Franck Muller’s Quirky Cool Watches
Franck Muller is today mostly associated with a specific class of over the top tonneau-shaped watches that represents his signature style. And while the brand’s appeal remains strong, it has also faded a bit from the mainstream watch buying segments. This however was not always the case. Not too long ago Franck Muller watches was as much sought after as a current modern brand that goes by the name of Richard Mille.
While different, the two brands have a lot in common. They create modern watches with funky designs and movements that are typically out of this world. Franck Muller’s motto for a long time as “master of complications” and they often released watches with various complications built in. For instance, chronograph tourbillon with GMT [check]. But while Franck Muller’s success has slowed a bit, their watches have remained as over the top and complicated. Let’s explore the brand and current collection.
Creating an eponymous brand like Franck Muller and Richard Mille is a frequent occurrence in the watch making industry. Indeed, most successful independent watchmakers tend to gravitate toward that approach when starting their brands. Franck Muller was likely one of the first to have created this in the late 80s [check]. And the result was an immediate success as the style and design language used fit well with the times.
The unique tonneau-shape watches with large numbers and indices is a great representation of the brand’s central theme and design. Most of their watches have this evolved look that I would best describe as a combination of “punk” and “Art Deco”. The resulting watches are large, sometimes over the top, but always fun and quirky.
The primary advantage of such aesthetic, is uniqueness, but the drawback is that the resulting design can be seen as just fashion and thus be replaced with the next wave. In some ways this perhaps is what happened with Franck Muller as competitors such as Richard Mille and others have entered the same market segment with similar watches but perhaps with a more technical twist that increased the appeal.
While we would always recommend that you buy watches that speaks to your heart, it’s important sometimes to explore the off the beaten path brands. For us, Franck Muller has become a prototype of these high-potential brand that has real history, real technical prowess, but has lost some luster due to historical accidents or simply evolution of tastes and fashion.
At CH Premier we have carried Franck Muller’s watches for a long time and have seen the brand in its highs, lows, and rebound. While not for everyone, the watches produced are unique in looks, movement, and aesthetic, and for many watch lovers this is precisely where we believe they should evolve their collections.
Wearing a Franck Muller watch is a statement into itself. Additionally, you will be hard pressed to have any others at any events wearing the same watch. If you are tired of having your watch disappear with your outfit or not have any impact on your style then few watches could solve this for you. The bold look and high-quality will surprise you and surely bring your personal style a notch or two.
