5 French watch brands you’ve never heard of but should know
Zach BlassWatch media tends to focus on more established and well-known brands – typically from Switzerland, Japan, or Germany -but at Time+Tide, we do also love to discover new brands. In the inaugural episode of The Lineup, Marcus and I discover five neat and intriguing French watch brands we (and likely you) have never heard of. French watchmaking may not be in the spotlight as much, but these brands will hopefully turn your attention towards what it can offer.
Editor’s note: All of the watches are listed and overviewed below, but we’d really love for you to watch the video above to get the best sense of these five interesting French watches.
Akrone C-04 Goldeye
The name Akrone poetically refers to the god of time Chronos, but it is also a nod to the brand’s founders and their two surnames beginning with the letter K. An enthusiast-driven team, Jean-François Kerboul and Erwan Kerneur sought to keep the French watchmaking tradition alive, and have built a brand that even supplies elite French forces with watches. The C-04 that stood out to us is a handsome smart casual design. The 50-metre water-resistant stainless steel case, 38.5mm in diameter and 11mm thick, caught our eye with its strikingly coloured dial. There are 12 configurations to choose from, but our favourite was the Gold Eye, with a black lacquer central medallion framed by a brushed golden salmon outer perimeter. The domed crystal offers a sort of vintage feel, and its Milanese bracelet allows it to be infinitely sizeable. Oh, and with an automatic Miyota movement, it is just €429.
| Brand | Akrone |
| Model | C-04 Gold Eye |
| Case Dimensions | 38.5mm (D) x 11mm (T) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire front and flat sapphire caseback |
| Dial | Black lacquer and brushed gold |
| Strap | Steel mesh bracelet |
| Movement | Miyota 9039, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | €429 |
Awake Mission to Earth Time Travellers Purple
Next, the French brand Awake is clearly woke. Driven by a consciousness of the planet and sustainability, Awake prioritises cleaner and more sustainable materials in their watches. The result is compelling watches. The Mission to Earth Time Travellers Purple has a purple case comprised of 70% recycled titanium – so this case is much more robust then another Mission to the Earth watch you might be thinking of. The 100-metre water-resistant watch, 40mm in diameter and 11.89 mm thick, further explores nature with a handsome meteorite dial. With a modified automatic Miyota movement, they are able to keep the retail price down to just €1,325.
| Brand | Awake |
| Model | Mission to Earth Time Travellers Purple |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 11.89mm (T) |
| Case Material | Titanium, 70% recycled |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Meteorite |
| Dial | AR-coated sapphire, ID glass technology |
| Strap | Bioplastic |
| Movement | Miyota 9015, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | €1,325 (excluding VAT) |
Apose Or Rose & Champagne
The Apose brand has a bold claim to fame: that they produce watches that are really 100% made and assembled in France, and let me tell you – they do made in France justice. The cushion geometry of the Or Rose & Champagne may feel somewhat familiar, but its gold-plated, 100-metre water-resistant stainless steel case is finished handsomely with brushed and polished surfaces. The dial has a distinct layout and architecture as well, but what really blew us away about this watch, other than its 100% made in France claim, is its French automatic calibre made in collaboration with Pequignet, with 65 hours of power reserve and a Rolex-rivaling regulation of plus or minus two seconds per day. This configuration comes in at just under €3,000.
| Brand | Apose |
| Model | Or Rose & Champagne |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) |
| Case Material | 5N rose gold coated stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | AR-coated sapphire crystal |
| Dial | Matte with champagne coating |
| Strap | Longchamp black leather |
| Movement | Apose x Pequignet Horlogerie, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 65 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | €2,950 |
Ralf Tech The Beast Manufacture First Edition Black
Ralf Tech was founded in 1996 by professional diver Frank Huyghe, and in 2008, five years after entering the realm of watchmaking, decided to focus strictly on watches. Clearly, the brand understands the nature and needs of diving. This watch, named The Beast, is unsurprisingly large at 47.7mm in diameter, but its faceted and stealthy PVD-coated steel case is a whopping 3000 metres water-resistant – and they take depth ratings very seriously. Ralf Tech does not label their watches with theoretical depth values like most brands do, rather they indicate real performance. Ralf Tech explains that, with their watches, the “ISO 6425 Diving Watches” standard is not only respected, but exceeded through exhaustive specifications and an exclusive control process. As proof, they achieved a world record for autonomous diving on July 5, 2005 with an immersion of ten hours at 330 metres and 4000 metres reached by the latest model of the The Beast collection on July 1, 2022. Ralf Tech equips elite and special forces military personnel around the world, and their watches are no joke. This beast is 100% French manufactured and its Pequignet-designed calibre offers 77 hours of power reserve. If your wrist can tame the beast, it will set you back €7,000.
| Brand | Ralf Tech |
| Model | The Beast Manufacture First Edition Black |
| Case Dimensions | 47.7mm (D) x 13.21mm (T) |
| Case Material | PVD-coated stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 3000 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | AR-coated sappphire crystal |
| Dial | Matte black |
| Strap | Black canvas with leather lining, NATO-style, and black rubber |
| Movement | RTM001, developed by Pequignet, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 77 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Limited to 77 pieces |
| Price | €7,000 |
XRby x Rose Saneuil – Le Quetzal
For something bespoke or highly limited in production, XRby really stood out. Specialising in a variety of artistic watchmaking trades such as micro-painting, grand feu enamelling, and multi-material marquetry, this is your destination should you wish to not only commission a rare watch, but also a piece of art. This particular configuration is limited to just seven pieces, and is encased in a 41mm x 11.6mm sapphire case with a Schwarz-Etienne micro-rotor calibre that offers 86 hours of power reserve. Its dial, arguably the star of the show, was developed with French marquetry artisan Rose Saneuil. The dial art portrays a quetzal, the result of diverse materials such as wood, rye straw, animal parchment, lamb leather, mother-of-pearl and beetle elytra in order to get these inimitable shades. It consists of a total of 214 elements and 16 materials, fabricated by her highly trained hands. Pricing is available upon request.
| Brand | XRby |
| Model | Rose Saneuil The Quetzal |
| Case Dimensions | 41mm (D) x 11.6mm (T) |
| Case Material | Sapphire |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Multi-material marquetry |
| Strap | Alligator leather |
| Movement | Schwarz-Etienne ASE 200.00, micro-rotor |
| Power Reserve | 86 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes |
| Availability | Limited to 7 pieces |
| Price | POA |