As bold as always
Franck Muller unveils a new watch case and pays tribute to Sincere Watches with a special timepiece
WHILE Franck Muller has produced round-case watches, it is better known for timepieces that come in the shape of a rectangle. And there are many variations of it.
The Long Island watches, first launched in 2000, feature a rounded rectangular case in a gentle curved form with short lugs. Arched numerals that are a throwback to the Art Deco era adorn the dial of the timepieces.
Nearly 25 years on, the Long Island case has evolved with a redesign and is given a new, more complex construction. The original’s outline is still there, but in the new Long Island Evolution, the model’s refined proportions are more pronounced, highlighting the curves, angles and fine lines of the Long Island.
An additional aluminium inner case – the outer case is titanium – is added to provide greater security and shock protection to the shaped movement driving the watch.
Franck Muller is among the few watchmakers who can develop movements fashioned to fit snugly in each case. While this is challenging to configure and engineer, it enables the shaped movement to fully utilise all of the case’s space, making the mechanism more appealing visually.
Long Island Evolution Master Jumping Complication
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Among the first timepieces to come in the new Long Island Evolution case is the triple jumping complication. The latest of another of Franck Muller’s new ways of telling time, the Long Island Evolution Master Jumping Complication is constructed with numerical displays for the hours, minutes and date.
The watch is one of the six finalists in the Men’s Complication category of this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve. The winners are to be announced next month.
Triple jumping displays are not new in high watchmaking, but they relate only to calendar functions in perpetual calendars. There has never been a watch with three numeral indications for the time and date functions together.
While jumping hour timepieces have been around since the 19th century, a full numerical display of time in a mechanical timepiece appeared only in 2009.
The Long Island Evolution Master Jumper goes one step further with a new vertical and equidistant jumping display. This comes in three windows which are lined in a column down the middle of the watch case, with the hours at the top, the minutes in the centre, and the date at 6 o’clock.
An innovative double barrel system was devised to provide the additional power needed to work the triple jumping mechanism.
Giga Tourbillon and 7 Days Power Reserve
Franck Muller’s Giga tourbillon movement, which flaunts a large 20 mm cage, is another complication to appear in the new Long Island Evolution case – all wrapped in sexy black to match the titanium case.
The tourbillon cage of the Long Island Evolution Giga Tourbillon takes up more than half of the entire movement; and the watch boasts four days’ power reserve. Two Super-LumiNova filled hands indicate the hours and minutes, with the oversized tourbillon doubling as a running seconds counter.
Rounding off the first series of the new Long Island Evolution collection is the Long Island Evolution 7 Days Power Reserve. A three-hand watch, it is powered by an open-worked handwound movement with a power reserve of seven days. The movement recalls the classic pocket watch movements, but it has been given a novel and bold makeover that fits the new Long Island Evolution case to a “T”.
Vanguard Damascus Steel Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition
The name says it all. Dedicated to Sincere Fine Watches on the retailer’s 70th anniversary, this 28-piece limited edition watch is crafted from Damascus steel.
No ordinary alloy, Damascus steel – which comes from Damascus, a city in Syria – is known for its incredible strength and distinctive layered pattern.
Almost the entire Vanguard Damascus Steel Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition watch – the case, open-worked movement, crown and buckle – is cut by CNC machines from a single block of the high-quality steel.
Damascus steel is a combination of two different alloys of steel, produced through a process which international patent protects to ensure high resistance to shocks and eliminates impurities, allowing the movement to function freely.
The open-worked movement, a manual wound mechanism with seven days’ power reserve, is skeletonised to a refined depth, revealing its intricate architecture of Damascus steel bridges. All the elaborate inner workings are framed by a rose gold flange.
The movement is also a showcase of a variety of meticulously executed finishing techniques. Mirror polishing adorns the regulator assembly of the mechanism, while the main plate and bridges and regulator assembly feature precise beveling.
Diamond polishing provides an extra sparkle to the sinks and the wheels are circular satin brushed to give emphasis to the refined details of the movement. Satin brushing on the main plate and bridges further complements the mechanism’s sophisticated aesthetic. The result is a visually stunning and technically impressive timepiece.
The watch is worn with a sleek black alligator strap with rose gold-coloured stitching. The buckle is made from Damascus steel and has a rose gold FM emblem.
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