Ralf Tech is releasing the Académie in an Automatic Manufacture First Edition. This classic dress watch from the dive watch specialist is limited to just 22 pieces per dial color! However, the real special feature lies beneath the silver-shining case. Here, an automatic movement from the Pequignet manufacture is at work – is the Académie finally French through and through?
A Tribute to the Grandfather
Since 2019, the Académie has captivated customers and fans of the French brand Ralf Tech. It's quite possible that this is due to its classic and timeless appearance. It's pretty much the exact opposite of watches like the WRV or THE BEAST, both professional tools for marine special forces. I've also included the latter in my list of the 18 Best Dive Watches 2022 & 2023. And then comes the Académie, which at first glance seems to have nothing in common with the sporty-technical brand from France – or maybe it does?
The Académie combines French elegance with classic watchmaking. Founder Frank Huyghe, a former combat diver, has incorporated his past into the Ralf Tech brand and its models. The Académie tells a very special story, as the model is a tribute to the founder's grandfather and his preference for mechanical wristwatches. In this respect, the classic watch fits wonderfully into the collection of the French premium manufacturer.
The End for Seiko
About a year ago, I had two models from the series, which has been around since 2019, in my hands. The Ralf Tech Académie Pirates Shadow and Royale Bleu were both beautiful, classic, and timeless watches with a fantastic bronze case, but also a small drawback: the movement. Ralf Tech is otherwise known for its technological innovations like its self-designed hybrid movements, which have a power reserve of 12 years and are extremely accurate. However, Ralf Tech previously equipped its Académie with a Seiko movement.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of the Seiko NH35, which is also quite respected among watchmakers. Its advantages are obvious. With solid technology and a versatile design, it is extremely robust and reliable. And precisely because it has been produced millions of times, there's a high probability that the local watchmaker can service and repair the movement. At the same time, production costs can flow into other components like the high-quality glassbox sapphire crystal. However, Seiko's NH35, with its accuracy of +/- 20 seconds per day, doesn't really fit the brand profile of Ralf Tech's luxurious and technically savvy niche product.
The New Pequignet Manufacture Movement in Detail
That's why Frank Huyghe has now realized his long-held dream of equipping the Académie with an automatic manufacture movement. Ralf Tech has found a worthy successor to the Japanese movement that probably better suits the French dress watch. For the limited special edition, Ralf Tech has teamed up with Pequignet. This independent French company, based in Morteau on the border with Switzerland, manufactures luxury watches and manufacture movements. Here, an automatic movement has been developed, now known as the RTM001. The beginning of a new era?
According to the numbers, all expectations that customers had for Ralf Tech after the demise of the NH35 will now probably be exceeded. Brace yourself: the RTM001 has a height of only 4.2 millimeters. The technically outstanding feature is its innovative gearing, which, according to Ralf Tech, optimizes the movement's efficiency and is designed to minimize wear on its components. I'm impressed by the key figures of the new automatic movement. With a frequency of 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour, along with an optimized escapement, the fully wound movement has an impressive power reserve of 77 hours! Thanks to the integrated hacking seconds feature, which temporarily stops the second hand, the time displayed on the dial can be synchronized with an atomic clock to the exact second.
The RTM001 was developed in France and, according to Ralf Tech, manufactured with components, 72% of which come from France. One could say that the DNA of the Ralf Tech Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition is now French through and through.
The Ralf Tech Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition on the Wrist
The packaging measures 25 x 30 centimeters and contains a high-quality felt case that can always be taken along when traveling. For this watch review, I got the Ralf Tech Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition with both dial colors, in black and cream.
With a diameter of 41 millimeters, the Académie is not a small dress watch at all. I have a slender wrist, but the watch doesn't look too big on it.
The Académie is worn on a black alligator leather strap, which is hand-stitched and feels particularly soft on the inside. The wearing comfort of the Académie in everyday life is, without exaggeration, excellent! Alternatively, you can wear the dress watch with the included black rubber strap, which is suitable for diving. However, since I would not wear the Académie for diving, let alone for sports activities, I limit myself to the alligator strap. The width between the lugs is 22 millimeters, and the straps taper slightly towards the pin buckle.
The Case of the Ralf Tech Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition in Detail
I find the craftsmanship of the case, which is made of 316L stainless steel, to be excellent. Its surface has been given a polished finish. The look matches the classic feel one gets when wearing the Académie. Micro-scratches are naturally visible a bit faster than with a matte finish. That's why, in my opinion, the Ralf Tech Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition remains a candidate for more elegant occasions.
From Ralf Tech, one is accustomed to the characteristic, thick Glass-Box sapphire crystal. It has been provided with a double-sided anti-reflective coating during production.
In the center of the screwed case back with a polished finish is a large, circular sapphire crystal display window with a view of the minimalist movement. Your serial number is also engraved on the case back.
With a water resistance of 50 meters, the Académie is at least splash-proof. So I wouldn't recommend taking this watch into the water. And let's be honest: the elegant three-hand watch, with its polished case surfaces, feels much more at home at evening events or in daily office life than on a beach.
The dials with the elegant Dauphine hands are hand-painted and polished, giving them an exceptional luster.
My Conclusion on the Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition
Finally, the Académie is powered by the movement it deserves! Ralf Tech gives the "black sheep" of the collection a high-quality caliber from Pequignet, which achieves excellent results on the test bench. I certainly appreciate Seiko's NH35. However, in my opinion, this premium watch deserves a different level. The Académie has now become a full-fledged Ralf Tech!
What hurts on the one hand, but on the other hand also enhances the "want-to-have" effect of this watch, is its limitation. Both dial colors are limited to 22 pieces each. Being one of only 22 people in the world to wear my watch is quite an exciting idea.
Given the extremely high quality and the exclusive automatic movement, I don't find the price Ralf Tech is asking for the new First Edition to be expensive at all. In my shop, you can purchase both dial variants at a recommended retail price of 3,300 Euros. So it's worth being quick!
All important links to the watch can be found below.
More about Ralf Tech and the Académie Automatic Manufacture First Edition
The cream dial variant in my shop
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