Another first for the undisputed ‘Master of Complications’, the Franck Muller Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater bears witness to the Geneva watchmaker’s exceptional creativity and unmatched technical and mechanical expertise.
Magnificent Mechanics
Firmly ensconced inside the immediately recognizable tonneau-shaped case of the Franck Muller Vanguard collection lies a skeletonized movement and open dial. The Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater is designed to evoke gasps of awe and wide-eyed surprise with its architectural form and intricate inner workings.
The Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater features not one, but two extremely complex horological complications. As the name suggests, the watch boasts a delicate tourbillon as well as a minute repeater function.
The tourbillon cage is set at 6 o’clock on the open-worked dial of the Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater and displays the impressive complication, which also functions as a seconds sub-dial.
The slide which activates the Minute Repeater is located on the case at 8 o’clock and sounds the hours, quarter-hours and minutes with two distinct chimes.
Larger than Life
The 18K white gold dial of the Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater makes its presence felt on the wrist. The case measures 46mm x 55.9mm and rises to a height of 13.90mm to effectively house the myriad of technical and mechanical components that comprise the mechanical, manually-wound movement.
The open-worked dial displays the hours and minutes through central hands, and the lugs are noticeably missing from the case of the Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater. The black alligator leather strap, with a rubber layer on the under-side fits directly into the edges of the case, giving the timepiece a seamless look.
The Vanguard Tourbillon Minute Repeater was unveiled to watch aficionados and industry insiders at Franck Muller’s own Watchland, nestled on the banks of the breathtaking Lake Geneva in January this year, and marks a new, striking addition to the brand’s Vanguard collection of timepieces.
HOT Verdict: Franck Muller lays its mastery of movements open with this architectural timepiece.
