The Morteau watch manufacturer is working on the development of a new in-house caliber, after presenting a limited edition equipped with its Calibre Royal in 2019: the Royale Saphir.
Pequignet returns to innovation. Two years after its takeover by four of its executives, the fleur-de-lis brand, the only French haute horlogerie manufacturer, is working on the design and development of a new in-house calibre. This movement, with three hands and date, should enable the Morteau-based company to position itself in the segment of affordable manufacture timepieces. It is to be launched “by 2021,” according to the company’s management.
However, there is no question of repeating the mistakes of the past: in 2006, the former head of the company, Didier Leibundgut, buoyed by the euphoria of a growing market, had dreamed of propelling Pequignet to the rank of manufacture by giving it the means to design its own calibre; the Calibre Royal was born in 2011but hastily launched. It proved to be unreliable, and the brand suffered a loss of confidence from its retail network. For this new caliber, therefore, “we will take the necessary time to guarantee its perfect reliability”, assures the Pequignet spokesman.
With this in place, the Jura-based company has returned to a path of reasonable growth. In 2019, it thus presented the Royal Saphir, equipped with the Royal Caliber, and whose large date with triple instantaneous jump is adorned with sapphire to reveal its discs in transparency. The Royal Saphir also hasa power reserve of 88 hours. This launch, which proves the ability of the new management team to innovate, has proven to be a wise move, as 48 of the 50 pieces of this limited edition have already found takers.
Labelled EPV – Entreprise du patrimoine vivant – since 2014, the Pequignet manufacture is back on track, and so much the better: it is the sole representative of the great Jura watchmaking tradition, which was French before becoming Swiss.
