DonCorson's post from SIHH 2016 offers a detailed look at Manufacture Royale's offerings, including their Voltige and Androgyne Origine models. The author provides a critical yet appreciative perspective on the brand's unique aesthetic and technical innovations, particularly in their tourbillon designs.
With the opening of the Carée des Horlogers at the SIHH this year there are less brands exhibiting in the Geneva hotels. But there are still several worth looking at. The Manufacture Royale, claiming a history going back to a foundation by Voltaire 245 years ago, showed at the Beau Rivage together with Louis Moinet.
The Voltige is a very handsome watch showing a very filigrane balance wheel and the escapement on the dial. Of the colors the chocolate dial with red gold case was my favorite, but the black case with blued hands and balance wheel is also worth a look.
With tourbillons in their history their new tourbillon models are very important for the Manufacture Royale. The new case of the Androgyne Origine works very well for me although I think that the screwed on shield with the MR logo on the dial is a little over-doing it. It is refreshing to see a different more massive esthetique with a tourbillon. Recently the tourbillons all seem so similar, this one is different.
The MR 1770 Micromegas double tourbillon leaves me a little perplexed. Why two tourbillons, one turning every 60 seconds, the other turning every 6 seconds, 10 times faster. I have not been able to figure out what a "torque stabiliser" is, that powers the two tourbillons and I don't know which tourbillon, or if both, how?, turns the hands. It is, however quite stunning visially to watch the tourbillons running at such greatly different speeds.
