FRANCK MULLER GOES VANGUARD
Forging a case from a sapphire crystal block calls upon years of research and development, as well as advanced skills that Franck Muller has acquired for the creation of the one-of-a kind Vanguard Skeleton Sapphire unveiled at the World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie held in mid-January.
Franck Muller hosted its own watch fair in one of the wings of the Grand Malagny estate overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps from the village of Genthod, where the independent brand was established 25 years ago. The peaceful village remains the home of the headquarters, Watchland, headed by director, Nicolas Rudaz.
“The process to create the new Vanguard Skeleton Sapphire has been extremely complex, time-consuming and labour intensive,” said Rudaz. “But holding this beauty in your hand, you can truly understand why it is a fusion of haute horlogerie traditions with modern innovation — every side of the case, every angle and every corner are crafted, polished and finished to superior levels synonymous with Franck Muller watches.”
Besides optical properties, sapphire crystal boasts superior scratch resistance and hardness that challenges the cutting and shaping of the synthetic material. A heavy financial investment, diamond-tipped milling machines are required to cut and sculpt the sapphire crystal, whose brittle nature makes it even more difficult since chances of shattering are high during the process.
Crafting the case takes four months, with the tonneau-shaped body — including the bezel and caseback — created from the single block of sapphire crystal. Two months are spent on machining the case, while the next two focuses on polishing and finishing.
The transparency of the case fully reveals the strong architectural lines of the manually-wound mechanical movement.
The dial is intricately skeletonised, hand-chamfered and finished with white PVD, which adds a dash of colour to the transparency without snatching the limelight away from the gleaming case with a seamlessly integrated white alligator strap.
The Geneva-based watchmaker typically offers bold and colourful designs whereas the new Vanguard takes on a minimalist approach.
“The use of sapphire crystal and the more subtle styling open new doors for the Vanguard. While it remains young and dynamic, Vanguard can also be more serious and a classy watch for formal occasions,” Rudaz said.