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This is the very first time that the name of Charlie Paris appeared on the blog My Little Watchmaker because indeed, I was not one of the early fans of the young French watchmaker. The brand started with very nice Quartz watches but which did not match with MY (I say my) vision of watchmaking in terms of aesthetics and mechanics.
But that has changed, the Charlie Paris house has evolved greatly by now offering increasingly high-end automatic watch collections with the INITIAL collections And CONCORDIA. Today, the brand is back with a collection that leaves me speechless, the ALLIANCE collection.
The history of the Charlie Paris brand
It’s in 2014 let the adventure begin. Ambrose and Adriantwo childhood friends and watch enthusiasts set out on a mission to design watches that reflect French elegance with a touch of modernity. They then melt Charlie Watch their French watchmaking house. Why “Charlie” will you tell me? Because none of the founders is named Charles or Charlie. The name “Charlies Watch” which will later become Charlie Paris is pronounced just as well in French as in English.
Today, accompanied of a team of fifteen people, the two founders strive to design timeless and unique watches, offering excellent value for money thanks to their freedom and a well-controlled production model. Each piece is created with care and passion and then entirely assembled in France in the brand’s Parisian workshops.
Gradually, the brand gained notoriety, the elegant and timeless style of their watches contributed to their growing success. In 2016, Charlie Paris made the choice to open its whole first boutique in the heart of the capital.
Charlie Paris unveils its new watch collection: ALLIANCE
I hesitated to give you a little recap of the evolution of the brand because there are great things to say between the collections of automatic watches for men and women as well as the Concordia collection. Unfortunately due to lack of time, let’s talk about what interests me most at the moment about the young French brand: their new ALLIANCE collection.
With this new collection, Charlie Paris reveals itself in a new light. The brand really seduces me with the arrival of these 4 new automatic watches.
There ALLIANCE-collection is positioned as watchmaking excellence for the brand. On the one hand by work aesthetic carried out and on the other hand, by the quality of materials and calibers who bring this new chapter to life at Charlie Paris.
There ALLIANCE-collection is composed of 2 watches with similar features but full of differences.
ALLIANCE 68H
The Alliance 68H watch has a case that blends elegance and precise lines. Designed in 316L stainless steelwith its 39.5mm in diameter and 8mm thick, the watch offers relatively balanced proportions. The case is beautifully crafted. There is an alternation of brushed and polished surfaces with a beautiful chamfer on the lugs which brings a certain elegance to a basic raw texture.
A domed double-domed sapphire crystal comes to protect a dial with a sandblasted texture which will be available in blue or white according to your tastes. The design of the dial remains simple and refined, with no frills. We find a railroad for the minutes as well as for the seconds. The applied and faceted indexes bring an additional touch of elegance, as does the outline of the date at 6 o’clock.
What is very interesting, almost innovative, is the bottom of the box from this collection ALLIANCE. For the background, we also find here a sapphire crystal back but the latter is also domed double dome. It’s rather rare for a case back but I personally find that it really makes a difference and that it brings a super nice touch as well as a beautiful symmetry to the watch.
Re the caliber we hardly present it anymore, Charlie Paris chose to turn to the Swiss factory La Joux-Perret. The ALLIANCE 68H collection lives up to its name since it is animated by the G100 movement which offers a generous 68-hour power reserve. In terms of finish, nothing has been left to chance with a mass decorated Coasts of Geneva And a palladium finish.
Now let’s move on to the second part of this Alliance collection, watch out, put your seat belts on.
MOON PHASE WEDDING
Yes, you read correctly, an automatic moon phase and with a look that would make the big brands fade. Personally, this new Alliance Moon Phase is my favorite release and I will present it to you in a little more detail.
Regarding the case, I don’t have much more to add since it has obviously been shared between the two models Alliance 68H And Moon Phase Alliance. He also does 39.5mm in diameter and only 1mm longer than the 68H alliance which gives it a thickness of 9mm. We can, however, stop for a few seconds on the crown. The latter has been completely reworked specifically for the Alliance collection. I find this new design very nice and it offers a good grip but the overall shape is a bit too modern for my taste. We are at the limit of the limit of the resemblance with a kind of valve of oxygen cylinder or other.
Here too we find a magnificent double-domed sapphire crystal for the top of the watch but also for the caseback. Regarding the dial, the latter keeps the general DNA of this new collection but adding the moon phase complication. It will be available with a sandblasted blue or sandblasted white dial. There is a small seconds at 6 o’clock, the round date window at 3 o’clock and finally the moon phase disc at 9 o’clock. I love the style of this perpetual moon phase which will be precise on 122 years and 51 days. There are 2 moons, one for the northern hemisphere and the other for the southern hemisphere. The stylized moons are covered with Super-LumiNova just like the little stars that adorn the complication.
On the caliber side, it is here the automatic movement Soprod C105 which propels this Alliance Phase de Lune by Charlie Paris. The movement offers the hour, minute, second, date and perpetual moon phase functions. It is equipped with a reasonable power reserve of 42 hours with very nice finishes like blued screws, a rhodium finish as well as Côtes de Genève and Colimaçonné on the oscillating weight.
Availability and prices of the ALLIANCE collection
The watches of the alliance collection will be available in preorder tomorrow March 15, 2023 on Charlie Paris website. This new collection therefore takes the young French brand to the next level. This is a real “gap” since the version Alliance 68H will be available at a price of 1345€ during the preorders Then 1595€ on the brand’s website. Regarding the version with Moon phase it will be necessary to count 1895€ during pre-orders Then 2195€ at public price including VAT.
For 2023, the ALLIANCE collection is limited to 100 pieces per model.
Personally, I like the turn taken by Charlie Paris with this new automatic watch collection. The brand pushes the quality of its timepieces to the maximum, both in terms of design and mechanics. A great deal of work has been done in the finishes of this Alliance Collection. Regarding the price, it seems totally justified to me in view of the materials, the level of finishes and the calibers used. I can’t wait to discover the future of the brand and in the meantime I hope you enjoyed this little presentation.
See you very soon friends, ciao, ciao,
