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16 Dec 2021

WATCHMAKER LORIGE AND PEUGEOT SPORT TEAM UP FOR AN EXCLUSIVE TIMEPIECE

While endurance racing is poised to make a brilliant comeback, Lorige and Peugeot Sport have decided to pool their expertise to develop a special timepiece range.

WATCHMAKER LORIGE AND PEUGEOT SPORT TEAM UP FOR AN EXCLUSIVE TIMEPIECE

While endurance racing is poised to make a brilliant comeback, Lorige and Peugeot Sport have decided to pool their expertise to develop a special timepiece range.

In 2020, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest announced a new top tier Endurance racing category, the green light that many auto manufacturers, including Peugeot, were waiting for. The French triple winner of the Le Mans race in 1992, 1993 and 2009 made the headlines by unveiling its 9X8 Hypercar Hybrid prototype. With this new category clearly aiming for a wider audience and lines that recall the brand’s hallmark designs, Peugeot is back in the limelight, as it was in 1990 with its 905 model and in 2006 with the 908.

 

THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE

Like Lorige’s first model, the BL-Endurance, that required over 2 years of development, including test phases to check the reliability of the brand’s LOR-PR01 caliber and approve the reprocessed carbon/carbon material, the Peugeot 9X8 has begun development phase trials this winter, scheduled to last a few months while it “sharpens its claws”. Lorige is best known for its watch cases made from actual racing car brakes, but this time, the BL-Endurance “Hyperblack” will use brake pads from the Peugeot Hypercar’s initial development phase trials. This means that Lorige owners can now possess a 9X8 part that has actually been tested on this amazing vehicle even before it enters its first race.

Olivier Jansonnie,   Peugeot   Sport   technical   director:   “Lorige’s   concept   straight   away   struck   a   chord, because we share the same ideal of clockwork-like precision engineering. Nowadays, recycling is the keyword, so we are thrilled at the idea of giving 9X8 parts a new lease of life...   This ticks many of the right boxes, and if an innovative concept can be combined with the design and quality of Lorige timepieces, then this partnership comes into its own. ”.

 

INITIAL TRIALS!

Like the new Peugeot Sport Hypercar, the Lorige BL-Endurance “Hyperblack” is undergoing its first trials. Racing cars are usually developed without any “window dressing”, leaving the sleek carbon bodywork lines in full view. The same applies to the BL-Endurance “Hyperblack” which displays its raw carbon and its black DLC-coated titanium parts, giving it that no-frills, no-nonsense, assertive look. From the grade 5 titanium bezel to the bespoke visible screws, all the parts have been bead-blasted and black treated to produce the desired monochrome effect. The black theme is enhanced with kryptonite and selenium gray touches to match Peugeot Sport’s visual identity. The color combination is perfect and delivers a stealthy timepiece, just looking for a fight.

Emeric Paraud, Lorige CEO: “This high-tech partnership represents the epitome of the Lorige concept. We wanted this “Hyperblack” series to be cutting edge from concept to external design. I think we’ve achieved that with a watch that mirrors the racing car’s sleek, feline looks. This partnership with Peugeot Sport is much more than just inspiration: it really is Endurance racing watchmaking at its best”.

 

MATERIAL SOURCES

The left side of the case clearly shows the carbon/carbon case’s pedigree: made from 9X8 brake pads. It reminds the proud bearer that the middle case has previously been subjected to the Hypercar pilot’s relentless braking, testing it to the maximum of its capabilities. The brake pads have been very carefully dismantled by Lorige and come with all the necessary material tracking information. They are then handed over to our expert machining operators who craft the BL-Endurance “Hyperblack” cases.

 

MOVEMENT

The power reserve indicator at the bottom of the dial and the model’s name are clearly visible, a reminder that this model stems from endurance racing. The BL-Endurance has a self-winding mechanism with a peripheral rotor, and the lucky owner can monitor the barrel’s remaining power, with a 45 hour reserve. As Lorige is an uncompromising brand, from the bridges to the hands, almost all the parts of the BL-Endurance “Hyperblack” are black PVD-coated, a new challenge for Lorige’s watchmakers, with an ever stricter selection of components and minute attention paid to the precision of the assembly process.

 

100% SWISS MADE

Taking their concept to new heights, the brand creators are turning to the cradle of high-end watchmaking and have decided to manufacture all their timepiece parts in Switzerland. For the movement, Lorige has called on one of the top Swiss Jura manufacturers to design an exclusive Lorige caliber, a rare occurrence when creating a new model. Each part of the LOR-PR03 caliber is made in Switzerland, and entirely assembled and adjusted by hand by the most qualified craftsmen who work in the purest Swiss watchmaking tradition. By choosing a 100% Swiss Made timepiece, Lorige is opting for flawless quality.

 

PERFORMANCE AND EMOTIONS

Painstakingly designed right up to the tiniest visible screw, the BL-Endurance is undeniably a timepiece for aficionados. Even though the dial indexes may remind racing enthusiasts of circuit rumble strips, the references to motor racing are not overwhelming. The racing track memories are embodied in the timepiece’s case material itself.

 

Clément Etienvre, Lorige general manager: “For us, Lorige’s heart and soul lie in the stories and emotions we pass on to our customers through our outstanding timepieces, which so many people have devoted a moment of their life to producing. I’m now in my thirties and the unmistakable music of the Peugeot 905’s engine has nurtured my passion for motor sports. Being alongside Peugeot Sport from the start for their return to endurance racing is part of this great adventure and is ingrained in Lorige’s DNA”.

 

“BL” stands for “Brake Late” and reminds us that braking technique is just as important as acceleration when it comes to winning a race. It embodies the thrills of a racing exploit and its rugged aspect reminds us of the unforgiving nature of motor racing.

 

WATCH

CASE: One-piece case and dial

made from reprocessed carbon/carbon

from Peugeot Sport 9X8 Hypercar Hybrid during development

 

DIMENSIONS: 51.6 x 43.6 mm

THICKNESS: 10.5 mm

 

BEZEL, CASEBACK AND STRAP

LUGS: Bead-blasted, black DLC treated, grade 5 titanium

CROWN: Bead-blasted, black DLC treated grade 5 titanium, kryptonite laquer

 

MOVEMENT

 

CALIBRE: LOR-PR01, mechanical calibre self-winding with peripheral rotor,

45 hours of power reserve, 37 jewels, 28,800 VpH, 294 components

 

DIAL: Imbedded in the case, black PVD treated hands and indexes with white Super-Luminova. Black PVD treated Arabic numerals

 

WATER RESISTANCE: 5 atm

STRAP: Black vulcanised rubber

 

FOLD-OVER DEPLOYMENT CLASP:

2 stainless steel sliding buckles, bead-blasted black DLC treated grade 5 titanium clasp. Kryptonite

Lorige logo. Fine 6mm adjusment

 

FEATURES: Hours, minutes, date,

power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock

 

DIMENSIONS: 34.5 x 34 mm

THICKNESS: 6 mm

 

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