Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. A New Era for a Historic Name as L.Leroy Returns with the Osmior Bal du Temps
The return of a 240-year-old name intends to shape its future with the same authority it once held in the past.
Founded in Paris in 1785 by Charles Leroy, L.Leroy was once one of France’s illustrious watchmaking houses, known for its marine chronometers, high complications and commissions for European royalty. After years of dormancy, the brand, acquired in 2004 by Miguel Rodríguez of the Festina Group, is staging a comeback. Following its first step with a unique Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon presented and then withdrawn from the Only Watch Auction of 2023, L.Leroy now unveils its first production series of the modern era: the Osmior Bal du Temps, unveiled at Geneva Watch Days 2025. It marks the brand´s strategic return to haute horlogerie with a focus on limited-series, high-complication watches rooted in the past Osmior collection.
Classic in aesthetics, ambitious in mechanics, and crafted in precious or modern materials, the Osmior Bal du Temps shows that this 240-year-old name intends to shape the future with the same authority it once held in the past.
The case of the Bal du Temps follows the classic Osmior tambour (barrel) profile, with a domed bezel, a recessed middle case and flared lugs. Measuring 43mm in diameter and 13.8mm thick (11.8mm without the crystal), it is offered in 18k 5N red gold, platinum, or grade 5 titanium. Surfaces alternate between mirror-polish and satin finishes, while the engraved double-L crown sits on a sandblasted base with notches for better grip. The repeater slide is integrated at 9 o’clock. The caseback is secured with six screws and detailed with polished relief engravings against frosted segments, framing a sapphire display window. The watch is water-resistant to 30m.
The Osmior Bal du Temps dial is fully openworked to reveal the mechanics of the minute repeater and flying tourbillon. In a nod to L.Leroy’s historic tact watches, the Bal du Temps displays time with a single central hour hand, while minutes are read acoustically via the repeater. The flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock rotates once per minute beneath a polished titanium bridge shaped into the Leroy LL monogram. Around the perimeter sits a minutes ring and a step closer to the centre a sunray-finished hour ring with Arabic numerals, colour-coded per case: anthracite with gold numerals and hand (red gold case), blue with white numerals and rhodium hand (platinum), and rhodium silver with black numerals and blue hand (titanium).
The L.Leroy Osmior Bal du Temps series is powered by the hand-wound calibre L601SQ, developed in Geneva exclusively for L.Leroy (no word yet regarding the origin). Composed of 321 components, it beats at 21,600vibrations/hour and offers an impressive 90-hour power reserve from a single barrel. The movement drives a minute repeater on two circular gongs, with polished hammers visible through the back, striking the hours, quarters and minutes with distinct tones. The finishing includes a rhodium-plated frosted main bridge with polished bevels, perlage, circular graining and mirror-polished screw heads.
Each version of the Osmior Bal du Temps is fitted with a hand-stitched black alligator strap, large scales outside and small scales inside, and a matching-material folding clasp with the double-L logo. Production is limited, reflecting the complexity of the movement and the brand´s strategy. Price is upon request. For more information, please visit www.montres-leroy.com.
