Introducing – Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige now with Dual Time-Zone (live pics, specs & price)

Recently, when Manufacture Royale changed owner, they launched a new watch, with much different style from the, how to say, rather loaded style of the previous creations. Far from being technically poor, the old watches from the brand were however quite baroque in style but this dramatically changed with the 1770 Voltige, an aerial piece of horology with floating balance on the dial and simpler movement. This watch receives now its first evolution, by replacing its small second at 6 by a second time-zone indication at 5. Here is the Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige.

The first edition, with simple hours, minutes and small second movement, was a demonstration of pure design and aerial feel. Indeed, the watch exposes to the eyes of its wearer the entire regulation organ – including the balance wheel, the hairspring, the lever and the escapement wheel. The 1770 Voltige does it with style, with its architectural look, due to a game of layers and bridges circling the dial and holding the balance wheel. This is even reinforced by the large but slim balance wheel that constantly oscillates on the dial. It’s like a watchmaking lesson to be worn on the wrist. With the second edition, the Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige, the ingredients and style are the same, to the exception of a new and practical complication, a second time-zone.

While the first edition had a small second placed at 6, this new Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige features a sub-dial with independent display of a second time-zone at 5. The second time zone is indicated on a quilted patterned guilloche sub-dial with a finely polished rim that contrasts with the sun-ray guilloche of the main dial. Open-worked hands indicate the reference time and full hands display the second time zone. This display is also rather well thought in terms of adjusting the watch. Everything is easily done via the crown and as the second time-zone is fully independent, it can display the time of every single area of the world, including the zones that vary by a half hour or quarter of an hour.

The Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige comes in a large 45mm case in stainless steel. The dial is available (for the moment) in two editions; black (as photographed) and dark blue. Inside this case ticks an in-house movement, developed exclusively for this watch. Apart from its reversed construction with regulating organ on the dial side, it is also an automatic calibre, with a large diameter (36mm) that fits the case. Bridges are adorned with thin Geneva stripes and polished beveled edges. The rotor is skeletonized and with narrow spokes, in order to leave the maximum possible view on the movement. This movement ticks at 3Hz – not too fast so you can admire the ballet of the balance wheel on the dial – and boasts 40 hours of power reserve.

The Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige now with Dual Time-Zone is a non-limited edition and will be priced (retail, including taxes) at 33,000 Swiss Francs. Stay tuned, soon we’ll have a complete review of the other edition, the 1770 Voltige, online on Monochrome-Watches. More on www.manufacture-royale.com.

Specifications of the Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige

• Case: 45mm diameter x 13.8mm height – stainless steel – sapphire crystal on front and back – 30m water resistant
• Movement: MR07 caliber,in-house – automatic – 40h power reserve – 21,600 vibrations/h – hours, minutes, second time-zone
• Strap: alligator leather strap with pink buckle
• Swiss retail price: 33,000 CHF