Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue Watch Review
The newly unveiled Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue 39.5 mm brings a distinctly cool character to the brand’s flagship collection. Its softly frosted dial is intended to evoke thoughts of winter light bathing the Jura Mountains near the company’s Manufacture in Morteau. Despite housing several complications, the watch’s dial proves clear yet visually arresting. Nina Scally explores the composition of this new model, a watch that delivers mechanical sophistication and ease of use.
Pequignet – a French Manufacture
During the darkest months, the Jura mountains are often cloaked in a thick, crystalline blanket of snow. For centuries, this unforgiving yet beautiful environment has inspired many watchmakers working within the region. It is the isolation of these frost-bitten valleys that kept watchmakers indoors during harsh winters, toiling at their benches. Eventually, when the ground thawed and warmer weather arrived, some of the most complex mechanical timepieces emerged from the ateliers, seemingly bursting into bloom. Now, taking inspiration from its wintry surroundings, Pequignet has created a new model with an icy blue dial, complemented by a pearl grey nubuck leather strap.
In 2025, Pequignet released the inaugural Royale Paris 39.5 mm with a silver-toned, opaline dial (Escapement wrote about it at the time). Since then, the company has released additional dial variants in blue and green. While the Icy Blue’s dial topography remains the same as its forebears, the new colour imbues the watch with a fresh, cool persona that’s guaranteed to take your breath away.
Before examining the new timepiece, it is worth considering the foundations of the collection from which it derives. Founded in 1973 by Emile Pequignet, the eponymous Maison operates from Morteau, a city nestling in the mountains just a stone’s throw from the Swiss border. Today, the Maison exists as a bastion of French watchmaking, carrying forward a rich tradition through a modern, fully integrated approach. In 2008, the company significantly expanded its operations, opening a dedicated Haute Horlogerie laboratory. Within this facility, a talented team of watchmakers is responsible for designing, producing, assembling and regulating Pequignet’s in-house movements. In terms of the Royale Paris collection, it has always showcased the brand’s most ambitious horological creations. The designs within this family often embrace asymmetrical dial layouts and bevelled indices, endowing the brand’s products with a unique character.
Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue 39.5 mm – dial
What is immediately striking about the dial of the Royale Paris Icy Blue is the abundance of different textures and tones. Pequignet has moved past conventional flat finishes, opting for a refined combination of graining, sandblasting and engraving. These, along with the crystalline blue surface, capture the appearance of crisp frost on a winter’s day in the Jura mountains. Furthermore, even with a long inventory of indications, including the day-date, small seconds, power reserve and astronomical moon phase, the dial remains uncluttered and eminently legible.
Residing at 6 o’clock, the double moon phase display shows the prevailing lunar cycle for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The twin moons are diamond-polished, grasping the light and casting a refined, celestial shimmer across the icy blue expanse. The day and large date indications at 12 o’clock are positioned centrally, incorporating discs that jump instantly at midnight. Interestingly, the discs are arranged at the same height, augmenting readability. The polished steel hour and minute hands are lined with white SLN and emit a blue hue in dim light that wonderfully contrasts with the textured backdrop. A snailed small seconds dial sits adjacent to 4 o’clock, while the power reserve residing at 8 o’clock completes the inventory of functions.
Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue 39.5 mm – case
The complex display is housed within a stainless steel case, measuring 39.5 mm in diameter with a thickness of 11.5 mm. The case is enriched with alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces that play with the light, conferring a sense of sumptuousness. Of particular note are the lugs. They have faceted and polished edges that evince a jewel-like brilliance. The curvaceous lugs also imbue the watch with a seemly elegance, contributing to its distinctive profile.
A domed glassbox sapphire crystal sits above the richly detailed dial surface. It drinks in available light, flooding the dial’s textured epidermis. A corrector, integrated into the case band at 8:30, allows for easy adjustment of the moon phase, while preserving the case’s graceful, fluid lines. Complementing the glacial-themed dial, the watch is presented on an interchangeable pearl-grey nubuck leather strap fitted with a steel folding clasp.
Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue 39.5 mm – movement
Beneath the dial of the Royale Paris lies the Calibre Royal movement. Crafted in-house, the movement integrates all its horological complications onto a single plate, a far more sophisticated approach than simply using a base movement with a module on top. Developed entirely in Morteau, the movement is infused with a regional flavour. Indeed, Pequignet states that the Calibre Royal is ‘crafted exclusively with components sourced within an 80 km radius of the Manufacture’.
In common with its forebears, the watch is equipped with a variable-inertia balance and will run autonomously for 96 hours. Other highlights include an ingenious system where force from the mainspring is ‘distributed by a central barrel axis’. Moreover, the movement is ‘subject to 8 international patents’, standing testament to Pequignet’s remarkable in-house expertise. By crafting its own in-house movements, the brand enjoys complete creative freedom. This expression of French Haute Horlogerie is exquisitely finished. Indeed, perlage, Côtes de Genève and colimaçonnage are much in evidence, complementing the movement’s impressive array of technical features.
Closing thoughts
The Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue makes an unforgettable first impression, but it also reveals many subtle intricacies that only become apparent when inspected at close quarters. The watch stands as a testament to the brand’s unwavering quest for mechanical excellence and its remarkable capacity for invention, distinguishing it as special. The highly technical in-house movement, incorporating some locally sourced components, demonstrates that Haute Horlogerie continues to flourish in the Jura mountains, not just during the harshest of winters, but all year round. Of particular note, Pequignet’s ability to combine several indications on a single dial, proffering impressive functionality while remaining clean and intelligible, provides yet another compelling case for acquisition.
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Further reading
Technical specification
- Model: Pequignet Royale Paris Icy Blue
- Reference: 9100613
- Case: stainless steel, diameter 39.5 mm, water resistance 5 ATM (50 metres), sapphire crystal to front, exhibition caseback.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, day, large date, moon phase (Northern Hemisphere), moon phase (Southern Hemisphere), power-reserve indicator
- Movement: Calibre Royal, self-winding movement, frequency 21,600 vph (3 Hz), 39 jewels, power reserve 96 hours
- Strap – Pearl grey nubuck strap fitted with a steel folding clasp
- Price – €8,000 (RRP as of 9.3.2026)