Franck Muller unveils new timepiece for 30th anniversary

Geneva watchmaker Franck Muller is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new limited-edition watch. “Crazy Hours Limited Edition” pieces will be included in the brand’s signature “Crazy Hours” collection.

The Crazy Hours Limited Edition timepiece impresses by combining several iconic Muller symbols, including its recognized “Dream of Color” numerals, holographic numerals and the unique Crazy Hours complication.

Featuring the brand’s signature curved Cintree Curvex case profile, the Crazy Hours 30th Anniversary watch will evoke the owner’s emotions through its “ingenious and complex” mechanism and luxurious dial. Two versions show an 18k rose gold case, while the remaining two versions are silver.

The Crazy Hours collection is the most emblematic collection of Franck Muller timepieces. The decorative dial of the Crazy Hours watch is decorated with non-traditional numerals, offering an impressive mechanical movement that is easily read by the hour hand, which jumps amazingly from one hour to the next in the correct sequence. The minute hand follows the traditional 60-minute flow.

For the 30th Anniversary Edition, the limited-edition timepiece showcases a redesigned dial with each hour numeral off-center: a timepiece that creates wearable art. The number 30, representing 30 years of watchmaking, takes centre stage and is decorated with 20 hand-set brilliant-cut diamonds.

The Crazy Hours Limited Edition comes in four different versions in royal blue, burgundy and white with hand-painted fantasy numbers, and is available in three different sizes: 5850, 7880 and 8880. This eye-catching timepiece is also water-resistant up to 30m.

Franck Muller Vanguard Classic can take you from boardroom to beach

Fans of Franck Muller will know that there is something for everyone in the Vanguard collection. With more than 30 different models in its current collection, including chronographs, tourbillons and skeleton movements, the independent watchmaker ensures that wherever you want to take your watch, you’ll find a piece with wide curves to suit you.

Despite the wide range of options, each reference evokes a specific lifestyle to which each watch fits, whether for an international currency mover or someone who enjoys spending time on the deck of a yacht. However, when it comes to the Franck Muller Vanguard Classic, the clean design may best speak to those who prefer a less cluttered approach to watchmaking.

With the Franck Muller Vanguard Classic reference V45 SC DT TT NR BR NR, you get the same concave caseback as all members of the Vanguard family, wrapping intuitively around the contours of your wrist, but on the dial side you get an eye-catching The sight is not overwhelming.

The bold Arabic numerals are a rich ruby ​​color, set against the lightly patterned black dial, taking up most of the dial space without any competition from the chronograph sub-dial or the exposed tourbillon aperture.

The same striking red appears in the dial text and the circles around the hand stacks, as well as the obvious crown and strap stitching, creating a strong visual contrast with the rest of the watch. This contrast conveys a statement without overdoing it with too much color, which works well on the wrist.

Like all fake men watches in the collection, one of the most striking features of the Franck Muller Vanguard Classic compared to the others is the pronounced curve of the case, which makes the watch very comfortable to wear. In this reference, the black case is brushed horizontally (except for the vertically brushed caseback), which provides some nice visual texture and complements the horizontal dial pattern.

It’s legible, easy to wear, and finished to the high standards you’d expect from such a respected watchmaker. Overall, the Franck Muller Vanguard Classic is an eye-catching case, a comfortable sports watch that easily straddles the divide between a seaside resort and a boardroom, and anywhere in between.

Richard Mille presents RM 50-04 Kimi Raikkönen

Tourbillon and split-seconds chronograph.

With the development of complications, the RM 50 is the ultimate example of Richard Mille, combining a tourbillon and a split-seconds chronograph. Inherited from 2003’s RM008 (one of the brand’s foundational models), this top-of-the-line complication has now received a new livery for Finnish Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkönen (for the Alfa Romeo team).

Introduced at the start of the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix, the RM 50-04 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Kimi Raikkönen is bulky, lightweight and complex in a red, white and black colour combination, identical to the livery on the race car Alfa Romeo C38 One Formula One.

While it has tons of detail and color, the dial is actually pretty easy to decipher.

The two chronograph subdials are at six o’clock and nine o’clock. The sector indicator at 11 o’clock is the power reserve, and the torque indicator is mirrored to the right. This indicates the air volume of the mainspring, ideally between 53Nmm and 65Nmm; “Nmm” is an abbreviation for Newton Millimeter. At three o’clock is the power reserve indicator.

Made from a variety of lightweight carbon composite materials, the case is large, like other top Richard Mille wholesale complications – 44.5mm in diameter and 16.1mm in height. The front and rear panels are white Quartz TPT and the middle is Carbon TPT.

Both composites are manufactured by Swiss lightweight composite specialist North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT), Richard Mille’s preferred material supplier. The composite is made from laminated carbon fiber layers, which are then put into a liquid polymer and baked in an autoclave, an oven that cooks the material at high pressure and high temperature to set it.

Mechanically, the new watch is identical to the 2017 RM 50-03 McLaren F1, with the same hand-wound movement inside. Like most complex Richard Mille movements, the RM 50-03 is manufactured by Renaud & Papi, the Audemars Piguet Manufacture.

Like the case, the movement relies on modern materials for lightness: the bridges and base plate are titanium, while some chronograph bridges are carbon composite. The large X-shaped bridges that hold the movement to the strap are also carbon composite.

Despite the modern materials and styling, the movement is traditional in construction, with two column wheels – one for the chronograph and the other for the split-seconds – and a pair of split-second wheels clip.

Diameter: 44.5mm
Height: 16.1mm
Material: Carbon Composite
Water resistance: 50m

Movement: RM 50-04
Functions: Time, Tourbillon, Split-Seconds Chronograph, Power Reserve Display, Torque and Crown Function Indicator Winding
: Manual winding
Frequency: 21,600 beats/hour or 3 Hz
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Synthetic Fiber