Introducing The Olivier Jonquet Elie, A Limited Edition Of 50 Pieces, Manufactured Completely In France

March 24, 2014

The Olivier Jonquet Elie is limited to 50 pieces in stainless steel. For Frenchman Olivier Jonquet, it first seemed like a far-fetched dream to create a well-made watch made entirely in France. However, after years of research and development, Jonquet was able to piece together disparate craftsmen, manufacturers, and vintage French-made movements to do just that. The result is the Elie: a simple, well-proportioned wristwatch with vintage styling, fully manufactured in France, in a limited edition of just 50, priced under $3,000.The movement is nothing newCin the truest sense possible. All 50 limited edition Elie watches use a France Ebauches calibre 233/69 movement from a stockpile of 70 new-old-stock Jonquet discovered early on. The French-made movements have been fully serviced (unsettled, cleaned, oiled, and adjusted) in Haut-Doubs, a French town on the border near Neuchatel. The remaining 20 movements are dedicated to after-sales serviceCa good demonstration of forward thinking to support the 2-year warranty offered with each watch. Jonquet sourced the FE 233/69 movement from a stockpile of 70 discovered during his research. The Elie is inspired by cushion-shaped watches of the early 1900s. Period detailing extends to the dial, crafted of bright white enamel with a full set of applied Arabic numerals, and blued steel Breguet-style hands. A small seconds dial sits at 6 oclock with numerals at each 10-second interval and a blued center hand. A white enamel dial offsets stylized Arabic numerals and blued style Breguet-style hands. If you look carefully at the dial, youll notice another important design detail: the lack of a logo. Instead, the Olivier Jonquet brand is engraved on the solid case back, along with the edition number (which doubles as a serial number). The choice to leave the dial of the watch completely unbranded lets the design speak for itselfCa noble choice indeed, particularly for a new brand. The brand name is engraved on the solid case back, leaving the dial unadorned to focus on overall design. Each of the 50 cushion-case models are machined by hand, and are able to be customized in either a polished or satin finish. The case measures 38 x 38 x 9mm, which are well-balanced proportions for a case of this style. A leather strap attaches to the simple, vintage-styled wire loops extending from the case.The Elie is launching via a crowdfunding campaign with just 8 of the 50 editions currently spoken for at a price of 1,850 Euros. For more information, visit Olivier Jonquet online.