Volumes by Simon LeFrancois Explores Shapes and Materials

Indie watchmaking is very much on the rise, and we see a surge of cool new watches high and low. From the ever-intriguing industrial wonders of Otsuka Lotec to the ultra-artisanal The Owl by L’Atelier Bernards, it all seems to find its audience across the globe. Yet some of these low-volume watchmakers are challenging to find, which is why we endlessly scour social media in search of new ones. Back in 2024, that brought us to Bretagne, France, for an encounter with Simon LeFrançois. His Automatique No.1 was a rather distinct time-only watch, which now gets a spiritual successor in the form of Volumes. Exploring the realm of shapes and materials, let’s see what his new Volumes watch is all about.

Operating out of his home atelier in Bretagne, Simon LeFrançois launched his eponymous brand after working for others for 25 years. The Automatique No.1 found traction on Instagram and quickly sold out, with Simon recently introducing a follow-up watch called Volumes. With Simon’s now signature simplistic style, Volumes steers into a new direction and showcases more of his watchmaking skills.

Volumes has a rectangular stainless steel case measuring 41mm in length and 32mm in width, paired with a height of 8.8mm. The case gets a boost in character thanks to its sloping flanks with a central groove along the entire length, scalloped corners with polished insides, and distinctly shaped lugs which nod to his Automatique No.1. The sapphire crystal rises up from the case a touch, and there’s a second one around the back to reveal the movement. On the right, a 7mm wide notched crown has its own recessed ‘pocket’ to sit in.

Honouring its name, the dial is built up in multiple levels. The base level has a brushed silver finish, with two plates mounted on top of it. Each plate holds a set of blued disc-like hour markers, which add the next level of depth to Volumes. The 12 o’clock marker is polished for a bit of extra contrast, as are the tips for the otherwise blued steel hour and minute hands in the centre. The markers at 3’and 9′ are simple baton markers, adding yet another shape to the mix. The finely printed LeFrançois signature up top subtly finishes it all off.

For the movement, Simon LeFrançois uses a Landeron chronograph calibre as a base, and entirely strips it back before building it back up with his own bridges and plates. As a result, the movement follows the shape of the case to the millimetre. The back plate has a gentle ‘ridge’ running across it from left to right, which acts like a barrier between the two contrasting types of finishing on display. It’s almost like those rare locations on earth where oceans meet, but don’t mix. Broadly bevelled sinks for the jewels and a long, straight bridge over the balance wheel offer a calm yet intriguing aesthetic. The movement itself runs at a rate of 18,000vph and has a power reserve of 40 hours.

The Simon LeFrançois Volumes is worn on a dark blue calfskin leather strap with a hand-engraved signature on the stainless steel pin buckle. For this year, only three build slots are available, which will jump to five per year as of 2027. The price is set at EUR 17,000 incl. VAT.

For more information, please visit @Montre_Lefrancois on Instagram.