Vintage

Boucheron La Carree Ultra Plate Vintage Review

Marc Obermann · 2025-07-16T15:22:10Z

Explore Marc Obermann's Boucheron La Carrée Ultra Plate, its unique 2.2mm thinness, patented lug system, and custom Molequin Saffiano straps. A deep dive into vintage Boucheron.

By Marc Obermann · Jul 16, 2025 · 10 replies

Marc Obermann

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

10 replies1429 views13 photos

Marc Obermann's deep dive into his Boucheron La Carrée Ultra Plate offers a masterclass in horological detective work, showcasing the dedication required to uncover the history of a vintage timepiece. His exploration of custom straps and the watch's unique lug system provides valuable insights into enhancing both the aesthetics and comfort of a rare watch. This article highlights the challenges and rewards of researching less-documented vintage references, a common pursuit among seasoned collectors.

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Hi all,

I hope all are well and coping with this insane heatwave many of us are currently experiencing, so after a short delay due to Molequin being exceptionally busy my new Saffiano straps arrived today for my Boucheron La Carree one is in St Emilion a burgundy/red colour and the other in Oxford Blue below is a picture of the straps which are made to order. They are one piece 17cm straps with no tapering and just ordinary spring bar holes at each end as this allows the Boucheron patented lug attachment to be fitted. Quite honestly this is the best way to attach a watch to a strap I have ever experienced both for looks and comfort IMHO.

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div>Here are some pictures of just how the patented Boucheron lug system looks and works

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This is the result with my new burgundy/red strap

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s a final note this Boucheron Patented lug attachment system was granted its patent in 1958 and is BT 1203255.

But enough about the straps for now, since the arrival of my watch I have fallen deep down the vintage Boucheron rabbit hole in my quest to learn as much as I could about this incredible watch. My first step after numerous internet searches was to reach out to Boucheron client services who are based in Paris and our correspondence with each other was in english. They confirmed I had two options these being,

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Authentication: A detailed verification of a piece's authenticity from 1000 Euros

div>Estimation: A valuation of the piece typically for insurance or resale purposes available from around 400 Euros.

div>Neither of these options was really what I was looking for and the first one was realistically just too expensive to make sense. So I further explained just what I was trying to achieve and the information I was looking for, so I was then directed to the Boucheron archive directory to further my inquiry. They are also based unsurprisingly in Paris and now we started our correspondence en francis, thankfully Google Gemini AI to the rescue as my french is really not that good. I was dealing with a really nice lady called Claire who is the Director of Heritage and she explained the only way to confirm anything would involve searching through the archives which fell under the Authentication process and would therefore incur a cost of at least 1000 Euros which she understood was a deterrent considering the prices of these watches at auction.

div>So my quest for information from Boucheron had come to an end and I started to search the internet and I have managed to learn a lot although I can only claim that I am 90% sure that what I believe is completely accurate.

div>The first thing to note is that in all my searches I have yet to uncover another Boucheron La Carree Ultra Plate that is as thin as mine is as mine is just 2.2mm thin and most of the others even if they claim to be an Ultra Plate or Extra Plate are either 4mm or 6mm which is quite a difference. Also whilst mine is circa 1960 most of the other La Carree examples I have found are from much later from the 70's to the late 90's. Besides the difference in thinness the other striking difference is that all of the others have either the Boucheron Patent numbers or serial numbers or even Boucheron Paris engravings on the case backs. Mine are all on the actual case itself also my caseback due to the thinness of the watch has a flush fit to the caseback whilst the others are all raised. There appear to be numerous variations of the La Carree that have been produced over time some with my lug fitting system and others with what Boucheron calls a jewellery clasp deployant. div>
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During my searches I discovered a poster advert from 1963 declaring the Boucheron La Carree the world thinnest watch which of course I had to buy below is said poster and the claim which reinforces that my watch is from circa 1960. .

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div>My next task was to try and work out what manual wind movement was powering my watch and due to the extreme thinness of the watch this wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. Just opening up the back of the watch wasn't really going to be a lot of help as from the pictures of the movement from other La Carree watches it was clear that Boucheron engraved the the movement plate with there name. I knew it was not an Omega movement as when Boucheron used an Omega movement they engraved the Omega symbol on the case. This journey into the movement revealed to me things I really wasn't expecting, the movement most likely to be powering my watch is a Frederic Piguet Calibre 21 a movement first made in 1925 and just 1.74mm and is also known as the Blancpain Calibre 21 also as was co developed by them. it is an 18 jewel movement that beats at 18,000 vph and has a power reserve of 42 hours.

div>What I hadn't realised was that both French and Swiss patents are only valid for 20 years, and that many other manufacturers after this period made their own versions. some with slight modifications the most surprising of these to me were the Audemars Piguet Cal 2003 the Vacheron Constantin Cal 1003 and JLC Cal 803 these movements were just a tenth of mm thinner. Also the Piaget Cal 9P was also based on the Frederic Piguet Cal 21 but with their modifications it got thicker at 2mm. So I am thinking that the most likely candidate for my watch movement is in fact the Frederic Piguet Calibre 21 although I may be wrong. As my straps have only just arrived I haven't been able to see just how accurate this watch is yet but will do so over the coming weeks and report back.

div>The last thing that I think is worth mentioning is that the case engraving is all hand engraved in the Boucheron workshop using just a graver or a bruin and a skilled artisan no machine powered or otherwise was used.

div>Lastly just a few shots of the watch on its new strap.

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div>Marc

Key Points from the Discussion

The seamless integration of the custom strap with the watch's design, particularly how the strap's texture complements the hobnail bezel, creates a cohesive and elegant aesthetic.
The thread is currently discussion-light, with initial replies focusing on aesthetic appreciation rather than technical or historical debate. Further community input could enrich the historical context or technical specifics of the Boucheron La Carrée Ultra Plate.

The Discussion

Doug from New Mexico

Jul 16, 2025

I'm confused (and possibly a little dense).

TheMadDruid

Jul 16, 2025

Love reading the history of these pieces. And your choice of strap works perfectly.

blau

Jul 16, 2025

I love the seamlessness of the whole look and I love that the strap texture matches the hobnail (is that hobnail?) texture of the bezel.

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Boucheron La Carree Ultra Plate Vintage Review

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