The era of psychedelia returns to the house of Franck Muller this year, injecting the brand’s latest models with a wave of provocative energy – Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams. Like our namesake founder, we are tearing up the rules and challenging the norms in watchmaking as we revive one of Franck Muller’s most audacious designs for WPHH 2022.
Colour Me Happy
A collector of art and crafter of sophisticated watches, Franck Muller’s two passions frequently collided in bursts of creativity. This was how the very first Color Dreams watch was born. With the watch dial as our canvas, we gave rise to a rainbow display on our iconic oversized hour markers in 2000. Since then, Color Dreams has entered every corner of Franck Muller’s collections.
In the last decade, as boldly coloured dials and rainbow-style gem-set timepieces have trended, our experiment with the concept of Color Dreams has continued. The latest execution of this vivacious design is the Southeast Asia Exclusive Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams, housed in a lightweight carbon fibre case to match the lightweight FM 1740-VS calibre.
The skeletonised movement is engineered in the contemporary Franck Muller style, designed as a skeleton watch from the beginning. The satin-finished, anodised aluminium bridges of the movement are secured directly to the inner case, machined precisely to fit the curved case design. Architectural inspiration merges with vivid pop colours on the electroplated movement components, from the fiery red barrel bridge to the marigold yellow small seconds counter at 6 o’clock.
The plates and bridges of the Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams are coloured in signature hues through the process of electrolytic anodisation, which requires the special manufacture of components in aluminium, instead of the traditionally used brass or nickel silver.
Now Available In 43MM CarboTech
The new V 43 case is extremely lightweight and made of CarboTech – a synthesised material made of carbon fibre that has been compressed with a high-end polymer for 9 hours at 120 degrees. The unique striations on each piece are created by the compression of the carbon fibre, resulting in no two watches bearing the same pattern. The case is buffed completely by hand, with no external polishing.
The FM 1740-VS movement is designed with a large balance wheel that runs at a finely-tuned 18,000vph, powered by stacked twin barrels that deliver up to 7 days of power. The large movement has dictated the voluminous 45mm sizes of the first Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams, housed originally in a sapphire crystal case.
Now, the movement has been further adjusted to house it within the mid-sized 43mm carbon fibre Vanguard case, to fit wrists of all sizes for both ladies and gentlemen. The ergonomic Vanguard case is designed to wrap snugly around the wrist, with soft, rounded edges to enhance its sculpted features.
Franck Muller Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams Technical Specification
Reference: V 43 S6 SQT COL DR NR CARBON
Distinguished by its sporty case design, the Carbon collection combines one of the lightest materials used in haute horlogerie with futuristic aesthetics.
Functions
- Hours, minutes and small seconds at 6 o’clock
Movement
- Calibre MVT FM 1740-VS10
- Skeletonised manual winding movement
- 175 components with 21 jewels
- 35.75mm (W) x 37.60mm (L) x 6.00mm (T)
- 7-day power reserve with twin barrels
- High-efficiency, in-house escapement running at 18,000 vph
Movement decoration
- Hand chamfering and mirror polishing on the flanks
- Polishing on the recesses of the main plate and bridges
- Main plate is satin finished on the visible side and microblasted on the opposite
- Circular brushing on barrel and wheels
- Electroplating with multiple colours
Case
- Hand-brushed carbon Vanguard case
- 42.50mm (W) x 52.70mm (L) x 12.60mm (T)
- Sapphire crystal cover and caseback
- Red/orange/yellow inserts on the sides
- Water resistant to 30 metres
Bracelet
- Hand-sewn alligator strap with brushed black PVD-coated folding buckle
About the House of Franck Muller
Founded in 1992 by master watchmaker Franck Muller and watchmaking specialist and entrepreneur Vartan Sirmakes, the House of Franck Muller is one of the most acclaimed independent watch companies in contemporary watchmaking. An award-winning brand, Franck Muller is known for its highly exclusive technical complications, many of which are proprietary innovations, produced inhouse within its Manufacture in Genthod, Geneva, endearingly known as Watchland. With more than 50 world premieres and patents, Franck Muller has been dazzling the world with creations that have been received with great enthusiasm by watch connoisseurs and celebrities alike throughout the world, and designs that represent major technical advances in the history of haute horlogerie.