The horology house’s CEO shares the whimsical backstories behind one of the brand’s most audacious designs, and why he admires Franck Muller so much
Have you ever heard of a crazy watchmaker? Let us introduce you to Franck Muller, a brand renowned for its audacious designs and pioneering spirit. The epitome of this bold approach is its Crazy Hours reference, a watch that defies traditional timekeeping with numbers scattered in a seemingly random order.
Tatler GMT had the privilege of admiring the latest rendition of Crazy Hours amongst other watches by the brand at WPHH, or World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie, an annual event hosted by the Franck Muller Group, which was held in Hong Kong this year—reminding us about the brand’s playful rebellion against convention, a fitting symbol of Franck Muller’s innovative ethos.
We also got a chance to speak to Nicholas Rudaz, the CEO of the brand, who told us a story or two about the idea behind the iconic references produced by the brand’s mastermind.
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How did the crazy idea for the Crazy Hours model come about?
The Crazy Hours watch I’m wearing [is] celebrating the 20th anniversary of the craziness this year. The reason why it was born is because Franck was celebrating New Year’s Eve in the Maldives and it was a very proper event—people didn’t know one another, and the atmosphere was a bit stiff. Franck was enjoying his time and he wanted people to go crazy in the pool because it was very hot. And nobody did, except for Franck. The next day, when he woke up, he had an idea [inspired by his solo dip]: ah, I must do something crazy, something different.
Which watch from your own collection do you most cherish?
That’s like asking me [to name] my favourite son. I like different watches for different occasions. [If I had to pick just one,] maybe the watch given to me by my mother when I graduated from school: an Omega Seamaster; it was the James Bond watch. But, of course, people have different tastes at different times of their lives. Right now, my favourite watch from the WPHH 2023 collection is the Franck Muller Grand Central Tourbillon Flash. With the signature Cintrée Curvex CX case, it has all the DNA of Franck Muller with the tourbillon complication in the centre of the dial, which is incredibly difficult to do. It’s also very fun, with young, bright colours.