2023 marks the 135th birthday of the Lucerne-based Swiss watchmaker Carl F. Bucherer, or CFB: the perfect time to enter a new era. The launch of CFB’s Capsule Collection is not only a special edition to mark this anniversary but also represents a departure from every other product presentation in the brand’s long history and clearly signals a focus on new horizons. The five watches – all of which reimagine bestsellers from the brand’s portfolio – make a powerful statement. CFB, admired globally for its independence, innovation, and aesthetic originality, is setting its sights on some exciting new journeys, on exploring time differently, and on engaging with a contemporary clientele. The five watches will be launched on the same day, with each model debuting every two hours in a different cosmopolitan city.
The perfect collection for a dynamic target market
With its five different timepieces – three of which are available only in limited quantities – the CFB Capsule Collection is positioned to appeal to anyone whose independent mindset distinguishes them from the crowd and lets them see the world around them a bit differently. CFB’s Chief Technology Officer Samir Merdanovic points out that while the watches tap into the brand’s travel and exploration DNA, they also resonate with the founder’s vision: “We’ve created the CFB Capsule Collection for people who not only have an entrepreneurial spirit but who particularly appreciate exploring time differently.” Today, CFB has a clear vision for the future and will be exploring time differently going forward. Samir Merdanovic continues: “Our positioning allows us to meet the needs and desires of the modern consumer around the world. In this context, we decided to refrain from launching timepieces for either men or women in a specific age bracket but rather will continue launching watches that capture the zeitgeist of contemporary generations and reflect their appreciation of cool design, innovative mastery, and excellent craftsmanship.”
A launch plan as unique as the CFB Capsule Collection
Carl F. Bucherer will create a bond with watch fans around the world by unveiling each of the five new timepieces in a different cosmopolitan city on the same day – each city having played an important role for the three generations of the Bucherer family over the past 135 years. This approach creatively reflects the spirit of the brand’s founder who, from the day he opened his business in 1888, had a vision of establishing a truly global brand. That vision, which has been beautifully manifested in the last 135 years, will be elevated to a new level with the launch of a new watch every two hours.
Meet the watches in the CFB Capsule Collection
In line with Carl F. Bucherer’s pioneering spirit, the brand has turned to forged carbon, the element at the heart of life as we know it, in the creation of each of the five watches in the CFB Capsule Collection.
For many, the flagship will be the Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral Black, limited to 30 pieces and featuring a COSC-certified chronometer. Inside its forged carbon case with a titanium container is a CFB T3000 manufacture calibre with a patented peripherally mounted floating tourbillon. Striking, innovative, and technically superb, inside and out.
Others will see every day of their futures in the Manero Peripheral Perpetual Calendar Black, limited to 88 pieces and featuring a COSC-certified chronometer. Inside the forged carbon case with a titanium container is a CFB A2055 manufacture calibre with a perpetual calendar and moon-phase functions whose display consists of a disc of aventurine and two small hand-engraved moons in white gold. It keeps track of every day – even in leap years – which means the wearer only has to think about how to make the best use of that time (a minor correction will have to be made in the year 2100).
Carl F. Bucherer’s Chief Technology Officer Samir Merdanovic is particularly excited about the Manero Peripheral Perpetual Calendar Black: “The perpetual calendar complication with the correction-free indication of date, day, month, and moon phase is a great technical challenge, but it also ties in nicely with humanity’s relationship to time. Our calendar, which goes back to Pope Gregory XIII in the sixteenth century, is quirky, and when we create a mechanical watch that can handle inconsistent month lengths without correction, we watch enthusiasts get very excited. And we’ve presented it in a breathtaking design.”
The last of the watches crafted from forged carbon and titanium is the Manero Peripheral BigDate Black, limited to 188 pieces and featuring a COSCcertified chronometer. Its engine is the CFB A2011 manufacture calibre. It takes its name from the big bold date aperture at 11 o’clock. The dial is rounded out with a weekday indicator and small seconds and power reserve subdials: an impressive amount of information available at a glance.
The Manero Flyback Black – unlimited – is the CFB Capsule Collection’s expression of one of Carl F. Bucherer’s most popular watches. It has a stunning
DLC-coated stainless-steel case with a deep black matte lacquered surface. The CFB 1970 calibre features chronograph and flyback functions.
The Heritage BiCompax Annual Black – unlimited – is the CFB Capsule Collection’s interpretation of another CFB favourite. The case is made of DLC-coated stainless steel with a deep black matte lacquered surface. The dial features a big date and two chronograph counters, and the CFB 1972 calibre delivers an annual calendar function, which means the date only has to be changed once a year.
The CFB Capsule Collection: a tantalizing peek at the near future
The world had experienced greater change since 1888, when Carl F. Bucherer was founded, than at any other time in human history. One thing, though, remains steadfast: the brand’s uninterrupted ability to create exceptional timepieces that move – literally – with time.The spirit of this contemporary CFB Capsule Collection is the very embodiment of what the brand stands for: exploration, travel, and the pursuit of new horizons. Carl F. Bucherer has always been on the go, travelling to the far-flung corners of the world and through time. In its 135th anniversary year, the brand’s wanderlust will lead – as the Capsule Collection demonstrates – to new adventures exploring time differently. The CFB Capsule Collection marks the start of this series of new releases. It is an outstanding lineup of five watches that demonstrate our 13 decades of expertise in producing and launching brilliant timepieces for our customers
Facts and Figures: CFB Capsule Collection
Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral Black
Reference: 00.10920.16.33.01
Movement: Automatic, CFB T3000 manufacture caliber, COSC-certified chronometer; diameter 36.5 mm, height 4.6 mm, 33 jewels, power reserve 65 hours
Functions: Floating tourbillon, seconds stop, hour, minute, small seconds
Case: Forged carbon with titanium container, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, case back with sapphire crystal and anti-reflective coating, water-resistant to 3 bar (30 m), diameter 43.10 mm, height 12.30 mm
Dial: Domed, deep black matte with rhodium-plated wedge index marks
Hands: Rhodium-plated wedge hands
Strap: Hybrid rubber strap with ‘carbon’ texture and quick-release system, DLC-coated titanium and stainless-steel pin lock folding clasp
Limited: 30 pieces
Manero Peripheral Perpetual Calendar Black
Reference: 00.10916.16.33.01
Movement: Automatic, CFB A2055 manufacture caliber, COSC-certified chronometer: diameter 30.6 mm, height 5.73 mm, 33 jewels, power reserve 55 hours
Functions: Perpetual calendar (month, date, and weekday), leap year, moon phase (hand-engraved hemispheric white gold moons on aventurine), hour, minute
Case: Forged carbon with titanium container, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on one side, case back with sapphire crystal, water resistant to 3 bar (30 m), diameter 41.6 mm, height 12.49 mm
Dial: Deep black matte with rhodium-plated wedge index marks
Hands: Rhodium-plated wedge hands
Strap: Hybrid rubber strap with ‘Milky Way’ texture and quick-release system, DLC-coated titanium and stainless-steel pin lock folding clasp
Limited: 88 pieces
Manero Peripheral BigDate Black
Reference: 00.10926.16.33.01
Movement: Automatic, CFB A2011 manufacture caliber, COSC-certified chronometer; diameter 30.6 mm, height 6.3 mm, 33 jewels, power reserve 55 hours
Functions: Big date, weekday, power reserve indicator, hour, minute, small seconds
Case: Forged carbon with titanium container, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, case back with sapphire crystal, water resistant to 3 bar (30 m), diameter 41.6 mm, height 12.82 mm
Dial: Deep black matte with rhodium-plated wedge index marks
Hands: Rhodium-plated wedge hands
Strap: Hybrid rubber strap with ‘brushed’ texture and quick-release system, DLC-coated titanium and stainless-steel pin lock folding clasp
Limited: 188 pieces
Manero Flyback Black
Reference: 00.10919.12.33.01
Movement: Automatic, CFB 1970 caliber; diameter 30.4 mm, height 7.9 mm, 25 jewels, power reserve 42 hours
Functions: Chronograph with minute and seconds counters, flyback, tachymeter, date, hour, minute, small seconds
Case: DLC-coated stainless steel, double-domed sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on one side, case back with sapphire crystal, water resistant to 3 bar (30 m), diameter 43 mm, height 14.45 mm
Dial: Deep black matte with rhodium-plated wedge index marks
Hands: Rhodium-plated wedge hands
Strap: Hybrid rubber strap with ‘pyramid’ texture and quick-release system, DLC-coated titanium and stainless-steel pin lock folding clasp
Heritage BiCompax Annual Black
Reference: 00.10803.12.32.01
Movement: Automatic, CFB 1972 caliber; diameter 30 mm, height 7.3 mm, 47 jewels, power reserve 42 hours
Functions: Chronograph with minute and seconds counters, tachymeter, annual calendar, big date, hour, minute, small seconds
Case: DLC-coated stainless steel, double-domed sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on both sides, case back with sapphire crystal, water resistant to 3 bar (30 m), diameter 41 mm, height 14.15 mm
Dial: Deep black matte with white Arabic numerals
Hands: Rhodium-plated wedge hands
Strap: Hybrid rubber strap with ‘Clous de Paris’ texture and quick-release system, DLC-coated titanium and stainless-steel pin lock folding clasp
About Carl F. Bucherer
Carl F. Bucherer has been synonymous with excellence, innovation, and passion since 1888. The Swiss company has become an internationally renowned global brand with a presence throughout the world, characterized by its founder’s pioneering spirit and the cosmopolitan esprit of its home city of Lucerne. Carl F. Bucherer is one of the few remaining independent, family-owned Swiss watch manufacturers and is now headed in the third generation by Jörg G. Bucherer.
The contemporary timepieces produced by Carl F. Bucherer combine unique design with the utmost precision and outstanding functionality. Committed to technical innovation, Carl F. Bucherer is the market leader in peripheral technology and has patented not only a peripheral winding system but also a floating tourbillon in a peripherally supported cage and a peripherally guided minute repeater regulator. Its Individualization business unit, called the CFB Mastery Lab, is the ultimate manifestation of a customer-centric approach to creating unique timepieces that represent supreme ingenuity and inventiveness.
Carl F. Bucherer – Exploring Time
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Website: carl-f-bucherer.com/en