This Titanium Integrated Sports Watch Nails the Industry’s Biggest Trend

“Wearable” is an adjective that we throw around a lot. It might not have a codified definition, but it represents a combination of comfort, functionality and versatility.

As silly as it sounds, the easiest way to think about it is that the more wearable a watch is, the more you want to wear it.

Pequignet

For example, the Concorde Titanium from Pequigent maximizes wearability through its size, weight and appearance. The 36mm case, integrated solid-link bracelet and dial plate are all made from titanium, creating a refined, uniform appearance and minimal impact on the wrist.

The Concorde is one of the French watchmaker‘s marquee designs, but it has previously only been produced in steel. It is a smoothed-off take on a 1970s-style integrated sports watch, with a cushion case and rounded bezel.

Pequignet

Because of its shape, the 36mm case size leaves a slightly larger visual impression on the wrist, but being made primarily of Grade 5 titanium, it weighs only 84 grams.

The Concorde Titanium represents the prevailing trend in watchmaking toward smaller cases that are more comfortable and practical for daily wear, and doubles down by cutting weight as well.

Full Metal Jacket

Brushed and blasted metallic surfaces are emblematic of integrated sports watches. Pequignet went all-in with a full metal jacket for the Condorde Titanium, which could come off as brutalist, but feels refined here.

Pequignet

Contrasting the matte sandblasted case and bracelet with the slightly radiant vertically brushed dial creates visual depth within the 9.25mm-thick case.

The minimalist dial, more Bauhaus than Genta, features only black baton hour markers, a printed minute track and the brand name. The blackened steel hands conform to the rounded-off motif, with the hour and minute hands being partly skeletonized and partly filled with Super-LumiNova.

Pequignet

A cog-shaped crown, signed with the brand’s fleur-de-lis logo, is the only sign of the industrial aesthetic tied to integrated sports watches. Even the tank tread-style bracelet, with Lego-shaped solid links, appears soft with beveled edges.

Keeping it in-house

Pequignet was founded in 1973 by Emile Pequignet in Morteau, France, just over the border from Switzerland. After hitting hard times in the 1990s, the small operation rebooted by vertically integrating its production and released its first in-house movement in 2011.

Pequignet

Since its introduction in 2023, the Concorde collection has been powered by the in-house caliber Initial, which has a 65-hour power reserve. The caliber Initial, including a signed decorative rotor, is visible through the sapphire crystal exhibition caseback.

This movement has a patented jumping date complication, but the new titanium reference scrubbed the date window. While knowing your watch has a ghost complication is annoying, the enhanced minimalist aesthetic is a net-positive.

Pequignet

Pequignet named this collection after the Place de la Concorde in Paris, which has an Egyptian obelisk, brought to the city by Napoleon, as its centerpiece. The small obelisks on the bracelet links and crown teeth are a nod to the imperial tourist attraction.

Although small, Pequignet is a proudly French brand that has produced an integrated sports watch that can stand toe-to-toe with the Swiss brands dominating the genre. Even though it doesn’t offer much of a discount, it is ridiculously wearable.

Availability and pricing

The Pequignet Concorde Titanium is available now from Pequignet for €4,800 (~$5,540).

It is worth noting that previous Concorde references have been offered in 42mm and 36mm, conventionally accommodating men and women, respectively, but this titanium upgrade only comes in 36mm. Clearly, Pequignet can read the writing on the wall.

Pequignet

Pequignet Concorde Titanium

Specs

Case Size	36mm
Movement	Pequignet caliber Initial automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $5,540 at Pequignet

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