Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC was launched in October 2022 as the third pillar of the Maison’s collection. The spectacular wristwatch series incorporates key elements of marine chronometers, such as those produced in the historical atelier of Ferdinand Berthoud. One of those elements, and the most important feature of the collection, is the cylindrical hairspring.
Including a cylindrical hairspring in a wristwatch is an exercise of miniaturisation of the highest level. Managing chronometric specification in a watch with relatively small dimensions is a tour de force that Ferdinand Berthoud masters, at first view, effortless. The Maison launched two pieces, reference FB 3SPC.1 and reference FB 3SPC.2, followed later by a darkened version, the reference FB 3SPC.1-1 (not included in this review) and the Only Watch bronze version Chronomètre FB 3SPC.
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC
Reference FB 3SPC.1
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC
Reference FB 3SPC.2
Simple lines and openness
What first strikes on all the Ferdinand Berthoud pieces is the apparent simple lines. Featuring a round case in ethically mined white gold or rose gold, the watches measure just 42.3 mm in diameter and 9.43 mm in thickness. Considering the marvel hosted in, these dimensions are very impressive.
The large crown manufactured in the case’s material offers an excellent grip. The set and winding are soft with excellent haptic feedback. The crown’s decorations are now the brand’s signature, with a hashed band and FB logo. The voluptuous lugs are fixed onto the recessed caseband with screws. Note a high polish contrasting the matt brush of the baseband.
Another element quite often met at the Ferdinand Berthoud watches is the crystal porthole revealing a magnificent horological complication – in this case, the cylindrical hairspring. A curved gold plate holding the sapphire crystal is mounted onto the caseband with screws. This amount of screws and opening maces the case sensible to water damage, so be advised to take care of this superbity.
A detailed view of the exhibition porthole where the cylindrical hairspring can be observed in function.
Majestic architecture, superb finishes
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC features a frontal visible escapement with lovely construction, remembering and paying tribute to the marine chronometers. The open design lacs a dial per se and reveals the beautiful finishes applied to the gorgeous movement.
The star of the watch, the escapement with cylindrical hairspring, steals the entire show at 9 o’clock. Visible from the front and back, this marvel revolutionized marine chronometers and sea navigation. Now, it is just a beautiful complication, but the difficulty in producing and regulating such a gimmick remains for those with enough experience and resources.
Cylindrical hairsprings, as opposed to the more familiar flat spiral hairsprings, are particularly associated with the precision timekeepers used in marine exploration, due to their greater stability and isochronism. However, their use is not well adapted to wristwatches since their size and form can introduce chronometric error when the watch is in the vertical position. Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud undertook three years of research and development to create the FB 3SPC, the first and only wristwatch with a cylindrical hairspring that has been officially certified as a chronometer by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). In doing so, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud opened up a new frontier of knowledge, as the marine explorers of bygone centuries did when they relied on fine chronometric instruments to guide their journeys to uncharted worlds.
Ferdinand Berthoud website
The time is displayed centrally using facetted and skeletonised with open-tipped hours and minutes hands in 18-carat gold with blue CVD treatment or rose gold. The eggshell-coloured or black-varnished peripheral inner bezel ring manufactured in sandblasted brass shows the hours and minutes indexes. The right side of the watch face is reserved for the power reserve indicator with an arrow-shaped power-reserve hand in gold. Under the complication is finely engraved the name of the brand.
The lower side of the dial is reserved for a sizeable running-second indication. A subtle hand with counterweight in 18-carat rose gold/with blue CVD treatment hovers above an open disc manufactured in brass with an eggshell-coloured or black-varnished finish. Overall, the movement finishes are to be seen excelling in the light.
Hand-finished to the highest watchmaking standards
Chronomètre FB 3SPC suffers from the same attention to detail as all the previous creations of Ferdinand Berthoud. The technicality of the pieces is complex to equal in the industry; the Maison benefits from the expertise and skills of the Chopard artisans and watchmakers.
The Calibre FB-SPC measures 34 mm in diameter and 6.84 mm in thickness but offers an autonomy of 72 hours regulated by a Swiss lever escapement working at 3Hz. The big barrel was fitted with a slip-spring mechanism that uncouples the barrel spring when the maximum power reserve was reached – to avoid damage.
The cylindrical balance spring is also well visible on the backside. It features hand-crafted Berthoud terminal curves. The balance wheel is a variable inertia type with four fine-adjustment screws and eight load screws. The Calibre FB-SPC features a stop-second mechanism activated by the crown.
The movement was decorated using sandblasting. The edges are chamfered and polished by hand before coating with a galvanic surface treatment. The FB 3SPC in white gold is finished with 2N gilded movement components, while the reference FB 3SPC.2 in rose gold features a black-rhodium treated movement. The 47 jewels are mounted in polished sinks. The escapement and balance bridges are decorated with a vertical brush finish.
Pure horology for just a few
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC is the closest to a marine chronometer that one can get… Managing to fit a cylindrical hairspring in a wristwatch is a fantastic achievement. But Ferdinand Berthoud did not stop here – the watches are COSC certified so that one can enjoy real chronometry specifications in a superb package.
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC Technical Specifications
Functions
- Central display of the hours and minutes, seconds at 6 o’clock and power reserve at 2 o’clock
Movement
- Mechanical hand-wound Calibre FB-SPC
- Diameter: 34 mm
- Thickness: 6.84 mm
- Lignes: 15 ’’’
- Jewels: 47
- Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve: 72 hours
- Number of components: 230
- Number of bridges: 16
Technical characteristics
- Slip-spring barrel (automatic uncoupling when maximum power reserve is reached)
- Variable-inertia balance with 4 fine-adjustment screws and 8 load screws
- Cylindrical balance-spring with hand-crafted Berthoud terminal curves
- Swiss lever escapement
- Crown-activated stop-seconds mechanism
- Mainplate and bridges in sandblasted nickel silver
- Hand-finished to the highest watchmaking standards
Officially chronometer-certified by the COSC
REF. FB 3SPC.1
Case
- Round case in ethical 18-carat white gold with a transparent sapphire ‘porthole’ at 9 o’clock
- Total diameter: 42.30 mm
- Thickness: 9.43 mm
- Water resistance: 30 metres
- Crown diameter: 8.50 mm
- Crown in ethical 18-carat white gold
- Exhibition back in ethical 18-carat white gold fitted with a glare-proofed sapphire crystal pane
- Domed sapphire crystal glare-proofed on both sides
Dial
- Eggshell-coloured peripheral inner bezel ring for the hours and minutes, in sandblasted silver-toned brass
- Eggshell-coloured seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, in sandblasted silver-toned brass
- Sandblasted and 2N gilded visible components of Calibre FB-SPC
Hands
- Facetted and skeletonised and open-tipped hours and minutes hands in 18-carat gold with blue CVD treatment
- Seconds hand with counterweight in 18-carat gold with blue CVD treatement
- Arrow-shaped power-reserve hand in 18-carat gold with blue CVD treatement
Strap and Buckle
- Alligator leather strap (125 x 70 mm) – Various sizes available on request
- 18-carat white gold pin buckle
REF. FB 3SPC.2
Case
- Round case in ethical 18-carat rose gold with a transparent sapphire ‘porthole’ at 9 o’clock
- Total diameter: 42.30 mm
- Thickness: 9.43 mm
- Water resistance: 30 metres
- Crown diameter: 8.50 mm
- Crown in ethical 18-carat rose gold
- Exhibition back in ethical 18-carat rose gold fitted with a glareproofed sapphire crystal pane
- Domed sapphire crystal glareproofed on both sides
Dial
- Black-varnished peripheral inner bezel ring for the hours and minutes, in sandblasted brass
- Black-varnished seconds subdial at 6 o’clock in sandblasted brass
- Black rhodium-treated visible components of Calibre FB-SPC
Hands
- Facetted and skeletonised open-tipped hours and minutes hands in 18-carat rose gold
- Seconds hand with counterweight in 18-carat rose gold
- Arrow-shaped power-reserve hand in 18-carat rose gold
Strap and Buckle
- Alligator leather strap (125 x 70 mm) – Various sizes available on request
- 18-carat rose gold pin buckle
About Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud
Ferdinand Berthoud (1727 – 1807), Master Clockmaker-Mechanic by appointment to the French King and Navy, member of the Royal Society in London and the French Academy of Sciences, as well as author of numerous reference works on horology, is renowned for the design and production of Marine Clocks. Their accuracy made it possible to calculate longitude at sea and thus encouraged the development of scientific expeditions during the Age of Enlightenment.
On the initiative of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud – located in Ferdinand Berthoud’s native Swiss Val-de-Travers region – transposes the quest for precision initiated by the master horologist into contemporary watchmaking language.
The design of these timepieces is inspired by the Longitude Clocks and other original creations of the master chronometer-maker. Their original movements resulting from many years of research and development combine traditional expertise with cutting-edge technology and COSC-certified chronometric precision.
The first collection resulting from this work, Chronomètre FB 1, was launched in 2015. It is based on a movement with a unique pillar-type structure, driven by a “constant force” fusee-and-chain mechanism with tourbillon and central seconds, all housed within a contemporary octagonal case.
Chronomètre FB 2 unveiled in 2020 offers a more traditional approach. Its round case is equipped with a fusee-and-chain movement incorporating a remontoire mechanism driving a natural deadbeat seconds display in the dial centre.
Chronomètre FB 3 was presented in 2022. Powered by a mechanical movement with a cylindrical balance-spring, it is the only one of its kind to be awarded “chronometer” certification by the COSC. The slimness of its 42 mm case inspired by 19th century pocket watches enables one to appreciate the movement geometry designed to highlight the regulating organ.
Only a few dozen of these timepieces are made each year. They are entirely designed, crafted and decorated by hand before being adjusted and checked – all in accordance with the most demanding quality criteria – within Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud’s workshops in Fleurier (Switzerland).