Known as the “Master of Complications,” Franck Muller has created some of the most identifiable and complex wristwatches ever. With such an extensive resume, it’s impressive that the watch manufacturer known as Franck Muller was only established in 1991, just 25 years ago. Keep reading to learn about the long list of accomplishments in Franck Muller’s short history.
Muller was raised in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, home of many of the greatest watchmakers in history, including Rolex, Omega and Girard-Perregaux. At age 15, Muller enrolled himself in watchmaking school, and eventually graduated from the Watchmaking School of Geneva. Muller began his watchmaking career repairing Patek Philippe watches and he was known for his skill in restoring antique and fine timepieces. By 1984, Muller had designed his first tourbillon — a feat typically only accomplished by the oldest and most prestigious watchmakers.
Muller began designing one-off timepieces for private clients but didn’t start his own company until 1991. Starting in 1993, Franck Muller began releasing his “World Premiers.” He regularly releases a new collection of wristwatches with a feature or complication that is the first or the superlative example in the watchmaking industry. Examples include the Revolution 3 and the Aeternitas Mega.
Muller had a unique approach to the development of complex movements. He noticed that most innovations and extreme complications were applied only to pocket watches. Muller made it his goal to achieve these accomplishments within the confines of a wristwatch. Many of the most complicated timepieces in history are contained in a pocket watch, but Muller would later change this with his most complicated design, the Aeternitas Mega.
The Aeternitas Mega is the most complicated Franck Muller watch ever designed and one of the most complicated wristwatches ever! After five years of development, the piece was released with 36 complications — 25 visible — and nearly 1,500 parts. The piece is named for the Latin word meaning eternity, referencing the perpetual calendar. Upon its release, the watch sold to a watch collector for $2.7 million, making it one of the most expensive watches in the world.
Aesthetically, Franck Muller watches are incredibly distinct and identifiable. His Cintree Curvex — French for “arched in a curve” — cases, which subtly transform the tonneau-shaped case with curved edges. This case shape is an extension of Muller’s technical prowess due to the complexity of manufacturing the shape. The tonneau-shaped piece is a nod the popular case choices of the Art Deco era of watchmaking.
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