Franck Muller is a watchmaking model that goes its personal means. Whereas Geneva would possibly remodel into the proverbial city sq. each April, within the village of Genthod, barely 6km away, Franck Muller’s Domaine du Grand Malagny property presents a spot of bucolic calm and a much less frenetic mode of partaking with newly launched timepieces. And on the five-day World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie held on the property, there was a lot to see and admire, beginning with greater than 20 new references throughout Franck Muller’s most distinguished collections – together with Vanguard, Lengthy Island, Spherical, Cintrée Curvex, and Curvex CX – in addition to the brand new Imperium silhouette. Collectively, the novelties solidify the model’s status because the Grasp of Problems and reveal its audacious technical and design philosophy.
A powerful contender for probably the most arresting timepiece on show was the Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton (learn extra elsewhere on this subject, particularly the characteristic on skeletonised and openworked watches). Notable for its daring building, the 43.4mm by 52.1mm watch includes a absolutely see-through 22.4mm-thick tonneau case that homes the Revolution 3 tri-axial tourbillon, a complication pioneered by the model, involving three concentric cages every rotating on a definite axis and with its personal interval of rotation. In a primary for Franck Muller’s timepieces, the motion (right here the in-house MVT FM 2031-VS skeletonised calibre, with 10 days of energy reserve from two barrels) is affixed on to the caseback, a design alternative that necessitated a reconfiguration of the bridges, barrels and equipment practice for improved stability and visible readability.
Equally enigmatic is the Grasp Jumper Skeleton that’s now supplied in each the Curvex CX case form and within the Lengthy Island Evolution case form (learn extra elsewhere on this subject, particularly the characteristic on jumping-hour watches). The triple-jumping complication, one other Franck Muller invention, debuted in 2024, and helps three synchronised leaping indications: for the hour, minutes and date (with their respective apertures helpfully labelled), displayed throughout 5 discs shifting in a rigorously choreographed sequence that’s intuitive, legible and modern.
The bevy of 2026 novelties additionally included a quantity that introduced recent views to their predecessors from final yr. The most recent expression of Franck Muller’s Thriller idea, with typical watch arms changed by concentric rotating discs, the Spherical Triple Thriller rapidly chases its debut in 2025 with new interpretations that broaden on the visible vocabulary of including a 3rd disc to mark the seconds and three triangle-cut treasured gems performing as pointers or indicators. The MVD 2800-TMY self-winding motion drives all three independently rotating discs, backed up by 42 hours of energy reserve.
Ample alternatives for adornment give this yr’s Spherical Triple Thriller novelties inventive vary. The place final yr spherical diamonds lined the Spherical Triple Thriller’s case and dial, this yr the Spherical Triple Thriller explores totally different combos of baguette-cut gems, gems of numerous colors, and openworked design. The Baguette execution is invisibly set with 48 baguette-cut diamonds on the case and one other 139 on the dial. The Rainbow includes 360 round-cut sapphires, rubies, amethysts and tsavorites organized in a steady gradient, which traces up completely at 10:10, plus a variation of this design utilizing baguette-cut variations of the identical colored gems set invisibly to focus on the purity of the gems. The Skeleton showcases the structure of the motion, with bridges, gears and levers completed to reinforce visible lightness. The gasket on the again is omitted to afford a view of the motion from one other perspective, whereas the motion is supported by a completely clear sapphire casing ring machined from a stable block of artificial sapphire. A case set with 120 brilliant-cut diamonds, plus the choice of brilliant-cut diamonds adorning the skeletonised hour and minute discs, spotlight the lightness of the development.
The brand new Curvex CX Grand Central Tourbillon Baguette has its rose-gold tonneau case and dial solely invisible-set with baguette-cut diamonds totalling 25.22ct (and with the diamond-set bracelet included, that brings the entire diamond weight to 49.79ct), together with a diamond-set inside bezel, and edge-to-edge sapphire crystal. The tip result’s a wristwatch that seems to be made fully with out metals, and visually centered on the tourbillon that sits on the coronary heart of the composition. It could appear to be a easy easy transfer to shift the tourbillon to the center, nevertheless it truly requires rethinking the gear practice structure altogether in addition to the time show, since a traditional handset managed by a central pinion can not be used. That is resolved by having the hour and minute indicators stacked across the tourbillon cage, whose bridge signifies the seconds by its personal rotation. The MVT FM CX 36T-CTR in-house self-winding motion, with an off-centre micro-rotor and 4 days of energy reserve, underpins the entire operation.
Additionally a continuation of a design set in movement in 2025, the brand new Vanguard Girl Loopy Hours Jisbar restricted version succeeds the inaugural collaboration between Franck Muller and the French modern artist Jean-Baptiste Launay, who goes by Jisbar and is thought for his road artwork and pop artwork, in addition to multiformat collaborations spanning style, vehicles and even house home equipment. The Vanguard Loopy Hours Jisbar of 2025 got here in a case product of carbon, stainless-steel, titanium, black titanium, or rose gold, that includes Jisbar’s graffiti-inspired tackle every numeral, in a extra assertive V43 case, and a black dial with an identical strap.
Now, the Vanguard Girl Loopy Hours Jisbar includes a reimagined set of a dozen numerals, 32mm by 42.3mm instances in rose gold or stainless-steel, a dial handled with 25 layers of white lacquer for a wealthy shiny impact, a closed caseback engraved with Jisbar’s signature, and a white strap of alligator leather-based and rubber. Franck Muller’s emblematic Loopy Hours is unquestionably the perfect counterpart to Jisbar’s irreverent artwork fashion, by matching its playful vitality with the seemingly random motion of the hour hand. Studying the numerals presents its personal challenges, involving elimination, inventive interpretation, and even some maths – the sq. root of 25 being positioned on the typical 9 o’clock place is a pleasant brainteaser, including an entire different layer of that means to the phrase ‘complication’.
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