ZANDVOORT, September 13, 2014 (AFP) - The 23-year-old carded seven birdies and just one bogey as a six under par 64 took him to 14 under for the week.
Scotland's Richie Ramsay is three off the pace, with new dad Paul Casey a shot further back in third after matching Pablo Larrazabal's course record 62 just 24 hours after it was set.
"I played really good today. I struggled on the start with a poor tee shot on the first, but then I hit some good shots and got some confidence," said Wattel.
"I'm not really affected by people saying I will definitely win on The European Tour. I know that if I play good enough I will win one day. Maybe that will be tomorrow, maybe it will be in two years. The most important thing for me is to play some good golf."
Halfway leader Larrazabal was two clear at the start but his progress was checked by a quadruple bogey seven at the eighth sent him tumbling down the field and he finished the day nine shots adrift following a 75.
Leading third round scores from the EPGA Dutch Open at Kennemer Golf and Country Club in Zandvoort on Saturday (GBR & IRL unless stated, par 70):
196 - Romain Wattel (FRA) 67 65 64
199 - Richie Ramsay 69 65 65
200 - Paul Casey 68 70 62
201 - Peter Uihlein (USA) 66 68 67, Andy Sullivan 67 68 66
202 - Joost Luiten (NED) 65 70 67, Simon Dyson 70 66 66, Gary Stal (FRA) 66 71
65
203 - Maximilian Kieffer (GER) 67 68 68, Andrea Pavan (ITA) 66 70 67, Eddie
Pepperell 69 68 66, Edoardo Molinari (ITA) 66 66 71, Thomas Pieters (BEL) 70 66
67
205 - Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 69 66 70, Paul Waring 69 71 65, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)
68 62 75, James Morrison 73 67 65, Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 72 66 67, Joachim B
Hansen (DEN) 72 66 67, Brooks Koepka (USA) 69 66 70, Robert Rock 73 67 65
206 - Robert Jan Derksen (NED) 71 67 68, Craig Lee 69 69 68, Thomas Aiken (RSA)
67 68 71, Chris Wood 69 67 70, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 72 68 66, Oliver Fisher
70 66 70, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 69 69 68, Jbe Kruger (RSA) 73 63 70, Shane Lowry
70 69 67, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 71 69 66, Wade Ormsby (AUS) 70 69 67,
Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (ESP) 71 69 66
Selected:
208 - Padraig Harrington 70 68 70
210 - Darren Clarke 73 67 70
212 - Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 72 68 72, An Byeong-Hun An (KOR) 72 68 72
214 - Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 70 69 75