Franck Muller: history, models and value

Founded

1991

Founder(s)

Franck Muller, Vartan Sirmakes

Headquarters

Genthod (Geneva)

Owner / group

Franck Muller Group (privately owned)

Franck Muller: origins and founding

The brand grew out of the work of watchmaker Franck Muller, born in 1958. He made a name for himself in the 1980s with complicated one-off pieces and designed his first tourbillon wristwatch in 1984. In 1991 he went into business with Vartan Sirmakes, a Geneva specialist in watch cases and gem setting. Their company, first called Technowatch SA, moved into a historic mansion in Genthod near Geneva.

Founders and family

Franck Muller brought the watchmaking and design, Vartan Sirmakes the casing, production and business side. In 1998 the company was renamed Franck Muller Watchland SA. In 2003 the two partners fell out publicly and Muller was barred from Watchland for a time. The dispute was settled in 2004: Sirmakes stayed on as director, while Muller concentrated on watchmaking.

Franck Muller history and milestones

• 1984: Franck Muller's first tourbillon wristwatch.
• 1987: the curved tonneau case, later called Cintrée Curvex, is first shown.
• 1991: start of the company with Vartan Sirmakes.
• 1993: first annual "World Premiere", a watch combining split-seconds chronograph, minute repeater and perpetual calendar.
• 1998: the company becomes Franck Muller Watchland SA.
• 2003: launch of the Crazy Hours, with its scrambled hour numerals and jumping hour hand.
• 2006: in-house chronograph calibres FM 3200 and FM 3210.
• 2009: presentation of the Aeternitas Mega 4, with 36 complications.

Over the years the group also took in other brands, among them Pierre Kunz, European Company Watch, Rodolphe and Backes & Strauss.

Famous Franck Muller models

• Cintrée Curvex: the tonneau-shaped case curved to the wrist, the brand's signature.
• Crazy Hours: hour numerals placed out of order, with the hour hand jumping to the correct number.
• Long Island: a rectangular Art Deco-inspired case.
• Vanguard: a sporty tonneau line.
• Casablanca, Conquistador, Master Banker (three time zones) and Color Dreams (colorful numerals).

Movements and technique

Franck Muller's reputation rests on complications: tourbillons, minute repeaters, perpetual calendars and split-seconds chronographs. The house describes itself as a manufacture and introduced its own chronograph calibres in 2006. Many simpler models over the years used movements from outside suppliers, which is common in the industry. If you own a Franck Muller, the exact movement depends on the reference and year, so check the caseback or papers.

Franck Muller today

Franck Muller Watchland SA is privately owned and based in Genthod, with production sites in the Geneva area and the Jura. The brand sits in the luxury segment, with gold, diamond-set and complicated pieces reaching haute horlogerie prices.

Franck Muller prices on the pre-owned market

Franck Muller watches usually sell well below their original retail price on the pre-owned market, especially simple steel models. Complicated pieces, early watches from the 1990s, and models made in small numbers attract more collector interest. Crazy Hours and Vanguard pieces in good condition with box and papers are the most liquid. Heavy gem setting adds less resale value than people expect, and replaced or aftermarket diamonds reduce value.

How to recognise a genuine Franck Muller

As with most well-known luxury brands, fakes exist, and distinctive designs such as the Vanguard and Crazy Hours are obvious targets. Check the quality of the curved case and crystal, the depth and finishing of the numerals, the caseback engravings with reference and serial number, and that the movement matches the reference. A Crazy Hours should show the true jumping hour mechanism, not a printed dial with a normal hand. Read our guide on how to spot a fake watch, and be wary of watches without papers.

What is your Franck Muller worth?

Photograph the dial, case sides, caseback and any papers, and get a free watch value estimate in minutes. If you need a signed document for insurance or an estate, we also prepare a written watch appraisal.

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