Watch brands love to pay tribute to (or even collaborate with) special forces. The French Navy, Air and Space Army, GIGN… but also BRI!
The Research and Intervention Brigade has thus been honored by houses such as Panerai and LIP in recent months. But for spring 2024, it is Apose who has chosen to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the BRI of Strasbourg with a new limited edition watch in the colors of the prestigious police formation.
Apose and the “so French” watches
In watchmaking as elsewhere, the “made in France” is at the heart of all attentions right now. And if Pequignet regularly claims to be the only French watch manufacturer, Yema has also chosen to focus its production in the Jura Arc. As for Apose, it is part of this “new generation of watchmaking” aiming to promote French manufacturing.
Founded in 2020, this young house presents itself as a luxury watch brand that aims to “return to the purity and restrained elegance of beautiful French watches” and “totally manufacture a high-end watch in France”. Originating from Mulhouse, the two men who embarked on this crazy adventure are not newcomers in the watchmaking world. Didier Finck, the design manager, thus worked within the Swatch Group for 8 years, in particular with brands such as Omega, Longines, Hamilton and Swatch. As for Ludovic Zussa, he also worked for the giant Swiss group, in charge of technological innovation, also bringing his expertise to prestigious houses such as TAG Heuer, Zenith and IWC.
In order to achieve their goals, the two founders have strived to rethink their industrial process from A to Z. In November 2022, “Apose succeeded in producing the first watch of the 21st century entirely made in France”, a few months before winning the “2023 Talent of Luxury and Creation”. Now more than ever, Didier Finck and Ludovic Zussa seem poised to meet their challenge of creating “watches that are so French”.
The N°3 collection in the colors of the BRI
After its first collections logically named N°1, N°2 and N°3, Apose is already preparing “a surprising diving watch”. In the meantime, it is therefore with a limited BRI edition that Apose intends to highlight its values of “excellence, performance and tenacity”.
We find the design of watch No. 3 with its iconic 40mm diameter case, neither round nor square. Made of steel, it is designed in 3 stages of different finishes, to provide a beautiful play of light and materials. Simple in appearance, the dial has also received meticulous work. The sculpted indices, for example, give the impression of levitating above the dial, whose graphics were specially created for the Brigade de Recherche et d’Intervention (whose logo appears at 6 o’clock).
The Super-LumiNova coated needles facilitate reading in the dark, but it is mainly the second hand that catches the eye, with its red hue. Punctuated with a hexagon at its base, it subtly reminds us of its 100% French manufacture. Moreover, this watch N°3 is still full of details, such as its crown chiseled with 120 teeth, the 3 letters “BRI” affixed on the side of the case or the engraved and numbered back. The presence of a black and red Nato strap or an FKM rubber strap completes the panoply of this real faux field watch.
Finally, while the style of this watch has been carefully studied, Apose has obviously not neglected the technical part. At the heart of the case, we find the French automatic movement France Ebauches, designed with Soprod, which offers a 44-hour power reserve and a precision of around -7/+7sec/day.
Specifically designed for the thirtieth anniversary of the BRI of Strasbourg, this Apose watch will only be produced in 130 numbered copies. The first 80 pieces are reserved for members of the Brigade and the next 50 are available for the general public, priced at 2550€.
