Understanding The Journey Of Franck Muller

Understanding the journey of Franck Muller from the perspective of its latest Vanguard timepieces

- Jonathan Ho

IT WAS THE LATE 1990S and early 2000s when Franck Muller was at the its apex of cultural and social zeitgeist. Everyone who was anyone had a Franck Muller and so, for a then young undergraduate, the brand telegraphed luxury. More importantly, it competently straddled the line between pomposity and subtlety. Franck Muller had some outrageously avant-garde designs that screamed for attention and also more understated pieces that kept quiet until a jacket sleeve was pulled back to reveal an unusual tonneau or cushion-shaped watch. While it is not the pioneer or inventor of the tonneau, Franck Muller did catapult this once archival case form into modern watchmaking lexicon. I dare say brands like Richard Mille owe Franck Muller a debt of gratitude for forging a path through an arena that had been dominated by round watches.

In fact, one sign of consumer relevance and cultural ascendency is how a brand eventually makes its way into hip-hop. Puffy wore a Franck Muller watch in the “Hate Me Now” music video with Nas. Following that, rappers ranging from Jay-Z to Kanye West to Lil Uzi Vert have all proudly worn Franck Muller watches and mentioned them in their raps. In the realm of the celebrity, Franck Muller himself could be counted among them. In the late 1990s, Anitquorum held a “Famous Faces” charity auction that featured watches donated by celebrities. It was a snapshot of the world’s Who’s Who list: James Cameron, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Harrison Ford, Bob Hope and of course, the only watchmaker ever to be counted within the ranks of internationally recognised faces – Mr Muller himself. Incidentally, the number of Franck Muller watches submitted for bids, equalled the number of the other (then) most popular watch in the world, Rolex.