Baselworld/SIHH

SJX
[Purist]
8540

• Show profile
• Show other posts

SIHH 2010: Franck Muller

Three years ago Franck Muller showcased a prototype of the Aeternitas Mega 4, which it says is the most complicated wristwatch ever made. That’s an overused and much debated title, but this watch is certainly a strong contender.

This year, at the complex of chateaux in Genthod known as Watchland, Franck Muller displayed the third working production Aeternitas Mega 4. The first two have been sold, one to an American and the other to a Japanese collector.

The Aeternitas Mega 4 is the Avatar of watchmaking. It is the largest and most expensive watch I encountered (though there was apparently a $10 million dollar diamond-set Vacheron floating around Palexpo but I could not lay my hands on it). This piece was actually working; I activated the chronograph and repeater just to be sure. The chimes were muffled, unsurprising given the size of the watch, but pleasant sounding.

Created by an old watchmaker of the old school, Pierre-Michel Golay, who created the automatic grande sonnerie wristwatch for Mr Gerald Genta, the Aeternitas Mega 4 contains a rattrapante chronograph, grande et petite sonnerie with Westminster Carillon, a 1000 year perpetual calendar, equation of time, two additional time zones and a tourbillon.

That leaves it with 7 pushers, 99 jewels and over 1400 components. To accommodate all that, the Cintree Curvex case is an ungodly 42 by 61 mm and almost 20 mm high. The movement is a sprawling but attractive expanse of levers and wheels; it bears the aesthetics and finish of a classical Geneva movement in many of its parts.

In addition to the Avatar watch, Franck Muller did show several new models. One is a new Master Banker in a massive 9880 size case. The Master Banker is a classic Franck Muller watch and almost iconic for the brand. This new version is almost as large as the Aeternitas Mega but nowhere near as thick.

Another new release is the Conquistador Grand Prix tourbillon, contained in a case crafted from titanium and Ergal, an extra-hard aluminium alloy, though it is also available in gold.

In titanium and Ergal  

Rose gold and titanium

Ergal can be anodised in various colours and one of them is a bright, electrifying red. Red, when found in watchmaking, is typically enamel, ceramic, carbon fibre or some plastic, all of which have a different tone from anodised metallic red. The red Ergal case retains the shine and grain of the metal yet is extremely vivid.

Titanium and red Ergal  

I don’t the look of the Grand Prix watches, the dials is much too busy and confused, except for the red version which is extraordinary because of its striking coloured case. With the red watch you forget what the dial looks like.

To round it off Franck Muller also showed several new ladies’ jewellery timepieces from the Infinity collection. They are all quartz and available in a multitude of colours and motifs, including several animal-themed patterns. These are exactly the kind of watch that particular target market wants.