A fusion of art and technology. Introducing the charm of FRANCK MULLER and its classic models.

Franck Muller is popular for its artistic designs that are recognizable to anyone who sees them. With its original case shapes and picturesque dials, Franck Muller overturns the conventional wisdom of Swiss luxury watches in every way. Although the design of Franck Muller’s watches tends to attract attention, the revolutionary complications of his watches are also worth paying attention to. In this issue, we introduce the appeal of Franck Muller, the revolutionary mechanical watchmaker, and its classic models!

About Franck Muller

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Franck Muller (FRANCK MULLER) was founded in 1992. A luxury watch brand founded by genius watchmaker Franck Muller and jeweler Vartan Schirmakes. They surprise the public with their artistic tonneau-shaped wristwatches, while incorporating the world’s first complicated mechanisms that they develop one after another. With products that are both functional and artistic in design, the brand has established a position that rivals that of renowned, long-established Swiss manufacturers, even though it has only been a little over 20 years since the brand was launched.

Founder Franck Muller, the “second coming of Breguet” watchmaker

Franck Muller was born in 1958 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the center of the watch industry. In 1975, he entered the Ecole d’horlogerie de Genève (Geneva Watchmaking School). He earned credits in only one year, instead of three years. He graduated with honors, including the highest award.

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Mr. Fran ck Muller

Frank Muller’s origins on the second floor of the bakery

After graduation, he converted the second floor of his bakery into a custom watchmaking shop. Already renowned for his outstanding technical skills, Franck Muller was inundated with requests from prominent collectors and museums to repair rare watches such as Patek Philippe.
In 1983, Franck Muller came up with an idea that went beyond the norm: to incorporate complications into wristwatches that had previously only been available in pocket watches. In 1983, he came up with an idea that went beyond the norm: to incorporate a complication mechanism into a wristwatch. Since then, the company has produced more than 30 wristwatches with tourbillons and other complications. He has been releasing the world’s first complications every year, including many new patents, and has earned his reputation as a genius watchmaker. The current brand ” Franck Muller ” was born in 1992. The predecessor of the brand was Tecno Watch, which he established in a friendly relationship with Mr. Vartan Sirmaques, a jeweler and case maker.

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“Watch Land”, the manufacturing site of Franck Muller, located in the quiet village of “Gentou”, not far from the city center of Geneva, Switzerland.

The roots of Franck Muller’s watch design, ” Tonneau Curvex

The “Tonneau Curvex (CINTREE CURVEX)” collection was developed at the same time as the brand’s birth in 1992, and since then its case design has become a symbol of Franck Muller. The tonneau-shaped case is a completely new design inspired by the Art Deco style of the 1920s, but blended with a modern essence. The use of a unique cubic curve creates a perfectly balanced gentle curvature from all sides of the case. In addition, its unique artistic quality is enhanced by an avant-garde dial design that is reminiscent of a painting.

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Until the Tonneau Curvex, it was considered an unspoken rule that luxury watches had to be “thin. In fact, it was possible to make smaller and thinner round watches in any number of ways, but Franck Muller believed that thin was not always enough for a tonneau-shaped watch. He envisioned that a tonneau-shaped case would only be complete if it had a certain thickness. This aesthetic sense, which is not bound by any preconceived notions, can be said to be Franck Muller’s talent.

As mentioned above, Mr. Franck Muller had the opportunity to see many vintage watches through antique watch repair. Through this experience, he has been able to incorporate designs inspired by antique watch dials, such as classic Breguet numerals and Byzantine numerals.

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Casablanca,” the model that made Franck Muller known to the world

Since its foundation, Franck Muller has been making wristwatches in precious metals such as gold and platinum, and the Casablanca, born in 1994 as a traveler’s watch, is a model that uses stainless steel for the case material, and has become an “affordable dream” for ordinary people. The Casablanca watch, which uses stainless steel for the case material, has gained tremendous support from the general public as a watch that is “affordable and desirable.

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Named after the American movie “Casablanca,” which represented the 1920s, this model was not intended to be a low-cost version, but was said to be made of strong stainless steel for casual use on holidays and vacations. In addition to the stainless steel case, the Casablanca is the first Franck Muller watch to feature a “nocturnal dial” that allows the wearer to check the time in the dark, a feature that suggests that the watch was intended to be more practical. As a result, this Casablanca greatly expanded the buying base of Franck Muller and dramatically increased the brand’s name recognition.

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Franck Muller’s sports model “Conquistador” that evolved the tonneau-shaped case

Based on the successful Casablanca, the Conquistador was born in 1998. This model, which means “conquistador” in Spanish, represents Franck Muller’s desire to open up a new era that has not yet been explored, like Francisco Pizarro, Hernan Cortes, and other invaders who broke new ground. The design of the Casablanca is similar to that of the Tonneau Curvex in that it is based on the Tonneau Curvex, but its most distinctive feature is that it has a dynamic volume by adding steps to the bezel part and a double structure. While inheriting the inspiration of the Tonneau Curvex, the overwhelming presence and functional beauty of the Conquistador are truly ” Conquistador ” itself.

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Incidentally, Conquistador once produced a model based on the image of Japan, named “Conquistador Rising Sun. The motif of this watch is the Japanese symbol “Hinomaru” (rising sun), and the gradation of crimson indexes is a distinctive feature of this watch, as if to represent the rising sun. If a Japanese person had created this watch with Japan in mind, he or she would never have arrived at this design. It is an interesting model that offers a glimpse of Franck Muller’s unique interpretation.

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Franck Muller is known for this dial! The iconic and popular “Long Island

As soon as it was released in 2000, the ” Long Island ” became a popular collection representing Franck Muller. The beautifully calculated silhouette of the Byzantine letters while drawing to the limits of the dial, the spade-shaped hour and minute hands that feel classic and somewhat fairy-tale-like, and the beautiful oval-shaped scale that seems to draw a contrast with the Byzantine letters, not a few people may think of this design when they think of Franck Muller. I am sure that there are many people who think of this design when they think of Franck Muller.

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This design, which symbolizes Franck Muller, was greatly influenced by the Novecento style that dominated the world in the 1920s and 1930s, which emphasized the classics, and was designed by adding the contemporary Art Deco style to it. The Curvex shape, with its curved form that follows the wrist, also ended up being a mere fashion watch that was fragile in the 1920s. Franck Muller’s latest technology has succeeded in making the watch waterproof and dustproof so that it can be used in daily life without any problems.

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Typical complications developed by Franck Muller

Tourbillon” that automatically corrects errors

The tourbillon mechanism itself was invented more than 200 years ago and was incorporated into pocket watches of the time. The balance, which serves as the escape wheel and pendulum, is housed in a special cage to enhance precision, and the watch itself compensates for errors caused by gravity. In 1983, Mr. Franck Muller redeveloped this special mechanism, which was originally intended only for pocket watches. In 1983, Mr. Franck Muller redeveloped this special mechanism, which was originally intended for pocket watches, and succeeded in transferring it to the small wristwatch. The tourbillon is one of the most revolutionary new mechanisms ever introduced by Mr. Franck Muller, and has become synonymous with the brand.

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“Gigatourbillon” collection with the world’s largest tourbillon mechanism with a diameter of 20mm

The “minute repeater,” which tells the time with a sound.

The minute repeater is synonymous with the function incorporated into ultra-premium mechanical watches. It was the young Mr. Franck Muller who first equipped his wristwatches with this complication. This mechanism divides the time into hour, quarter-hour, and minute increments, each of which emits a different tone. Franck Muller’s models with minute repeater are equipped with a slide button on the side of the case that, when moved, activates two hammers that strike a thin ring to produce a chime that tells the time. Furthermore, only Franck Muller can offer a safety system that prevents malfunctions. The minute repeater has its roots in the bells of churches, which signal the time of worship, and in clock towers, which symbolize national culture. Franck Muller’s concept was to make the bell that rings for the people ring for its sole owner.

Retrograde display,” in which the hands move in a fan-like motion

Retrograde, meaning “retrograde” in French, was originally incorporated into a pocket watch developed in the 19th century. In 1992, Franck Muller introduced the ” Calibre 92 “, the first wristwatch to feature this retrograde display, and at the time it was considered the most complicated wristwatch in the world. It was called the wristwatch with the most complicated mechanism in the world at that time.

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What is even more remarkable about Franck Muller is that it incorporates in a single wristwatch various mechanisms that are considered complicated, such as the tourbillon, minute repeater, retrograde display, and perpetual calendar with automatic calendar adjustment.

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The ” Aeternitas Mega 4,” with a total of 36 mechanisms, including a minute repeater and perpetual calendar. It encompasses almost every function imaginable in a mechanical watch. The price is approximately 360 million yen.

Introducing Franck Muller’s classic models

Franck Muller ” Long Island

This model made its debut in 2000 and has become a symbol of Franck Muller’s collection. Long Island” is the name of an island in southeastern New York where many of the wealthy had their homes in the 1920s. The design is inspired by the former luxury and classic Novecento style. The large, elegant case is curved to follow the wrist for a superb fit. A timepiece that will brighten up any dressed-up wrist.

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Franck Muller “Casablanca

The ” Casablanca ” was Franck Muller’s first stainless steel case and made the brand famous. The elegance of the tonneau-shaped case and the simplicity of the design for this brand create a calm atmosphere. And Casablanca’s greatest appeal lies in its dial, which is designed to age well. By daring not to apply a UV treatment to the surface of the dial, the “burn” of use over time gives it an exquisite antique look. This is a gem with tricks to ensure that it can be used for many years without getting tired of it.

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Franck Muller “CONQUISTADOR GRAND PRIX CORTEZ

The ” Conquistador Grand Prix ” collection was created in 2009 as a tribute to the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. This wristwatch seems to embody strength and masculinity, which are distinctly different from the elegant and delicate image of Franck Muller. Despite having the same Byzantine dial as the other models, it has a powerful presence that reminds us of how different the impression can be.

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Franck Muller “CINTRÉE CURVEX

Franck Muller’s first mass-produced collection, founded in 1992. Designed by the young Mr. Franck Muller, the case created a sensation. The dial, which is not too assertive, is still highly popular after more than 20 years.

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