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Though often overshadowed by their counterparts to the west in Switzerland, French watchmaking has a rich and fascinating history. Step back in time to the late 1770s, and you might find Jean-Antoine Lépine, Ferdinand Berthoud, and Abraham-Louis Breguet swapping watchmaking tales on the cobbled streets of the Île de la Cité in Paris. This period marked the birth of a golden era in French watchmaking, with Breguet leading the charge, weathering the storm of the French Revolution and flourishing throughout Napoleon’s reign. During the next century, brands like Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre would emerge, utilizing a distinctly French style and design sensibility, yet relying on the burgeoning French watch industry to produce their timepieces. In recent years, we’ve witnessed a rebirth of French watchmaking and Charlie Paris is proud to be counted among the brands focused on returning French watchmaking to its lofty heights. In its new Alliance collection, Charlie Paris is launching two models, the Alliance Moon Phase and the Alliance 68H, both available in textured white and blue dials.
Charlie Paris has been in operation for less than a decade, yet the brand has matured dramatically during that time. Beginning as a dream of two friends and watch enthusiasts, Charlie Paris has grown into a 15-person operation, with all watches being assembled by hand in France by a team of experienced watchmakers. The brand is keen to ensure that French watchmaking remains accessible and, as such, offers both quartz and mechanical timepieces at price points that eliminate the barrier to entry seen so often in the industry. Whichever watch you choose in the brand’s lineup, each is thoughtfully designed with class and restraint. Epitomizing this approach is the new Alliance collection.
The watches in the Alliance collection are positioned as the brand’s high-end (though still accessible) offering, with all the commensurate details, fit, and finishing. Offered in both blue and white, the Alliance collection has a timeless elegance. These are watches that are meant to look and feel sophisticated and classy yet versatile enough to be enjoyed anytime.
The Alliance 68H is the brand’s take on an everyday watch. Housed in a 39.5mm stainless steel case, the watch measures in at 46.5mm lug-to-lug with a beautifully thin 8mm case height. The case design and finishing is sumptuous, with an elegant mix of brushed and polished surfaces, sharp chamfers, and small details, like vertical brushing on the midcase, that provide plenty of visual interest. A custom-cut double-domed sapphire crystal sits atop the case and adds some mid-century style cues.
Whether you choose the white or the blue dial, each is sandblasted, providing a unique texture. The faceted and applied indices stretch into cutouts within the chapter ring and are filled with Super-LumiNova BL grade A at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, while a framed date window sits at 6 o’clock. The luminous hands are an aesthetic match to the markers, resulting in a clean and coherent design. Charlie Paris keeps things clean and simple on the dial, with its name and flying stork logo at 12 o’clock and only the text “Automatique” above the 6 o’clock date window.
Visible beneath the sapphire display caseback is the Swiss G100 automatic caliber from La Joux-Perret. Beating at 28.8kbph, this movement features 68 hours of power reserve, providing plenty of life if you’re the type to leave your watch on the nightstand on the weekends. The movement is finished with blued screws, Côtes de Genève decoration, a palladium finish, and a rotor that is openworked and engraved in France. Though the tolerance is 0/+14 seconds/day, each watch is regulated by the Humbert-Droz watchmakers in Besançon to ensure accurate timekeeping.
The Alliance Moon Phase comes housed in the same wrist-pleasing 39.5mm diameter, 46.5mm lug-to-lug case as the 68H and sacrifices only a single mm of height with the addition of the moonphase complication, ultimately measuring in at a slim 9mm.
The Moon Phase is a clear design sibling to the 68H, with the same faceted hands and indices and rich dial colors. Charlie Paris positions the moonphase complication at 9 o’clock, with luminous moons and stars in the aperture, an element that’s both playful and captivating. The perpetual moon phase is accurate for 122 years and 51 days. The running seconds is positioned above 6 o’clock, while the date window is positioned at 3 o’clock. In a nice touch, Charlie Paris mirrors the style of the other registers, using a circular date window and framing.
Powering the Alliance Moon Phase is the C105 caliber from Soprod. This Swiss-made movement features 33 jewels, beats at 28.8kbph, and has a power reserve of 42 hours. The movement features Côtes de Genève decoration, blued screws, snail decorations, and a rhodium finish. Like the 68H, the movement is regulated in France with a tolerance of 0/+14 seconds/day. Once gain, the movement is visible through a sapphire caseback.
Both alliance models come mounted on your choice of either a brown or blue mick leather strap or brown ostrich strap. With a 20mm strap width, customizing the watch to your taste with any strap you choose is an easy affair. All leathers used by Charlie Paris are produced by certified environmentally friendly tanneries. In line with its commitment to sustainability, all Charlie Paris watches come shipped in eco-friendly recycled cardboard packaging by an ISO14001-certified partner.
The new Alliance models are available now, with reduced pre-order prices of €1,345 € for the 68H and €1,895 for the Moon Phase, and delivery is slated for July 2023. Though the models themselves are not limited, production will be, with only 100 pieces of each slated for production in 2023. To learn more about Charlie Paris and place your order for an Alliance, please visit the brand’s website.
