L. Leroy Builds on Its Return With the New Elyor Flying Tourbillon

Following its recent revival, the brand unveils a second timepiece designed to reconnect with its longstanding horological heritage.

L. Leroy

The Parisian watchmaking house L. Leroy was established by Basile-Charles Le Roy in 1785 and served as the official watchmaker to King Louis XVI, subsequently to Napoleon I and Queen Victoria. L. Leroy expanded operations to Switzerland, manufacturing marine chronometers for the French Navy and accumulating 384 gold medals in chronometry events. Iconic masterpieces such as the Leroy 01, the most intricate pocket watch from 1900 to 1989, highlight the brand's heritage of accuracy and invention. Re-established in 2004 by Miguel Rodriguez of the Festina Group. L Leroy is resolute in restoring its status as a high horlogerie brand and unveiled the intricate Osmior Bal du Temps in 2025, with a minute repeater and tourbillon. In 2026, L. Leroy introduces a more straightforward complication in its famous Osmior collection: the Elyor Tourbillon.

During the Reign of Terror (1793–1794) of the French Revolution, Charles Le Roy used the pseudonym “Elyor” to avoid persecution and the guillotine, as his regal-sounding name posed a risk of identifying him as a royal supplier. Disregarding history, the new Elyor Tourbillon features a traditional drum-shaped case with modern dimensions. The case is 42mm in diameter and 11.88mm in height, including the domed sapphire crystal (9.9mm without). It is offered in three metals: grade 5 titanium, platinum, and red gold. The round case features short lugs and a prominent, fluted crown, exhibiting a bright finish, except for the sandblasted region surrounding the engraved logo on the crown and the frosted sections on the caseback. The bezel and lug tips are domed, affirming their roundness, while the subtle overhang of the bezel and caseback accentuates the tambour-shaped center case.

The dial commemorates the brand's 240-year heritage with traditional ornamental elements. The multi-layered dial features blue for the platinum case, silver for the titanium, and anthracite for the red gold, showcasing a classic guilloché Clous de Paris (hobnail) pattern formed by little pyramids at the center. The engine-turned dial, which adds depth and creates reflections, evokes L. Leroy’s guilloché and enamel pocket watch dials, as well as speciality montres à tact from the 19th century, reinterpreted in wristwatch form in 2023 for the Only Watch charity auction.

L. Leroy

Numerous elements on the dial will evoke Abraham-Louis Breguet’s design aesthetic. Nonetheless, given that Breguet and Charles Le Roy were contemporaries who both catered to the French monarchy and mutually impacted each other's innovations, this is hardly unexpected. Positioned above the hobnail guilloché center is the expansive satin-brushed chapter ring with attached, slanted, and polished Arabic numerals. Similar to Breguet, the elongated, slender hands feature an openworked oval rather than a circle at their tips. The precise minutes/seconds flange, positioned just below the chapter ring, is textured. The prominent characteristic, however, is the expansive aperture at 6 o’clock for the one-minute tourbillon. The mirror-polished 13.6mm titanium bridge is designed in the form of the interlaced double “L” L. Leroy monogram, which is also present in the appliqué at noon.

The reverse displays the L600 patented automatic calibre produced for L. Leroy by Régence Production SA (formerly Timeless SA) in proximity to Geneva. A high-performance modern mechanism, it incorporates an off-centered micro-rotor providing a substantial 60-hour power reserve. Constructed from high-density tungsten alloy (Inermet), the gilded micro-rotor diminishes the overall thickness of the movement and enhances visibility of the components and hand-finished embellishments. Numerous high-quality finishes are present: the perlage on the mainplate, the modern frosted ornamentation on the rhodium-plated bridges with hand-polished bevelled edges, and the mirror-polished screw heads. The caseback ring is elaborately adorned with frosted segments that accentuate the polished and etched phrases in relief.

The timepieces feature sophisticated black alligator leather straps, fastened with a round folding clasp that corresponds with the case material, adorned with a double “L” logo on the clasp. CEO Hugo Lesizza stated that only 50 movements will be manufactured, offered in any of the three case metals. The cost of red gold is USD 118,800, platinum is USD 138,000, and titanium is USD 82,800. Additional details can be found at montres-leroy.com.