Voltaire’s Volteface
Named “Manufacture Royale” in honour of Voltaire, that independent spirit of the Age of Enlightenment who made a considerable contribution to the development of watchmaking, the brand created in 2010 by Arnaud Faivre continues to cultivate its difference. Its latest creation features two faces that can literally perform a volte-face thanks to an original turning system. The case can be raised so as to pivot around on an axis from which it is suspended at 12 o’clock. The design evokes the spirit of the pocket-watch, not only in its design but also in its use of solid silver, that noble material of which so many timepieces were once made.
The Manufacture Royale style can be seen in its circle inscribed within a square and its deliberately technical aesthetic. In this model, the 40mm round case rests on a square plate with cut corners and circular-grained decoration. The silver surfaces are protected by a palladium treatment that eliminates any risk of oxidation. The screws, with their strong presence on one side of the case and on the attachments, are made of steel.
Faithful to an established principle at Manufacture Royale that each new timepiece should follow the line of previous models while exploring a new direction, Volteface 180° shows a contrast between one face, which offers a full view of the movement as the Opera and Androgyne models, and the other, which is innovative because it is the very first that the brand has equipped with a dial. With its cut-away circles and semi-circles and a large aperture above the tourbillion, the grey dial features a sunray satin finish and hand-polished angles. These innovative features are complemented by a bezel that is itself ground-breaking as it is entirely unencumbered by screws.
The Volteface 180° watch houses the new MR03 Manufacture calibre, which beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour and has around four days of power reserve. This manually-wound movement, regulated by the house tourbillion with its escape wheel and anchor made of silicon, is equipped with a special module that gives a synchronised display of the hours and minutes on both faces. The skeletonised face allows us to appreciate fully the refined Haute Horlogerie finishings such as the Côtes de Genève on the plate, the fine sanding on the bridges and the polished finish of the angles.
Technical specifications
Movement
Dimensions: Diameter: 30.9mm/thickness: 9.42 mm
Number of components: 216
Number of jewels: 19
Power reserve: ~ 96 hours
Frequency: 3Hz, 21 600 vibrations per hour
Plate: Brass with Côtes de Genève finish, polished angles
Bridges: Brass with a fine sanded finish, polished angles. Entirely hand-finished
Tourbillon: Escape wheel and anchor in silicon. One rotation per minute
Balance spring: Flat
Balance: With screws
Functions: Hours, minutes on both sides
Case: solid silver and screws in stainless steel
Diameter: 40 mm
Thickness: 13.72 mm
Case-back: Transparent with sapphire crystal
Number of components: 45
Crown: Stainless steel
Manufacture Royale logo, sanded bottom, hand-polished surface
Water-resistance: 30 metres
Dial: Grey openwork dial, sunray satin finish, hand-polished bevelling
Strap: Alligator, hand-stitched
Buckle: Ardillon, stainless steel, hand-polished
