Franck Muller

Franck Muller has been treating the watch world to his creations since 1983. A trained master watchmaker from the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Muller has always sought to produce timepieces unlike any other. In doing so, he has managed to bring a breath of fresh air into the watch industry while also honoring the traditions of "haute horlogerie."

For example, Muller has tasked himself with regularly releasing watches featuring complications never before seen in a wristwatch. This has led to a string of "world premieres" like the first watch with a tourbillon visible from the front. Other groundbreaking Franck Muller timepieces include the Triple Axis Tourbillon, a tourbillon with a minute repeater, and the Giga Tourbillon with a 20-mm tourbillon.

As a company, Franck Muller has earned its reputation as the "Master of Complications" – not least of all because they have produced the world's most complicated wristwatch. Known as the Aeternitas Mega, this impressive timepiece houses 36 complications built from a total of 1,483 components. Like every Franck Muller watch, each individual component was developed and manufactured in house. Another testament to Muller and his team's ingenuity is the Crazy Hours collection. These watches are far from conventional. The hour numerals appear strewn around the dial in no particular order. However, thanks to a sophisticated mechanism, the hour hand always jumps to the correct numeral and accurately displays the time.

One feature shared by many Franck Muller watches is a barrel-shaped case. The cases are also slightly domed, enabling them to perfectly hug the wrist. Specially designed Arabic numerals that seem to dance around the dial are another hallmark of this Genevan brand.

Franck Muller's catalog is immense, resulting in a wide range of prices. For example, you can purchase a simple two-hand women's watch with a gold-plated stainless steel case for as little as 3,000 USD. Modest men's models in stainless steel come with mechanical in-house movements and cost between 5,700 and 7,500 USD. If you're looking for a watch with a chronograph function, expect prices ranging from 6,800 to 9,200 USD.

The more complicated the watch, the higher the price. A timepiece that combines a tourbillon with a perpetual calendar will set you back between 55,000 and 70,000 USD. The same watch with diamonds or other precious stones can easily command upwards of 110,000 USD. However, that is still well below the upper end of Franck Muller's price range. Highly complicated masterpieces like the Aeternitas Mega 4 regularly demand well over the 2 million USD mark.

This collection gets its name from its case shape. Like most watches from this Swiss manufacturer, the Cintrée Curvex has a tonneau (or barrel-shaped) case with ergonomic doming.

The Cintrée Curvex is home to a wide range of models. Options range from timepieces with intricate skeletonization and diamonds to chronographs and highly complicated watches with a perpetual calendar, tourbillon, moon phase display, and minute repeater.

Prices start around 23,000 USD for models like the Cintrée Curvex Double Retrograde Day & Night. This watch comes with two retrograde hour displays that also double as a day/night indicator – the upper retrograde display represents the hours from 6 AM to 6 PM, while the lower display covers the hours from 6 PM to 6 AM. Be sure to have an additional 5,700 USD on hand for the Cintrée Curvex Perpetual Calendar Moonphase. As its name implies, this edition features a perpetual calendar and a moon phase display. Cintrée Curvex watches with a chronograph, skeletonized case, or large date, demand between 34,000 and 41,000 USD. Especially complicated timepieces like the Cintrée Curvex Perpetual Calendar Chronograph change hands for anywhere from 55,000 to 120,000 USD, depending on the exact model.

Master Banker, Conquistador, and Casablanca

If you like the general look of Cintrée Curvex watches but could do without the intricate complications, you may prefer the Casablanca collection. These timepieces have the same case and dial design as their more complex brethren but feature only central hour, minute, and second hands, as well as a date display at 6 o'clock. Models with a white or rose gold case and black or white dial exude an especially classic feel. Franck Muller also offers less traditional Casablanca watches. These editions feature a stainless steel case with a black coating, a black dial, and numerals in your choice of bright red, yellow, blue, or green. Paired with a matching leather strap, the final result is fresh and modern.

A polished stainless steel Casablanca requires an investment of only 3,900 USD. Prices for more colorful models start around 6,300 USD. Casablanca watches with a chronograph are the most expensive at between 6,500 and 9,200 USD.

The Cintrée Curvex Conquistador is a close cousin of the Casablanca. However, you can tell these watches apart by their case designs. While the Casablanca's domed sapphire crystal and case meld together seamlessly, the Conquistador's crystal is surrounded by a bezel. The result is a two-tiered look and a more hefty overall appearance. In terms of case material, this model is available in stainless steel, rose gold, or white gold. Prices vary by edition and range from 5,700 to 7,500 USD. Franck Muller also produces a version of the Conquistador with a GMT function for roughly 9,600 USD.

Another barrel-shaped series of Franck Muller watches is the Cintrée Curvex Master Banker. Unlike the Casablanca and the Conquistador, these timepieces feature two subdials in addition to their conventional time displays. Each subdial can display the time in a different time zone. While the subdials are always located at 6 and 12 o'clock, the date display sits at either 3 o'clock or 7:30, depending on the exact model. The Cintrée Curvex Master Banker comes in your choice of gold or stainless steel and costs between 9,200 and 12,000 USD. There's also the Master Banker Lunar with a moon phase display. Prices for this model range from 13,000 to 18,000 USD.

At first glance, the Cintrée Curvey Crazy Hours appears no different from its sister models. However, upon closer inspection, you'll realize that the dial's numerals are not in the correct order. For example, 1 comes after 8, 7 after 2, and 5 after 12. Despite the apparent chaos, the watch is still able to display the correct time. The in-house caliber features a highly sophisticated mechanism that makes sure the hour hand always points to the correct numeral. Otherwise, the minute hand rotates as usual.

The Crazy Hours is available in a wide variety of colors, including versions with a red, blue, or green dial. In the case of the Crazy Color Dreams, it's the hour numerals that stand out in bright colors against a white dial. In turn, the Totally Crazy Hours features a central pointer date. Franck Muller completes each watch's stylish look with a matching leather strap.

If you decide to purchase a Crazy Hours watch, be prepared to spend anywhere from 15,000 to 34,000 USD.

The Aeternitas Mega 4 is Franck Muller's pièce de résistance. The manufacturer crafts its 42 x 61-mm tonneau case out of white gold or platinum and packs it with an impressive 36 complications. Among the numerous complications are a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph, and a perpetual calendar. You'll also encounter both a petite and grande sonnerie, a moon phase display, and a tourbillon visible from the front. Features like a second time zone, equation of time, and day/night indicator are a given. All of this functionality makes the Aeternitas Mega 4 the world's most complicated wristwatch ever produced.

Of course, all that complexity comes at a price. This watchmaking masterpiece requires an investment of over 3.10 million USD. However, Franck Muller also offers more budget-friendly options like the Aeternitas 1 Tourbillon. This model "only" has a tourbillon and costs around 92,500 USD.

Fans of sporty and modern watches should take a closer look at the Franck Muller {model-2046,Vanguard} collection. While clearly related to the Cintrée Curvex, there are a few differences that help make Vanguard timepieces truly unique. For example, their domed cases lack any visible lugs. The different models are available in rose gold, white gold, black-coated titanium, or carbon. Each comes with a band that appears to flow straight out of the case – an effect heightened by grooves in the case sides. Another feature unique to the Vanguard are its stylized numerals. Each numeral is polished, brushed, and applied by hand.

The Vanguard Classical has the most traditional design. It is a simple three-hand watch with a date display at 6 o'clock. The version with a black-coated titanium case costs roughly 6,600 USD. The same watch in rose gold changes hands for about 11,500 USD.

If you're looking for something with a more nautical design, you may enjoy the Vanguard Yachting series. Each watch has a blue sunburst dial, blue textile strap, and an applied compass rose in the middle of the dial. There's also a crown guard that occupies the entire right side of the white or rose gold case, lending these timepieces their sporty look. You can choose from simple three-hand models, chronographs, or versions with a prominent tourbillon. Prices depend on the exact model and range from 13,000 to 70,000 USD.

Gravity and Skeleton

Those interested in skeleton watches should check out the Vanguard Skeleton and Vanguard Gravity lines. Both come with an intricately skeletonized in-house caliber and a tourbillon. Sapphire crystal on the front and back provide the wearer with an unobstructed view of the mechanisms within.

The Gravity models are particularly impressive. Their tourbillons occupy almost the entire lower third of the movement. What's more, the tourbillon's cage is coated with colorful lacquer. A matching set of hands indicate the time on the watch's upper third.

Depending on the material and functionality, a Vanguard Gravity can cost anywhere from 65,000 to 110,000 USD. Vanguard Skeleton watches offer a more affordable alternative at between 23,000 and 35,000 USD.

Even though Franck Muller is most famous for their barrel-shaped watches, this Genevan manufacturer also offers watches in other shapes. For example, the {model-516,Long Island} collection is home to timepieces with rectangular cases reminiscent of the Cartier Tank. Fans of square cases should turn to the {model-518,Master Square} series. Finally, the Round collection contains a range of round timepieces.

A majority of the watches in these three collections are geared toward fans of two and three-hand timepieces. However, a few models do contain complications found in Franck Muller's barrel-shaped watches. These include chronographs, tourbillons, perpetual calendars, "crazy hours," and the Master Banker complication with three time zones.

These watches cover a wide range of prices. For example, you can purchase a stainless steel Master Square for as little as 5,900 USD. On the other hand, models with complications or gemstones can demand upwards of 46,000 USD.

Franck Muller completed his training at the Geneva School of Watchmaking (Ecole d'Horlogerie de Genève) in the early 1980s. He then went on to work under independent watchmaker Svend Andersen, where he gained experience with highly complicated timepieces and began producing his own designs. In 1984, he created his very first wristwatch with a tourbillon. This model was so well received that he started making timepieces for his customers, which he then marketed under the name "Franck Genève." Muller took his next major step in 1992 when he teamed up with the case manufacturers at Vartan Sirmakes to found the Franck Muller Group.

The company's headquarters – known as "Watchland" – are located in the small town of Genthod, just north of Geneva. Franck Muller also has production sites in Lajoux, Les Bois, Plan-les-Ouates, and Meyrin.