Geneva Watch Week 2026 brought a genuinely exciting announcement from Biel/Bienne. L.Leroy, a Maison founded in 1785 and carrying one of the deepest chronometric legacies in French watchmaking, unveiled the ELYOR: a flying tourbillon that joins the Osmior collection and arrives in three distinct case materials. The name itself carries history: during the Reign of Terror, Charles Leroy signed his pieces “ELYOR”, an anagram of his surname, to avoid the dangers of being associated with the royal court. Two centuries later, that discretion has transformed into something far bolder.
The Dials: Three Identities
The multi-layered dial architecture is where each ELYOR version establishes its own personality. The grade 5 titanium model (Ref. LL311/1) gets a rhodium-plated silver hour track with a sunray finish, rhodium-treated applied Arabic numerals, and an ALD-treated blue seconds hand as the sole colour accent. The platinum version (Ref. LL310/1) takes that ALD process further, applying it to the entire hour track to produce a sky-blue surface that reads as both airy and refined, paired with rhodium-treated numerals. The 18k 5N red gold model (Ref. LL309/1) goes in the opposite direction: an anthracite sunray hour track with 5N gold-plated Arabic numerals and a matching gold-plated hour hand, creating a warm chromatic tension.
At the centre of every version sits a Clous de Paris hobnail pattern – a network of small raised pyramids that fractures incoming light and gives the dial an unmistakable three-dimensional depth. At 6 o’clock, the flying tourbillon opens up through an aperture framed by a polished circlet, its mirror-polished titanium bridge shaped to echo L.Leroy’s interlaced double “L” monogram, with bevelled and polished edges that catch the light from every angle.
The Movement: Calibre L600
The L600 is a Geneva-developed, proprietary self-winding calibre built around 288 components and 34 jewels. It beats at 21,600 vph (3 Hz) with a variable-inertia balance wheel regulated by gold screws and a Swiss lever escapement, drawing power from a single barrel for a 60-hour power reserve. That power reserve comes courtesy of a micro-rotor rather than a conventional oscillating weight – a choice that keeps the overall ébauche thickness to just 5.10 mm and, critically, keeps the movement visible.
The micro-rotor itself is gilded and crafted from Inermet, a tungsten-based alloy chosen for its exceptional density, which ensures efficient winding in spite of the component’s compact dimensions. Its surface features a geometric arrangement of satin-finished, sandblasted recesses and a raised polished logo – a small but considered decorative statement. The rhodium-plated bridges carry a frosted finish with hand-polished, bevelled edges, and the main plate receives circular perlage graining. Screw heads are mirror-polished throughout.
The flying tourbillon cage spans 13.60 mm in diameter, contains 78 components, and completes one full rotation per minute. The titanium upper bridge crowning it is mirror-polished and shaped specifically to form the Maison’s logo – one of those details that rewards any collector who examines their watch closely.
The Case: Tambour Form in Three Metals
L.Leroy reserves the tambour case shape for its classically styled references, and the ELYOR wears it naturally. At 42 mm in diameter and 11.88 mm thick including the domed sapphire crystal, it sits well within the proportions expected of a dress tourbillon. Without the crystal, the case drops to 9.90 mm – genuinely slim for a flying tourbillon with a micro-rotor architecture.
The polished domed bezel and the fluted crown, engraved with the brand logo on a sandblasted surface, show a consistent approach to finishing across every surface. The case back ring deserves particular attention: it features frosted segments alongside polished profiles and relief engravings, and the material matches whichever case metal you choose. Antireflective sapphire crystal covers both the dial and the case back, and water resistance sits at 3 ATM. The watch fastens via a black alligator strap with large-scale upper and small-scale lining, secured by an open-worked deployant clasp in the same case metal, personalised with the double “L” monogram.
Final Thoughts
The ELYOR arrived as a watch that carries genuine historical weight and backs it up with serious horological substance. L.Leroy has 240 years of watchmaking heritage, 384 gold medals in chronometry competitions, and a list of former clients that includes Napoleon and Queen Victoria. The ELYOR does not need to shout. No official retail price has been announced at the time of writing, and given the limited production run across three precious references, collectors interested in the titanium, platinum, or gold versions would do well to contact the Maison directly at leroywatches.com.
