“Each watch becomes a pretext”

Francéclat is committed to promoting the creativity, craftsmanship and excellence of French timepiece, jewellery and tableware brands. These brands owe their success to the people who guide, shape and inspire them behind the scenes. To celebrate their valuable contribution, we are hosting a series of interviews that share insights from brand leaders.

Founded in Paris in 2017, Beaubleu offers a new perception of time through automatic watches distinguished by their iconic circular hands. The brand creates limited-edition pieces that celebrate the beauty of kinetic movement. By breaking free from the codes of classical watchmaking, Beaubleu blends singularity and design, breathing new life into watch design, guided by surprise and creativity. We meet its founder, Nicolas Ducoudert.

What elements differentiate your brand in today’s watchmaking market?

Our brand mainly stands out through design, with a highly recognizable signature: the circular hands. More broadly, we embrace a different vision of watchmaking and time, focusing on experience, surprise, and design.

Have you recently introduced any innovations in design, materials, or techniques?

Our latest innovation is the Seconde Française collection, which features a seconds hand that floats above the dial. Visually, nothing touches this hand; yet it appears to hover and twirl in time with the seconds.

If you had to describe your brand in three key words, which would you choose?

Lyrical – Experimental – Surprising
(To be discovered in the video)

What trends or developments are you currently observing in watchmaking, and how are you responding to them?

We’ve noticed that customers are approaching watchmaking differently. They are seeking more design, distinctiveness, and stronger, more defined universes. We respond to this with our creative approach, a tone that is uniquely ours, and a certain enjoyment in not taking ourselves too seriously.

What is your long-term ambition for the brand?

The ambition is simple: to still be here in 20 years. More specifically, to continue creating practical innovations, to surprise with design, and to promote French watchmaking internationally.

A final word?

For the past few years, we’ve been working to concentrate our expertise in France, both internally and with partners. Today, the challenge is to extend this approach to new players in the watchmaking industry.

Also, for French speakers, discover Nicolas in a podcast by The Bold Way. In this episode, he shares everything completely unfiltered!