Our selection of dress watches (2/3)

After Lip, Orient Star and Hamilton in the first part of my subject on dress watches, here is a new selection with three new brands: Michel Herbelin, Longines and Pequignet.

Michel Herbelin Inspiration 1947

Michel Herbelin may not be the first name to appear on Watch Forum (FAM) but this French brand offers certain models that I find pleasant to the eye and to wear. The one that caught my attention is a manual winding model, the first in this selection.

Once again, I prefer to change the original strap which is in alligator-style leather for a gray strap in real alligator which seems perfect for this watch.

This model benefits from a well-designed box, with contained proportions, I immediately find it elegant to wear. In the case of this watch, the length of the lugs is also very contained, which allows it to be easily integrated without overthinking the diameter of the watch on paper.

The blue dial is not sunburst as one might think based on the photos seen on online stores, it has a very sober solid color. If with a brand like Junghans, the glass is plexiglass, here it is a sapphire. Its appearance is slightly rounded which contributes to the elegance of the whole.

We can also see the particular shape of the case, with approximately 10 mm thickness, the watch is rather thin and I therefore advise choosing an equally thin bracelet in order to maintain overall consistency.

If there is a reservation that I can make, it is mainly at the level of the crown which is set with a cabochon (a synthetic stone). Presumably, the objective is to bring a dose of originality but I find it dispensable for my part.

The size of the crown is larger than usual, which doesn't really shock me because it may be a nod to crowns from an older era. There is also a practical side because, with manual winding, you will have to use – this seems obvious – the crown of the watch regularly.

The watch has the small seconds at six o'clock in order to make a small reference to period watches.

The presence of the small seconds hand is a real plus for me because it was the most common complication until the end of the 1950s. Nowadays, it is the central seconds hand. which largely predominates. This little reminder of the past is obviously in accordance with the reference of the watch, Inspiration 1947. I would allow myself one remark for this model: the small seconds is a bit too close to the hour and minute hands.

Change of decor and bracelet. If I obviously recommend the leather bracelet for dressy occasions, you are also free to adopt another bracelet such as this gray Nato with this pattern which is off the beaten track.

The indexes are long and allow the dial to be “filled” to avoid giving it the impression of emptiness. The presence of the date is a concession to modernity, the fact that the date window is not the same color allows it to be visible on the dial. Maybe some will prefer the date window to be the same shade as the dial but I think you shouldn't be too obtuse about it.

And here is the movement which is a hand-wound Sellita, itself a “copy” of the ETA 2804-2. We notice the decoration which is in good taste, the blued screws of which bring a little touch of color to the caliber.

Michel Herbelin is a French brand that only uses Swiss movements for its watches. Also, the movement of this model is an SW216-1 which is the Sellita equivalent of the ETA 2804-2.

Generally, I am less convinced by the majority of Sellita movements, like the vast majority of SW200 (clone of the 2824-2) for example. But, for once, I find it well finished and the decorations are in good taste. The visible back which I do not find necessary on almost all watches is rather a little extra here due to the finishing and decorations of the movement.

The strap supplied with the watch being a simple alligator-style calfskin and available in brown, I recommend exchanging it for a real alligator strap. And for my part I find it harmonious to combine it with a gray bracelet without contrasting stitching in a dressy context. The black strap would not have been the most appropriate for a watch with a blue dial.

To give you an idea of ​​the Nato bracelet that I chose to wear. I allow myself to deliberately play with the patterns of the bracelet and the shirt.

Where to find it?

Available on the Ocarat online store .

Longines Conquest Heritage

The Longines Heritage collection remains for me undoubtedly the most interesting of the brand on an aesthetic level. It must be remembered that the Longines brand was for decades the direct competitor of Omega, before integrating what would subsequently become the Swatch Group. Vintage models have literally taken off as second-hand sellers and it's no wonder: they are among the most beautiful watches from the golden age of watchmaking.

A great Longines classic, revisited to include the date at 12 o'clock and a more contemporary diameter

It's a personal opinion, but the old Longines Conquest is one of the prettiest watches of this golden age: the embodiment of classic style – in the best sense of the word – and perfectly mastered elegance. Longines relies in part on its Heritage collection which allows you to rediscover these watches from the past revisited through reinterpretations which take up a large part of the design of its old models.

In daylight, we can obviously have fun enjoying the reflections of the sky on the watch. Small confession: the hardest watches to take photos of are those with a black dial.

The selected Conquest Heritage makes it possible to make the link between two eras: our modernity, which often requires the presence of a date window on the dial as well as a slightly larger diameter associated with a reminder of the design of the end of the years 50s and early 60s. I chose the model with the black dial, which enthusiasts call “gilt” . Vintage “gilt” models are generally the most expensive because the black dials are among those which are least preserved due to exposure to the sun after several decades of wear or because of infiltrating humidity. due to wear of the seals.

The black dial, the indexes and the golden hands so specific to the Conquest, a classic design... Longines offer models which still retain great appeal today.

The case is 40 mm compared to the 35 mm of the original one. Personally, the 35-42 mm suits me perfectly but, for some, the 35 mm can prove to be a little limited in favor of more “trendy” diameters like the 38-40 mm. It should be noted that the model also exists with the original 35 mm.

It is not chosen directly because other models are offered in this price range in the selection, but it represents a serious option for those who are absolutely looking for a smaller diameter. On the mechanical side, the watch is equipped with the well-known 2824-2 which no longer needs to be presented in terms of reliability.

Where to find it?

Available on the Maier online store but also from many watch distributors.

Pequignet Manufacture Manuelle Royale

France, the true land of high-end watchmaking, there are practically no longer any manufactures capable of producing watches truly made in France.

A big exception: Pequignet Manufacture.

A French watch with the latest high-end movement produced in France and more precisely in the heart of French watchmaking lands: Franche-Comté.

Pequignet Manufacture is the top of the range of the Pequignet brand, a brand which was founded in 1973 by Emile Pequignet and which, against all odds, managed to persist through the most eventful period in watchmaking – the quartz crisis obliges – during that other French brands were bought like Breguet, Cartier or Leroy by Swiss groups or went through difficult periods before gradually recovering like Lip. In the 2000s, after the founder handed over the reins, the brand wanted to develop and create a new high-end manufacturing caliber, the first in France in years: the Caliber Royal .

For an independent brand that does not benefit from the financial support of Rolex, the Swatch Group, LVMH or Compagnie Financière Richemont, it was ambitious, even too ambitious. The Caliber Royal was very expensive to design, make reliable and produce. The Pequignet company had to be recapitalized twice.

Its liquidation in 2017 was a shock for people like me who care about watchmaking and more particularly the past – almost completely liquidated – of French watchmaking when it was at the forefront with Switzerland for centuries .

On Watch Forum, we have been a few to hope that this company will be taken over and not dismembered: a certain group would have liked to buy the patents for the Royal Caliber not to use it later but more to “bury” it in the archives , others would have wanted to buy back the stocks of watches from the main range in order to then sell them through online sales… but ultimately four employees were chosen by the court to take over the case.

On its original strap, supplied by a French saddler, the Pequignet appears much more relaxed. And yet, the Pequignet adventure has not been easy in recent years. It should be remembered that this model was born after the takeover of the brand by four of its employees in order to relaunch the high end of the brand and allow the company to continue to exist.

The Caliber Royal is a high-end caliber which stands out for its elegance and the use of technology which is practically no longer used in watchmaking. : the large barrel. There are several possibilities for increasing the power reserve of a watch. In the high-end and luxury sectors, for example, brands use several small barrels instead of one.

The large barrel occupies a much larger space in comparison, but it allows the Caliber Royal to display 88 hours of isochronism power reserve on automatic models and an isochronism of 100 hours for the manual model. In other words, once fully wound, the Pequignet Manuelle Royale will take a little over four days before needing to be wound by the crown.

The Caliber Royal, in its manual version. A pleasure for the eyes, a movement expensive to produce for the brand and the last survivor of high-end movements produced in France.

Manually winding a watch, when it is a good movement, is a pleasure for those who appreciate beautiful mechanics. With a little experience, you can “feel” through the crown when winding it whether the movement is of quality or not. An “old tractor” like the ETA 2824-2 will never be as pleasant to wind as a movement like the Caliber Royal, it is obviously incomparable but I recommend that you try it to understand the difference.

This caliber is very expensive to produce , much more than most brands present in the high end, with the exception of luxury/Haute Horlogerie, which considerably limits Pequignet's margin on their models equipped with the Royal Caliber... and for the Suddenly, once is really not customary in watches, you really get what you pay for.

The watch itself has a silver sunray dial that I find refined and includes a small seconds at 6 o'clock, which is different from other Pequignet Manufactures which traditionally feature an off-center small seconds in addition to the power reserve. Arabic numerals and railway rails are present around the edge of the dial. The mention Made in France is present and fully justified. The case is that of the Rue Royale model, and I like the shape of the lugs which I find very suited to the style of the watch .

The watch has a diameter of 42 mm, which, in my personal case, suits me but this may not be the case for smaller wrists.

The watch has a visible back and this is justified because it reveals a beautiful movement worthy of interest. And moreover we will notice the absence of the oscillating mass. The finishes are not left out with Cote de Genève perlage.

We never tire of this manufacturing movement. It is very difficult or even impossible to benefit from such an interesting and elegant movement at this price level. The watch can legitimately show its caliber through a visible caseback, which this time is completely justified.

The Pequignet Manufacture bracelets are of quality, supplied by a French saddler, which is consistent with the Made in France offered by the brand for the Manufacture collection. For my part, my preference is for a black alligator model from the brand, more interesting in a dressy context, than the gold leather provided, the latter obviously being more suitable in a casual context.

On a black alligator strap, the watch is suitable for a formal context, with added French charm and a perfectly correct price for its segment as the icing on the cake.

At 2850 euros, the Pequignet Manuelle Royale constitutes an excellent entry point to beautiful mechanics . A level of finish and a manufacturing movement at this price is absolutely not the rule in this segment. Many more famous brands offer at best ETA or even Sellita in this range and even some brands sell it for 5000 or even 6000 euros. And all this makes this Pequignet Manuelle Royale one of the best options available in the current watchmaking offering.

Where to find it?

Available on the Pequignet online store or also visible and available at Antoine de Macedo boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris for example.