An external designer takes on the challenge of redefining the French manufacture: the new Péquigné "Royal Paris"

Péquigné's flagship line, the Royal Paris, is undergoing a major redesign in 2025, attracting attention. The new look is extremely sophisticated while retaining its individuality. Adrien Buschmann, the designer behind the redesign, visited Japan to coincide with the new model's arrival in Japan. In this article, we interviewed Buschmann about the thoughts behind the revamped Royal Paris and the background to the design.

Adrian Buschmann, who revamped Pequignet's design

　Founded in Morteau, northeastern France, in 1973, Péquigné is known as one of France's leading manufacture brands. One of its flagship lines is the Royal Paris, which is equipped with the in-house developed movement, the Calibre Royal.

　Since its debut in 2011, this model has been positioned as the embodiment of the company's technical capabilities and aesthetic sense. Now, in 25, the Royal Paris has undergone a major renewal. While the movement of the new Royal Paris 39.5 MM model remains the same as before, its new design, which emphasizes architectural elements, geometric beauty, and visual three-dimensionality, sets it apart from previous models.

　The man behind this renewal is Adrien Buchmann, a watch designer from Le Locle, Switzerland, who currently heads his own watch design studio, FUJION.

　We recently interviewed Adrian Buschmann, who was visiting Japan for the Mitsukoshi World Watch Fair, which will be held at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store from July 30th to August 26th, 2025. We spoke to him about the background to this renewal and the philosophy behind the design.

Adrien Buschmann talks about the relaunch of "Royal Paris"

-Please tell us about your career in the watch industry.

　I'm originally from Le Locle, a World Heritage city known as an important base for the Swiss watch industry. I've been fascinated with watches since I was 15, and have been involved in watchmaking with the passion of a watch enthusiast. After receiving specialized training in watch design and manufacturing, I worked for around 10 years as an independent studio with many famous brands. For example, I was in charge of bringing projects for renowned brands such as Greubel Forsey from the planning stage to the finished product.

　He then started his own company called "FUJION," which currently has six employees and works on watch designs in collaboration with brands in countries such as France, Germany, and the UK.

　We provide consistent consulting services, from proposing a product concept to examining whether it is technically feasible to manufacture and designing the movement. We not only design the overall image of the product, but also take care of the technical backing. We leave the parts that require specialized mathematical knowledge to experts, but we are responsible for the overall concept, exterior, movement ideas, and design aspects. We leave the precise calculations and design of the details to specialists, but we are responsible for the overall direction and design philosophy.

--Please tell us about your work with Péquigné.

　When we started working with watches, Péquignet was still a relatively unknown brand. But we found that intriguing. Even lesser-known brands have interesting stories and appeal. Our style is to bring out the individuality of such brands, establish a clear identity, and introduce them to the market.

　There are approximately 300 watch brands in Switzerland, but their stories are often similar. Péquigne is a valuable French manufacture brand with unique potential. It has a rich history and is a very interesting brand with challenging technology. I feel that there is a lot of potential for it to develop in the future.

　Le Locle, where I was born, and Morteau, where Péquigné is based, are geographically very close. They are about a 15-minute drive apart, and both are part of the Jura region. Although there is a border between them, given the historical development of the watch industry, there are deep cultural and technological ties, and I feel a strong sense of familiarity between the two places.

　This collaboration came about when I was approached by Patrick Zingg, managing director of Pequignet. Patrick called me in because Pequignet had been going in too many different directions and needed to be brought together.

　The starting point he chose was the renewal of the Royal Paris, which debuted in 011. When I saw it, I felt that the design, which emphasized roundness, gave it a slightly heavy impression, so I came up with a new design to eliminate that.

What was important in the redesign of the Royal Paris 39.5 mm?

--Please tell us about the latest model, the Royal Paris 39.5 MM.

　The newly announced "Royal Paris 39.5 MM" is the result of analyzing the brand's current position and reconstructing the design accordingly. We are aiming to dispel the confusion that has existed up until now and to create a more sophisticated impression. Personally, I felt that it had to be created with a delicate, French luxury feel.

　What I want to emphasize is, "What is French luxury?" It is not flashy or showy, but rather chic, refined, and well-formed. I value a delicate and smart impression.

　To create a visual impact, we focused on creating a structure with concave and convex shapes. For example, we designed the distinctive twisted lugs, the indentations on the case side, and the indentations on the dial. We also used a carving technique called "gouges" for these. We aimed for a unified design by maintaining the same concept from the case side to the seconds frame.

　The case also incorporates architectural elements such as curves reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, with the intention of highlighting "savoir-faire," or French craftsmanship. Additionally, the case features depth that utilizes the shadows created by the reflection of light, and a satin finish. While Royale-type cases have traditionally been fully polished, the excessive shine can obscure the shape, so the finish is contrasted to create a clearer outline.

　The dial features bar indexes that cross the gouge grooves, emphasizing the three-dimensional effect. The new moon phase is constructed by printing two copies of the same design, each reversed. What we wanted to portray was the "accurate full moon as seen from the Southern Hemisphere, near the equator." Image data of the full moon was obtained from NASA.

　The small seconds dial has a smooth, cone-shaped design with a different layer from the main dial. By using separate parts rather than molding them as a single piece, a more complex design is possible. The idea of ​​combining separate parts is the same as the relationship between the lugs attached after the fact, a characteristic of Péquigne. This dramatically increases the degree of freedom in the structure. However, the increase in the number of parts must be balanced with the difficulty of manufacturing.

　We also paid close attention to the case finish. Conventional full polished cases tend to blur the shape and give the impression that everything is "shiny." This time, we have skillfully combined different finishes, such as polished and hairline, satin and matte, to achieve both clearer contours and a luxurious feel.

　The case size is 39.5mm in diameter, optimizing the balance and aesthetics of the movement. In fact, there were voices right up until the very end saying that a 40mm diameter would be best. However, I was adamant about this, and in the end we settled on a 39.5mm diameter. In fact, I think it would be technically possible to reduce the diameter to 39mm. However, doing so would have adversely affected the balance with the movement. Therefore, I decided that a 39.5mm diameter was the best size.

　Additionally, the "Fleur-de-lis" (a lily logo design), which was previously the brand's icon, has been omitted from the dial, giving the watch a very simple and clean impression. Personally, I think this was a good decision. We had detailed discussions with the Péquigné team in Paris and Morteau-Genève, and we kept checking the design repeatedly to make sure the concept was correct.

--Please tell us about your future plans.

　With this renewal as a starting point, we plan to develop further derivative models with the "Royal Paris" at the core. For example, we believe there is still room to incorporate an haute couture feel and a sense of playfulness.

　What is important to us is to respect the sensibility while firmly inheriting the brand's past. We believe that the key to rebuilding a brand is to strike a balance between respecting past designs and evolving into the future. For example, we won't suddenly make major changes to the shape of the hands.

　We want to avoid the situation where customers who have previously purchased a model are confused when they see the new model and think, "This seems like a completely different brand." That's why we try to leave some commonality with existing models. We value continuity so that customers can feel, "This is similar to that model."

　At the same time, I have also made sure to incorporate evolution and innovation so that people will say, "But this gives off a much more modern and sophisticated impression than before." This balance is exactly my design approach. I see watchmaking as an expression of the haute couture spirit. In other words, it is about pursuing the art of "dressing up time" while standing at the intersection of technology and sensibility. I believe that this attitude will continue to be relevant to Péquigné in the future.