The limitless creativity of Franck Muller

[GENTHOD] At first glance, three of Franck Muller’s latest novelties – the Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton, Cintree Curvex Gatsby and Curvex CX Silhouette – appear to have nothing in common.

Yet, when we spoke to Franck Muller’s head of design, Jean-Loup Glenat, at the maison’s World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie in Genthod, Switzerland, in April, he revealed the trio’s common thread: a brand confident enough to pursue several creative ideas at once.

Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton

Built around the maison’s famed tri-axial tourbillon – a world-first complication introduced in 2004 – the Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton is the most technically ambitious of the trio.

Offered in stainless steel, rose gold or blackened titanium, with each version limited to just eight pieces worldwide, the watch houses the complication in a 43.4 by 52.1 mm tonneau case where it is visible from all four sides.

In a first for Franck Muller, the pared-back movement is mounted directly onto the case-back instead of the middle case. The design team approached the timepiece from an unconventional angle.

“We asked the engineers not to rework something existing, but to start from scratch and use as little material as possible,” Glenat shares.

The result is a layered, three-dimensional structure in which the twin barrels sit low within the movement, allowing the tri-axial tourbillon to take pride of place above them.

“It’s an architectural watch that strikes a fine balance between the movement and case,” he says.

However, realising the vision presented its own challenges. As the tourbillon extends beyond the height of the Vanguard case, a dome was integrated into the sapphire case-back to accommodate it without increasing the watch’s overall thickness.

SEE ALSO

MB&F goes back to the future with HM12 The Guardian

Franck Muller, Hublot and Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrate the Year of the Snake

Limited edition drops from Franck Muller, IWC and Bell & Ross

This solution also reveals the complication from an entirely different perspective: “The initial constraint proved to be an advantage that evolved into a unique design feature.”

With an impressive 10-day power reserve, the movement took two years to develop and proved especially demanding to finish as several components are made from titanium that is notoriously difficult to polish.

The tri-axial tourbillon comprises three concentric cages that rotate on different axes every minute, eight minutes and one hour, respectively, to counter the effects of gravity in multiple positions.

Cintree Curvex Gatsby

The ladies’ Cintree Curvex Gatsby reinterprets Franck Muller’s signature oversized numerals through an entirely new Art Deco-inspired typography.

Drawing on the glamour and sophistication of the Roaring Twenties, the watch pairs vintage influences with the elegant curves of the 29 by 39 mm Cintree Curvex case.

Rather than being applied individually, the numerals are laser-cut from a single brass plate to form an entire delicate frame that follows the slight curvature of the dial as well as the tonneau-shaped case.

Achieving the effect proved more challenging than it appears.

“In the initial technical drawings, the numerals were too thick and heavy, so we reworked them to be more elegant and feminine, while retaining the rigidity needed for production and assembly,” recalls Glenat.

The automatic watch pairs the graphic numerals with a stamped guilloche dial featuring a sunburst motif finished with 25 layers of lacquer.

The collection is available in six dial colours – pink, red, black, turquoise, white and blue – in rose gold and stainless steel references with or without diamond-set cases.

Curvex CX Silhouette

The Curvex CX Silhouette traces its origins to Franck Muller’s 2025 Year of the Snake watch, the asymmetrical Curvex CX case of which appears to be gently shaped by the serpent coiled within.

The timepiece proved too compelling to be a one-off, prompting the team to explore the idea further.

“The case had a very organic language, so we started looking at nature itself,” Glenat elaborates.

The inspiration eventually came from the veins found within stone and wood – natural patterns formed over millions of years and revealed when the material is split open.

Those flowing lines are echoed across the black lacquered dial, where polished metal and diamond-set channels sweep across the surface.

Glenat lets on that the team went through about 50 design iterations before it found the right balance between movement and elegance. To enhance the organic effect, the diamond sizes gradually vary along each curve.

“This isn’t a watch you’d typically expect from Franck Muller, and perhaps that’s exactly why it’s one of my favourites this year,” he says.

The 27 by 32.15 mm statement ladies’ timepiece is available in stainless steel or rose gold references, with or without a diamond-set case.