2017 is a pivotal year for Pequignet. After the takeover of the company by 4 of its executives and the foundation of Pequignet Horlogerie, the brand must demonstrate to its partners and end customers that it is back with a renewed ambition, projects and a future. The most important ingredient in this context is the restoration of trust. Without trust, a retailer will find it difficult to commit his boutique with a brand. Without trust, an end customer will be very reluctant to use his credit card. The Pequignet team knows this perfectly and devotes its energy to meet this objective.

In any case, the first results of the action of the management team are encouraging. The brand has indeed unveiled during the last months a full range of new products that provide evidence that an awareness has been made. These models certainly meet the expectations of the market with the collection Moorea that is back to the front of the scene, the automatic Equus pieces that are now powered by Swiss movements (Sellita SW200 in this case) and with the increasing role of watches dedicated to women. A more realistic approach, a back to basics, more adjusted prices ... Pequignet takes  in my opinion the right road to effectively address the strategic end of year and  Christmas periods.



And what about the Calibre Royal in this context? It is obviously not forgotten and remains a keystone of Pequignet's strategy. The quality of this in-house movement, however, does not prevent it from escaping this awareness and the brand new Manuelle Royale is the demonstration of this fact. Actually, Pequignet achieves double benefits with this watch. The brand primarily targets a clientele of connoisseurs who can be attracted by the manual winding and the pure dial. At the same time, by removing several features of the Calibre Royal, it makes it more accessible with a price under the 3,000 euros threshold, 2,850 euros to be more precise.

I was very curious to discover this novelty because the exercise of defining a classic three-hand watch is very complicated. This type of watch leaves little room for maneuver to create differentiating factors. Difficult to avoid cloning an existing model. Difficult to avoid the very clean design ... and at the same time very boring. Pequignet has done it well a    fter all, relying in a clear way on the real strong asset: the Calibre Royal.

However, it is not the "classic" Calibre Royal since the movement EPM02 is a manual winding one and its usual features (days and date displays, power reserve etc ...) have been removed. But it's not enough: the location of the small second has been changed: usually positioned at 4 o'clock, it is found at 6 o'clock to get a balanced dial. Moreover, it is not trivial to remove the automatic winding system for two main reasons: the first reason is that usually an "amputated" automatic movement is less beautiful than a movement which is "directly" a manual winding one and the second reason is that it is not obvious to get a nice winding feeling.



Pequignet is convincing on both points. From an aesthetic point of view, the withdrawal of the winding mass and the associated mechanism is not felt too much thanks to the shape of the barrel bridge which draws a disc which integrates itself harmoniously into the architecture of the movement. The empty part on the left of the balance wheel is finally not embarrassing and it even tends to highlight the regulating organ and the balance wheel balance. The whole is finished with care and I like very much the contrast brought by the barrel bidge with the barrel itself and the perlage of the plate.

From the winding feeling perspective, the result is decent for a caliber offering a power reserve of 100 hours (for a frequency of 3hz) and an imposing barrel. While the winding experience is not as smooth as with a Lange watch (we "feel" the barrel), it is not unpleasant either: it is obvious that we wind a powerful movement. Note that the pictured watch is not final and that its crown (which is too small) will be reviewed: it will be replaced by the Rue Royale GMT one (without the pusher of course). It is larger and will significantly improve the pleasure and the efficiency of the manual winding.

The proper size of the caliber and the location of the second hand axis allow the use of a 42mm case. This size is the same than the Rue Royale watches and Pequignet has privileged the aesthetic coherence of the Manuelle Royale with the rest of the collection. The use of an existing case also eases cost control. I probably would have preferred a smaller size (40mm for example) but everything should have been reviewed to keep the fluid lines of the original case. The other advantage of the case is to obtain a water resistance of 100 meters. By proposing a simpler dial, the Manuelle Royale highlights the particular design of the lugs, inspired by the past but ultimately original in the current watchmaking landscape.



The presentation of the dial is traditional and includes several known codes: a peripheral railroad, applied Arabic numerals and a second hand at 6 o'clock. However, the sub-dial of the second hand stands out because it is not at the same level and because of a fairly marked graduation. This gives a touch of style to the dial and I find this approach interesting. I am less convinced however by the inscription "Calibre Royal 100H". Not only it burdens the design in a narrow area between the sub-dial and the main hands axis, but it also seems useless: the owner of the watch knows the movement and its power reserve. And on top of that, this watch is supposed to be wound every day (the classic dandy routine). Fortunately, the reflections of the sunray silver dial, which are very elegant and dynamic, tend to mitigate this inscription. Finally, the name of the brand and the applied fleur de lys bring, as well as the numerals, a qualitative touch.

The most complicated thing for Pequignet was to define the ideal hands. The choice led to Dauphine hands that marry well with the numerals. On the other hand, the contrast with the dial background may under certain light conditions be too low. That's why the discreet touch of luminescence is welcome.



In a context full of constraints, Pequignet has privileged the efficiency and has done it very well: the watch is very comfortable to wear (the honey-colored bracelet will be darker than the one shown in the photos), has character thanks to its size and its lugs and above all offers a movement of a level rarely seen in this price segment. All I want to Pequignet is that customers who love fine watchmaking are seduced by the Manuelle Royale because it deserves to meet with success. And as the brand works through the other collections of its catalog to ensure its sustainability and future, it would be a shame to not take such an opportunity to enjoy the Manuelle Royale in a very reasonable pricing range.


Pros:
+ an excellent watchmaking content for a price of 2.850 euros
+ the decent presentation of the movement despite the withdrawal of the automatic winding mechanism
+ the sunray silver background of the dial
+ some details with character like the lugs or the graduation of the second hand subdial

Cons:
- the legibility under certain light conditions
- the useless inscription above the sub-dial of the second hand


Fr.Xavier