Independents

Met up with my grey market dealer buddy this morning and he showed me an unusual and interesting watch.



















Dripping with diamonds

Not my type of watch at all but you really can't fail to appreciate all the work that has gone into making it.

Why?

Marc

That’s some “high” horology right there.

This is the Manufacture Royale Opera designed by Charles Grosbety in 2010. I recall him saying that he designed it based on the Sydney Opera House. This watch was not only large at 50mm but it was also pretty pricey so I recall opting for a stainless steel Androgyne instead, the other model in their range. Manufacture Royale at that time was owned by Arnaud Faivre, a young dynamic and passionate chap who also owned Tec Ebauches, a movement manufacturer in Switzerland. I recall visiting his factory on a day trip from the UK and Arnaud had to race me to the train station so that I could catch the train to the airport in his Panamera Turbo. I must confess that the drive was more exciting for me than the factory visit!

Thanks for the back story.
Certainly not a watch for everyone. Just in terms of size alone, would only fit a small group I would think.
The sound is not very loud in my view although I have limited experience with repeaters but I believe the Corum minute repeater is louder and clearer.

Crazy watch 🤪. Definitely only going to appeal to a small group of enthusiasts based on size, price, and design, but it also needs to be evaluated in part by when it was made imo. This was still in the time when lots of people were making big over the top watches, so it seems that much more over the top now. Back then still nuts but not quite as much. Has anyone heard it? Does the fold out design actually amplify the sound and make it sound better?

I guess it falls into the....just because you can, doesn't mean you should. 

and had one more thought. Look at the screws on the bezel, there is no alignment at all in relation to how they are placed. I think AP gets a lot of love for this and it’s a little different because there are only a few ways those screw heads can fit in the hex sinks, but still, if you’re going to have an expensive super watch you might want to pay attention to those details.

Its more like a art piece on the wrist . I do like it tbh