Seconde Française, a tribute to the French art of living
It's been almost 8 years that Beaubleu has been spreading its good mood, French spirit and vision of time passing through watches with round hands imbued with poetry. Everyone experiences time, the hours and minutes that tick by in their own way, in their own way. We all experience it differently, depending on where we are, the season and our mood.
After the launch of its permanent Ecce collection, Beaubleu presents the Seconde Française, a series of six limited edition models (888 pieces each) which celebrate the French art of living. Casual, romantic, impertinent, light and serious, poetic, artistic, classic and modern at the same time... it is this very singular French touch that has driven the Maison since its beginnings.
“Seconde Française”, name: unit of time specific to the French lifestyle. Light, mysterious and approximate, it illustrates a certain taste of the Moment, a bit casual.
With the Seconde Française, Beaubleu gives life to two references with very different dial styles, the 19.24 and the 20.24. Two series of numbers recalling dates that take us from one century to another, with a simple flick of the wrist. Both come together through a very particular novelty: the flying second hand. A second hand – round, obviously – which moves as if by magic in weightlessness and seems to float above the dial of each of the models in the collection.
What would a Beaubleu watch have looked like a hundred years ago, in 1924? The answer can be found in reference 19.24. Designed as if it had seen the light of day in the last century, this model imbued with a sweet scent of nostalgia combines nods to the imaginary past of the Maison. Within a 39 mm diameter case with alternating polished and brushed surfaces, the dial is adorned with a fine railway scale and Indo-Arabic style numerals. Alongside the flying second hand which takes center stage, the round hour and minute hands are reminiscent of the leaf hands found on the most traditional watches. To perfect the classic, round aesthetic that emerges throughout this reference 19.24, the crown is hidden under the case, at three o'clock. This sweet version of yesteryear is available in four dial colors, midnight blue, ivory white, anthracite gray or imperial green.
Within the same 39 mm diameter case, the reference 20.24 is the contemporary alter ego of its predecessor. It impresses with its monochrome colors and its decidedly more modern design. In pearl gray or salmon, its satin dial has been designed like a negative embossed like a thin sheet of paper. There are no numbers here, the aesthetic is intended to be minimalist: the railway timer appears in relief and is sufficient in itself. The circular hands are coated with Super-Luminova to accompany night owls in their later tribulations. Again and again, the flying seconds hand is there, it has not disappeared in a century, and moves in a mysterious way at the end of the dial.
The flying seconds is not the only major novelty included in the Seconde Française collection. Not without a touch of pride, Beaubleu carries the tricolor standard even higher and equips its two references 19.24 and 20.24 with a French automatic movement made by the France Ebauches manufacture and offering 46 hours of power reserve. As on all of the Maison's watches, the workings of the caliber are visible through the open case back, notably the balance bridge as well as the openwork oscillating weight bearing the Maison's signature.
This Seconde Française links us even more to our local roots and our French art of living. We see ourselves wearing it, savoring the present moment, as always...