At Watches and Wonders 2024, Frank Muller unveiled an extensive range of new timepieces in its popular lines. New models join the Vanguard™, Round, and Curvex lines, along with three timepieces in the Long Island Evolution collection, and a Master Lighter timepiece created in collaboration with S.T. Dupont.
Vanguard™ Open Back
The Vanguard™ collection introduces a new model featuring an open-back design and equipped with a newly developed in-house tonneau-shaped movement. Its bridges are characterised by straight lines extending outward from the centre. The decorative elements of the movement exhibit various finishes, including sandblasting, satin finishing, circular graining, bead-blasting, and sunray brushing.
Available in five colour variations – white, black, blue, burgundy, and green, the dial features hand-painted numerals. Available exclusively in rose gold and white gold, this model is offered in 41 mm, 43 mm, and 45 mm sizes, complemented by a leather strap.
Vanguard™ Lady Slim Vintage
Inspired by classic automobiles, the VanguardTM Lady Slim Vintage collection presents a range of colours reminiscent of vintage aesthetics, including salmon, olive green, lead grey, blue, and brown. The Côtes de Genève decoration adorns the dial's centre, with an off-centred seconds counter at 6 o'clock that calls back to the 'Belle Époque' era.
Available in 32mm and 35mm case sizes, the collection boasts a case thickness of only 9.1mm, with a slim, automatic in-house created movement boasting a power reserve of 42 hours. The watches come flanked with integrated leather strap.
Vanguard™ Lady Slim Skeleton
Franck Muller unveils the VanguardTM Lady Slim Skeleton featuring a slender in-house movement with the Vanguard series case and numerals.
Distinguished by its slim 9.1mm case, the timepiece exudes technical prowess by the brand by minimizing both case and movement thickness without compromising on precision or functionality. The automatic winding movement ensures a power reserve of 38 hours. The hand-polished skeleton movement can be seen through the dial that also features the distinctive Franck Muller numerals, seemingly suspended above the skeleton movement. These intricate numerals are manufactured at the Franck Muller dial factory in Les Bois.
Vanguard™ Damascus Carbon Skeleton
Franck Muller introduces the VanguardTM Carbone Damascus, inspired by the Damascus Steel pattern, this timepiece is crafted entirely from compressed carbon, renowned for its exceptional properties widely used in advanced industries like aeronautics, and features a skeletonised movement.
The making of the Carbone Damascus case undergoes a unique manufacturing process where coloured fibreglass sheets are rolled into a mould, infused with resin, and compressed at 200 degrees Celsius under 300 tons of pressure for 5 hours to ensure structural integrity.
Round Lady Skeleton Baguette
The Round Lady Skeleton Baguette, adorned with baguette diamonds, joins the brand’s Round collection. The timepiece is characterised by its sleek profile and subtle design, and the skeleton movement housed inside a 31mm case crafted in white gold or steel. Certain components, such as the mainplate and bridges, are also skeletonised to reveal the inner workings of the watch.
Master Lighter Franck Muller & S.T. Dupont
Franck Muller and S.T. Dupont jointly introduce the Master Lighter, an unconventional fusion of Haute Horlogerie and goldsmithing artistry. This lighter integrates a skeleton watch with a three-day power reserve, representing over two years of collaborative development and a first for both brands.
The skeleton watch, visible from both sides, is intricately integrated into the lighter's mechanism, achieving an extraordinary technical accomplishment. The front face of the lighter boasts central hands indicating hours and minutes, with a sunburst and lacquered dial crafted in the traditional Franck Muller style. Notably, the hands' axis traverses the lighter, passing through the centre of the gas reservoir. On the opposite face, the skeleton movement of the watch is displayed. Additionally, a second dial, mirroring the front face, is revealed behind the mechanical components of the skeleton movement.
The Master Lighter collection is limited to 88 units per shade, comprising four lighters completed with Franck Muller's iconic numerals. The variants include - White, featuring a silver sunburst dial; Blue, echoing Franck Muller's signature hue; Black, distinguished by luminova-applied numerals; and Color Dream, featuring vibrant coloured numerals on the front and a specially crafted aluminium skeleton movement on the back.
Also Read: 15 Minutes With: Erol Baliyan, Managing Director, Franck Muller, Middle East, Africa, and India
Long Island Evolution
Introduced in 2000, the Long Island was initially a three-hand watch, featuring a rounded rectangular case paying homage to the Art Deco era, which quickly gained popularity among collectors. This year, Franck Muller introduces a new evolution to the Long Island case, retaining its original silhouette while adding an inner bezel to secure the movement.
The Long Island Evolution series presents three timepieces with unique movements:
Long Island Evolution Master Jumper: This model, a limited edition of 100, features a triple jumping complication, displaying hours, minutes, and a date through jumping discs for instant readability and futuristic aesthetics.
Long Island Evolution Giga Tourbillon: The watch features a 20mm tourbillon cage, one of the largest and most visible ever designed. It is limited to 8 pieces.
Long Island Evolution 7 Days Power Reserve: The model boasts a skeletonised design giving a view of the movement that offers a whopping 7 days power reserve. The timepiece is a limited edition of 300.
Curvex CX Master Jumper
Franck Muller presents the Curvex CX Master Jumper, housing a newly developed manufactured movement that features jumping hours, jumping minutes, and jumping date complications. Because of the absence of hands, the jumping hours, minutes, and date are displayed through vertically and equidistantly arranged windows on the dial.
The shape of the 38mm case follows Franck Muller's signature style. The sapphire crystal extending from 12 to 6 o'clock seamlessly integrates with the strap, providing clear visibility of the dial and accentuating the watch's curves.
Inspired by the "Clous de Paris" pattern, the dial features pyramid shapes that create reflections, adding depth and dimension to the timepiece. The timepiece is available in various material options, including titanium and platinum.
Curvex CX Grand Central Tourbillon Skeleton
The Curvex CX Grand Central Skeleton Tourbillon features a central tourbillon amidst the skeletonised design. Supported by four bridges, the skeleton body creates a suspended illusion, showcasing the movement's gears and offering a visual depth. The central tourbillon is treated with two-tone finishes.
The in-house movement ensures precise chronometry with a 5-day power reserve. The case design complements the tourbillon's visibility. The sapphire glass extends to the integrated strap, offering protection and magnification of the dial.
Curvex CX Flash
Franck Muller introduces the Curvex CX Flash, projecting a futuristic design. There’s the granular textured dial achieved through laser machining, promoting maximum light absorption, and a central glass element adds depth to the dial.
Housed in a curved case with sapphire glass extending to the textile strap, the Curvex CX ensures optimal visibility of the dial. The strap is available in various colours matching the dial indices. Advanced composites like PMMA are used for the indices, a translucent material with luminescent properties enhanced with fluorescent additives, absorbing and re-emitting light to achieve fluorescence. Thin, luminova-coated hands enable time readability at low light conditions.
The timepiece is also available in the Chronograph and Grand Date Chronograph versions, where the latter features an open-worked dial showcasing movement intricacies.
Cintrée Curvex™ Imperial Tourbillon Baguette
Franck Muller presents the Cintrée CurvexTM Imperial Tourbillon Baguette crafted in rose gold or white gold. The watch is set with baguette-cut diamonds featuring a "suspended" tourbillon mechanism, eliminating the need for a visible bridge on the dial side. The tourbillon appears to float freely. Each component undergoes finishing techniques such as bevelling, circular graining, and sunburst brushing, enhancing the movement's character.
Images: Courtesy Brand
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