For French watchmaker Pequignet, the Royale Saphir is signature of the brand’s haute horlogerie capabilities. It originally debuted in 2019 adorned in a bright blue hue with a design that highlights the three counters of the legendary triple jump date on the Calibre Royal. In its newest approach to the Royal Saphir, the brand is delving into more versatile designs, experimenting with bright white, sleek black, and all of the shades of gray in between. The result is a series of five watches that use a combination of shadows and lights in an elegant yet contemporary aesthetic.
On the exterior, all five watches are enclosed by a sleek round 42mm steel case. To create a subdued, yet elegant aesthetic, the Dawn White model is satin finished, while the Eclipse White, Shade Grey, and Black Parhelion are polished. For the Night Black option, Pequignet enhances the dark color palette with technical PVD coating on the case. On the reverse, the caseback is made from sapphire and secured by 6 screws to display the movement within. Wearing 12.3mm high on the wrist, the case also offers a water resistance of 50 meters.
The dial has a function-packed layout and utilizes subtle contrasts and transparencies to create a layout that is both dynamic and legible. The aperture displaying the day and date are located directly underneath the 12 o’clock position, though the discs that spin to indicate each value are visible under the semi-transparent dial to the left and right of the window. Similarly, the moonphase aperture at 6 o’clock uses its left hand side to display the phase, while the other half is covered by the semi-transparent dial. Each five models uses different shades of white, gray, and black to create contrast and differentiation, namely amongst the sub-dials and main dial color.
Powering the Royal Saphir is the manufacture caliber Royal. Visible through the exhibition caseback are a sunray finished and rhodium oscillating weight, as well as a large balance with compensating screws. The movement offers a power reserve of 88 hours and the status of the reserve is indicated via an aperture between 8 and 9 o’clock on the dial.
Pricing for the Pequignet Royal Sapphire is available in five options: Dawn White ref. 9010813, Eclipse White ref. 9010823, Shade Grey ref. 9010833, Black Parhelion ref. 9010853 and Night Black ref. 9010854. Each model is presented on a leather strap and retails for €10 800 (approximately $12,000).
To learn more, visit Pequignet here.
Somebody might not believe it, but I still use my watches for checking the time. These watches would be useless for me.