Get dizzy with delight over Franck Muller’s Round Triple Mystery

Few ladies complications evoke as much fascination as Franck Muller’s Mystery series. The concept — time indicated without visible hands — has been part of the maison’s identity for decades, rooted in a philosophy that sees time as fluid and poetic. 

Now, Franck Muller pushes this vision further with the Round Triple Mystery, a 39mm high jewellery complication powered by a calibre capable of driving three rotating discs simultaneously. 

A finalist in the Ladies’ Complication category at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2025, the creation translates the passage of time into a hypnotic ballet of light, motion, and colour.

A defiant vision

The Round Triple Mystery is the culmination of a journey that began with a cross-cultural encounter experienced by founder Franck Muller himself, who imagined a watch liberated from traditional time-indicator hands.

This vision led to the first Mystery watch, which displayed the hour on a single rotating disc in the 90s. The subsequent Double Mystery introduced a second disc for minutes, deepening the illusion of movement without mechanics. The latest chapter, the Triple Mystery, elevates this concept by adding a rotating seconds disc.

Time is now transformed into a dynamic choreography of three indicators that seem to float freely above a dial entirely paved with diamonds. This kinetic effect is nothing short of entrancing.

Wildly weightless

Creating three independent rotating discs without draining the movement’s energy demanded exceptional technical mastery. The challenge was toughest for the rapidly spinning seconds disc, which required extreme lightness to preserve accuracy.

In a feat of skeletonisation, the resulting central seconds disc’s structure weighs just 0.052g, including a 0.002g arrow indicator and a 0.003g round diamond. After extensive testing, the brand’s engineers chose aluminium for its balance of rigidity with minimal mass. The delicate bridges, each 0.3mm wide, also represent a micro-machining achievement. 

Anchoring the aesthetic is a central plate decorated with a spirograph-like motif that enhances the whirling extravaganza. Powering this spectacle is the MVD 2800-TMY, a bidirectional automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve. 

Light and fire

While its mechanics astonish, the Round Triple Mystery is also a decorative showcase. The dial, hand-set with 237 brilliant-cut diamonds, features a spiral of luminosity that leads the eye toward its triangular gem-set hour, minute, and seconds markers. 

Eight models are available, in all-diamond as well as emerald, ruby, or sapphire versions. The classic round case, crafted in rose or white gold, also flaunts either brilliant- or baguette-cut diamond bezels.

Every surface is finished with Franck Muller’s devotion to detail, including the engraving, satin-brushing, perlage, and snailing of the 217-component movement visible through the sapphire crystal. 

Paired with a hand-sewn alligator strap and a gem-set gold buckle, the watch truly transcends the boundary between high jewellery and high horology.