Why Franck Muller, the “Master of Complications”, has become the master of adaptation

Franck Muller CEO Nicholas Rudaz, recently in Singapore to celebrate Sincere Fine Watches’ 70th anniversary, reveals how the company has stayed relevant long after the departure of its larger-than-life founder.

rudaz
Share this article

These days, it’s not unusual for watch brands to have exclusive boutiques. But just a few decades ago, the landscape was dominated by multi-brand retailers, where brands shared the spotlight with their contemporaries, offering shoppers greater convenience and variety. 

In 1992, however, Sincere Fine Watches broke tradition by opening its first mono-brand boutique for Franck Muller, which had only been established for a year.

Both companies can wax lyrical about how their partnership grew from shared values as independent, family-style businesses. However, a more fitting explanation may be that Sincere Fine Watches was captivated by the sheer audacity of the brand’s now-iconic Cintree Curvex collection. 

Notes Franck Muller CEO Nicholas Rudaz, “Sincere was looking for something different, something new. And in Franck Muller, they certainly found new creativity and new complications. And I think they did very well in backing the right horse.”

It soon became apparent that offering something different was the Swiss manufacture’s greatest strength. The self-professed “Master of Complications” gave the world its playful Crazy Hours complication and enough variations on the tourbillon to make Abraham-Louis Breguet’s head spin. 

Unparalleled mastery

Among Sincere’s many 70th anniversary editions released last year was a Franck Muller Vanguard Damascus Steel Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition, with a case and movement crafted from the beautiful yet challenging metal alloy. 

rudaz

Photo: Franck Muller

Hot on its heels were Franck Muller’s 2024 World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie novelties, which are as bold and brilliant as they come. The level of transparency achieved for the first time in the Curvex CX case of the Grand Central Tourbillon Skeleton allows for maximum exposure of the number of gears while revealing the beauty of the brand-new mechanism. The tourbillon, positioned at the centre, is a revolutionary design choice.

Meanwhile, the Double Retrograde Hour is a magnificent iteration of the brand’s emblematic Cintree Curvex, which flaunts a distinctive time display with two retrograde hands for a seamless day-to-night transition. Another addition to this collection is the Retrograde Hour Day & Night, which boasts a comprehensive dial with a single arc with an indication from 6am to 6pm for the day and night hours. Both models translate the reading of time into a simplified exercise in keeping with the line’s spirit.

The ladies, or purveyors of bling, are included too. The diamond-draped Vanguard Lady Slim Vintage marks the first time Franck Muller has crafted a slimmer profile, at just 9.1mm, for the Vanguard Lady collection. The high-shine watches, which come in a kaleidoscope of colours inspired by classic automobiles, showcase a slim, automatic movement designed and manufactured in-house. 

Female collectors who desire a fresh expression of the flagship Cintree Curvex are also treated to the Nuance model. Featuring a new sub-dial around the date aperture at 6 o’clock, the aesthetics offer a more technical look, while the alluring case contours are enhanced with four colour variants.

New horizons

rudaz

Photo: Franck Muller

Even well beyond the realm of horology, the brand has been proudly redefining creative boundaries. Early last year, Franck Muller collaborated with S.T. Dupont to release the Master Lighter — a 39mm by 66mm lighter featuring a functioning watch movement (the manual-wind, skeletonised 1740-LI-STD). 

The house had also teamed up with New Balance on three occasions, producing limited-edition sneakers adorned with Franck Muller motifs and colours. Although Muller himself retired in 2002, his legacy of audacity and creativity clearly lives on.

Rudaz supports the founder’s vision by filling the team with individuals who share Muller’s obsession with pushing boundaries — even if that means looking beyond the watch industry. “Our chief of complications came from the military sector; he was a helicopter engineer,” he reveals. “As long as they are good with their hands, creative, and have a mathematical mind, they can become watchmakers with practice.”

Retaining such talent is another of Rudaz’s priorities. “With the boom in watchmaking, watchmakers may be tempted to leave for competitors. So we take care of them by providing a beautiful setting to work in — the picturesque Watchland headquarters in Genthod — and giving them responsibility for the entire watch, from start to finish,” he explains. 

“Many brands only allow watchmakers to focus on one process, repeating the same gestures all day. But it’s far more enriching when you’re in charge of the whole piece.”

rudaz

Photo: Franck Muller

The brand’s latest masterpiece, the Long Island Evolution Master Jumper, showcases in-line digital displays for the hours, minutes, and dates. Watches with digital displays are already rare, but having three in one piece is a true technological feat. 

“When we presented this in April, Franck called to congratulate us on such a beautiful creation, adding that our watchmakers must be struggling, as he knows the complexity of this complication,” Rudaz elaborates on the creation also nominated for Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024. Indeed, it takes one master watchmaker five weeks to assemble just a single piece.

Franck Muller is equally committed to captivating younger generations who prioritise style over technical features. This approach brought about the vividly coloured Vanguard Beach collection and the streetwear-inspired #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard, launched in collaboration with Japanese label #FR2. “If we had 1,000 collectors in a single ballroom, we might see 1,000 different watches because our collection is so vast and diverse,” adds Rudaz. 

“No one can say they don’t like Franck Muller — we offer classic watches, jewellery watches, complex complications, and pieces for younger audiences. But we stay true to the brand’s DNA with our distinctive numerals and colours, so you can always recognise a Franck Muller from a distance.”

Share this article