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p.boxster
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Ferdinand Berthoud FB1 Œuvre d‘or

After some days of ownership I want to give a small review of this exceptional timepiece and work of art, resp. Œuvre d‘art/or.
The FB1 Œuvre d‘or, ref. FB1.2-3:



The FB1 was the first watch of the modern launch of Ferdinand Berthoud in 2015. It won the „Aiguille d’or“ of the Grand Prix Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) as best watch in 2016.

The octagonal case is a reminescence of the Marine Chronometers Ferdinand Berthoud constructed in the 18th century. It features a constante force mechanism with fusée and chain combined with a tourbillon with a large balance wheel and Breguet-overcoil. The tourbillon is directly connected to a large central seconds hand.

The power reserve indicator is constructed in a classic way with a cone moving up and down and a lever which „scans“ the cone and indicates the power reserve, which reaches 53 hours. The watch is officially certified as a Chronometer which is quite rare for tourbillons.

All this is executed and finished to the maximum with sharp inward angles on the dial as well as the movement side.










The movement consists of 1120 pieces (!) of which 790 parts are for the chain alone!
The case has four „portholes“ on the side through which you can see the chain on the fusée and barrel as well as the cone mechanism for the power reserve indication:







All this is second to none imo but this „œuvre d‘or“-version even exceeds the „normal“ FB1 which was limited to 50 pieces for each iteration (white and rose gold). The œuvre d‘or is almost fully made of 18k gold as the name gives an idea. The dial is made of gold and patinated by hand to a velvety surface. The movement bridges are also made of gold and also hand decorated with a pyramid motive… Example for the dial was a Berthoud pocket watch which was executed in the same way - also with a handdecorated inscription.

The œuvre d‘or exists in three iterations of 5 pieces each: A rose gold version with rose gold dial (ref. FB1.2-1), a white gold version with a yellow gold dial (FB1.1-2) and the here shown rose gold version with a white gold dial (FB1.2-3).

I like this version most as the rose gold dial is a bit too much gold for my taste. The white gold dial is more harmonic imo and makes the dial look a bit more „quiet“ than the rose gold dial.

While the size seems large with 44mm, it doesn’t wear as large, as it has no lugs but a directly attached strap. The strap itself is also high-end as it is made of double-layered alligator, even on the inside.

So even for my small wrist, it wears perfectly and is a real joy to wear:



No detail is left to chance, as even the spokes of the gears are perfectly aligned when they meet on the dial… 🤩

Only downside may be a missing stop seconds mechanism for adjusting the watch to the second. BUT this is easy to solve: The watch stops due to a mechanism, before the power reserve ends and the constant force would lack. When winding, it immediately starts running with the first turn of the crown, so you just have to wind the watch in the moment the second hand shows the actual second! Afterwards you can adjust the time without the seconds stopping…

The nomenclature of the references is a bit confusing but there is a sense. The FB1 describes the octagonal case while FB2 describes the new round case. The second figure indicates the material (1 for white gold, 2 for rose gold). The third figure describes the iteration, that‘s why this one is the FB1.2-3 (third version of the octagonal rose gold model).

The latest model is the FB3 in a new round case with a new movement - not tourbillon and fusée/chain but with a cylindrical hairspring - also an interesting one.

I really enjoy wearing this special piece of art and realized more and more details the last days…