. Their Meca-quartz Rallygraf collection caters to those with modest price points, while their GADA (Go Anywhere, Do Anything) Superman lineup is prepared for any situation, any time.
Just like Pequignet, Yema have also found themselves experimenting with Manufacture movements, offering surprising specifications at reasonable price points. The Superman Slim, for example, sports the CMM.20 micro-rotor movement, running within COSC Chronometer thresholds at a price point that no other micro-rotor movement watch has touched – all while maintaining a 300m water resistance rating and a display case back! Perhaps my most favourite, however, is the limited edition Yachtingraf Tourbillon Mareographe, which comes with the CMM.30 tourbillon movement alongside a tideograph indicator.
Find out more about Yema here!
5 – Charlie Paris
The last brand on the list is Charlie Paris, which surprisingly is the only brand of the five mentioned that is actually based in Paris, with a boutique in Le Marais accompanied by one across the Seine at Saint-Germain-des-Près. Though their reach may not be as widespread as some, it would be remiss of me to dismiss their dedication to high-quality design and craftsmanship.
Founded in 2014 by childhood friends Ambroise Paros and Adrien Sangle-Ferrière, Charlie Paris started life as the first French watch brand to be launched on Indiegogo, raising almost triple their funding goal with €29,247 from a €10,000 target. Though relatively young in the watch space, they would find early success with their Concordia collection, accompanying daring adventurer Matthieu Tordeur as he crossed Antarctica in total autonomy, covering 1150km over 52 days in temperatures below freezing.
Today, Charlie Paris delights in designing and assembling contemporary timepieces in France with modern sensibilities in mind. This may sound basic, but Charlie Paris’ aesthetic is rather well-defined in this space, unlike others who may simply derive from more successful counterparts.
The lineup at Charlie Paris is both varied and relatively inexpensive. Of course, the Concordia is a highlight of the roster, now coming with GMT and even sapphire dial renditions.
However, one of my favourite additions to the lineup are the Alliance collection, particularly their Perpetual Moonphase pieces. Using Soprod movements in 68 hours of power reserve, the moonphase complication in these pieces will only ever need adjustment every 122 years and 51 days – a surprisingly high-end feature for the market share that Charlie Paris operates at.
Find out more about Charlie Paris here!
Final Thoughts
It wouldn’t be remiss of anyone in the community to say that France’s watchmaking history is a major player in the genesis of the industry at large. On the higher end, this has been proven time and again, with established French brands being at the forefront of international acclaim.
But now with the world watching, it’s an opportune time to promote the contributions of the French in the horological sphere. These brands – some established, others up-and-coming – greatly reflect the reputation of their great nation in the watchmaking arena, and in the future may push the French watchmaking industry to dizzying new heights alongside countless others.
