Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is excited to announce The Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2024, online auction, taking place from 12:00 PM HKT, Tuesday, March 19, to 2:00 PM HKT, Tuesday, March 26. Featuring more than 150 different high-end luxury wristwatches, the sale covers everything from A. Lange & Söhne and F.P. Journe to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. It even includes the four tonneau-shaped Franck Muller wristwatches featured in this article.
– By Logan Baker
Typically, when we talk about Franck Muller at Phillips, we're focused on innovative watches like the famous Double Faced Chronograph from 1994. But that's not the Franck Muller that most watch lovers know.
For better or worse, Franck Muller's entire history can be condensed into one word: tonneau.
Franck Muller is credited with reviving the classic tonneau/barrel-shaped case design in the 1990s, through collections such as the Casablance and Curvex. If you look at the Franck Muller catalog today, you'll find nothing but tonneau-shaped watches.
But the history of how Franck Muller – the man behind the brand – arrived at the tonneau design isn't the result of some master vision. It actually happened rather incidentally – after the wife of a major client requested he design a watch for her.
"One day, while delivering a watch, a client’s wife asked him to design one for her," Franck Muller CEO Nicholas Rudaz says, in an interview with I-M Magazine. "Franck was very stressed and concerned about it, because he only knew how to make complications. He didn’t know about that kind of design. Franck thought about the lady who had asked him to produce the watch, and the femininity of her curves, and that was the inspiration for the Curvex case, which is bowed in two directions – from 12 to six, and three to nine.”
There you have it – we can thank her for reinventing the Franck Muller brand identity, and for spearheading a revival that saw Richard Mille join the ranks of tonneau-focused brands in the early 2000s. Below you'll find a selection of four interesting Franck Muller timepieces from the 1990s and 2000s that all utilize the tonneau case design and that are featured in the ongoing Phillips Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2024, Online Auction.
Lot 8043: A Circa 2000s, Tonneau-Shaped Franck Muller Perpetual Calendar Chronograph In 18k White Gold
Estimate: HKD $60,000 - 120,000
Since the 1990s, Franck Muller has established a reputation for creating exceptional timepieces in haute horology. These timepieces are known for their incorporation of multiple complications within a single case, executed with remarkable precision and reliability.
The current offering is no exception, as it features an extraordinary movement housed in Franck Muller's iconic tonneau-shaped case. The use of white gold provides the necessary heft for this mechanical masterpiece. In addition to being a chronograph and perpetual calendar, the watch also includes a retrograde hand to indicate the month as well as the equation of time. The movement, wounded by a platinum rotor, is a work of art in itself and deserves its praise.
Accompanied by a certificate and a winding box, this well-preserved timepiece, offered without reserve, is sure to attract watch connoisseurs from around the world who appreciate mechanical excellence. Please note that the proceeds of the sale of the present watch will be given by the Consignor to various charities.
Lot 8115: A Circa 2000s, Tonneau-Shaped Franck Muller Casablanca 'Osaka' Limited Edition In Stainless Steel
Estimate: HKD $15,000 - 25,000
The tonneau-shaped case has long been Franck Muller's iconic design since its introduction in the 1990s. This particular model showcases a highly attractive and sought-after salmon dial, with luminescent indexes and hands that ensure time can be easily read even in low-light conditions.
Limited to just 10 pieces created exclusively for the Japanese market, the current Casablanca model features the words "Osaka" and its case number "8" written on both the caseback and the dial above the six o'clock position.
With its slim stainless steel case profile, this timepiece offers versatility, cleanliness, and wearability. It presents a rare opportunity to own one of Franck Muller's most exclusive watches, making it an acquisition not to be missed.
Lot 8044: A Circa 2007, Tonneau-Shaped Franck Muller Minute Repeater In 18k Pink Gold
Estimate: HKD $200,000 - 400,000
Franck Muller has earned a distinguished reputation in the world of haute horology for crafting extraordinary timepieces since the 90s. These exceptional watches are renowned for their incorporation of intricate complications within their signature tonneau-shaped cases, showcasing unparalleled precision and elegance.
Upon close examination of the current watch, you may initially perceive a seemingly plain guilloché dial. However, once you notice the slider situated at the side, you will instantly realize that the true highlight lies on the back of the timepiece.
Revealing a captivating automatic movement through the sapphire crystal display back, this watch showcases the enchanting interplay of hammers and gongs, which harmoniously chime the current time at your command. Further, the baseplates and even the platinum rotor are adorned with majestic engraved patterns, adding to the watch's allure.
Complete with all its accompanying accessories, this mechanical masterpiece numbered “00” could be one of the earliest examples in the market. It is surely to captivate watch enthusiasts from all corners of the globe who possess a deep appreciation for the minute repeating complication.
Lot 8045: A Circa 2007, Tonneau-Shaped Franck Muller Secret Hours In 18k Pink Gold
Estimate: HKD $60,000 - 120,000
Coupling classic aesthetics with captivating ultra-complicated movements, Franck Muller is hailed as a “Master of Complications” renowned for their unique approach to watchmaking. While their Crazy Hours collection is instantly recognisable as their signature creation, there is the unorthodox and mysterious Secret Hours that is equally fun and playful.
The pusher at the nine o’clock of the watch holds the secret to this unusual timepiece. On the surface, the hour and minute hands always point at 12 o’clock, with only the second hand going around the clock. It is almost as if time is suspended. Only until the wearer activates the pusher and reveals the time, and the watch comes alive. Once the pusher is released, time turns into a secret again.
The Secret Hours also embodies the essence of the classic Franck Muller with beautiful craftsmanship and finishing on the case and dial. The pink gold Cintrée Curvex case for the present watch is enhanced with a layer of patina, matching the black and red minutes and seconds outer ring. The dial is embellished by exquisite flinqué guilloche, and blued pear and double-feuille hands, emanating supreme elegance.
Truly an enchanting and fascinating timepiece, the present example is presented in excellent overall condition, and is accompanied by its full accessories. This is a best-kept secret that should not be missed by the discerning collector. Please note that the proceeds of the sale of the present watch will be given by the Consignor to various charities.
You can view the complete catalog for the Phillips Watches Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2024, Online Auction, right here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.
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