Paris, France — Two emblematic French houses have come together to create a unique selection of watches.  Eden Park is the mythical, upscale French brand inspired by and grounded in the sport of rugby. Sporty, elegant, casual and comfortable are the hallmarks of the menswear of Eden Park. French know-how and creativity come together once again in the house’s latest launch, a collection of timepieces. The house’s co-founder Franck Mesnel called upon the family-owned French watch making house of Herbelin to create the watches. The watchmaking house was founded in 1947 and has been in the same family now for three generations and is known for its original designs, savoir-faire and solid quality. Eden Park’s watch collection is made up of two lines: French Flair Sport and The French Flair Club, for both men and women. The two houses recently launched The French Flair Automatique Skeleton in Paris. An eye-catching skeleton watch, as its name implies, with an iconic design.

The timepiece is peppered with references to rugby with its bezel — the ring that secures the watch crystal in place — made in the shape of the celebrated Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. Back in 1987, Franck Mesnel, a player for the Racing Club de France rugby team and the co-founder of Eden Park, played for the French team in the final of the very first Rugby World Cup against the All Blacks of New Zealand in the Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. The bezel is square with rounded corners, a shape that also looks like a rugby ball as seen from the front. Other rugby references include the crown protection inspired by the bleachers in a traditional rugby stadium.

The dial, called « California » is a bold affair allowing the wearer to easily read the time. Like a rugby match it opposes Roman numerals on one side with Arabic numerals on the other. The six o-clock is replaced by one of Eden Park’s emblems, the bow tie in a nod to one of the house’s emblematic symbols. Members of the Racing Club de France players emerged from the locker room in blazers and bow ties for the final of the French championships in 1987.  The watch with its handsome steel case is outfitted with a leather strap and is water resistant to 330 feet (100 meters).

It’s been some 30 years since the rugby men Franck Mesnel and Eric Blanc have transposed a certain French flair from the rugby field to this unique brand which in turn has just brought out its new collection of watches in conjunction with the family-owned French watch-making house of Herbelin bringing a new dimension to Eden Park’s emblematic French Flair collection. The watch collection is available in Eden Park boutiques and at select points of sale. And don’t forget to tune into the Rugby World Cup which kicks off in France on September 8th. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. Additional reporting Sylvain Loire. https://www.eden-park.com/en  https://herbelin.com/?lang=en