Manufacture Royale has drawn inspiration from this memorable struggle to present a powerful and radical interpretation of its Voltige model. Bathed in shadows, this new intense, masculine version recounts how the fight between Rousseau and Voltaire was unrelenting, while only involving ink and paper. Voltaire readily admitted it – in his eyes, the pen was more dangerous than the sword. Their disagreement erupted against a backdrop of the jealousy that Rousseau harboured towards Voltaire. He envied him his talent as a charmer and his fantastic eloquence, in which rhetoric and irony decimated their adversaries far more effectively than any arsenal. 

Faithful to its principles, Manufacture Royale has drawn on the hectic life of its exuberant founder Voltaire to provide an alternative illustration of courage and power. The Voltige Plume Noire is a daring feat which proves that the brand of avant-garde fine watchmaking practised by Manufacture Royale has cultivated a sense of provocation that is pertinent, subtle and stimulating.

Limited to 38 pieces – Rousseau’s age when this fight began – the Voltige Plume Noire presents a microblasted and black PVD-treated steel case and dial. The dial is crossed by vertical Côtes de Genève and presents a seconds counter at 6 o’clock featuring a mesh decoration. A deep blue – the only colour – adorns several elements such as the hands, the screws of the dial, the minutes scale running from 12 to 8 o’clock, and the canvas heart of the strap. For once, the signature of the Voltige – the raised titanium balance – blends into the background.