Manufacture Royale

Resurrecting a Centuries-Old Watch Brand

Comparatively new to today’s horology scene, Manufacture Royale was actually first founded in 1770. And even more surprising, Manufacture Royale was the business venture of the prolific French Enlightenment writer Voltaire.

Voltaire established the Manufacture Royale workshop in Ferney, France, along the Swiss border. Although Voltaire was largely at odds with the French court, dignitaries applauded Voltaire’s business and considered it an opportunity for French watchmakers to compete with the leading Geneva-made watches.

As the brand’s de facto ambassador, Voltaire spread word about Manufacture Royale, showing his handsomely-made, elaborately-engraved and generously-embellished pocket watches to European royalty and elite social circles. However, with Voltaire’s death in 1778, the workshop closed and the Manufacture Royale brand faded into obscurity.

In 2010, the dormant brand was revived by cousins Alexis, David and Marc Gouten. After 250 years, the Manufacture Royale workshops began producing watches once again. Like its famous philosopher founder, Manufacture Royale’s presence in the horology space today defies convention and champions individual liberty and expression.

Today, Manufacture Royale’s master watchmakers and craftsmen develop inimitable watches. True to its brand’s core ethos, the bold (and sometimes opinion-polarizing) designs are certainly not for the faint of heart. Manufacture Royale produces an incredibly limited 120 watches a year so these watches are meant for fashion-forward wearers who want to build their own legacy.

As did Voltaire centuries ago, Manufacture Royale’s club of young and social media savvy brand fans and ambassadors (dubbed the “Enlightened Society”) has spread the word about brand, building its worldwide buzz as a premier luxury watch for the next generation of collectors.