The first and only wristwatch with a variable-inertia balance and a cylindrical balance-spring to be officially chronometer-certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), the Chronomètre FB 3SPC has been a hit with collectors and watchmaking professionals since its launch in October 2022.
Voted "Best Men's Watch 2022" by Revolution magazine, then winner of the "High Watchmaking" category in the "CH24 Watch of the Year 2023" competition, the Chronomètre FB 3SPC has now added a new and prestigious award to its list of distinctions: the “Chronometry prize” at the GPHG 2023.
While the FB 1 and FB 2 collections followed in the footsteps of Ferdinand Berthoud's marine chronometers thanks to constant-force mechanisms, the FB 3 collection explores accuracy from a new angle: that of the cylindrical balance-spring. Particularly appreciated for its stability, this type of hairspring was favoured by the master watchmaker and his nephew Louis Berthoud in their precision timepieces.
"This is how the idea of the Chronomètre FB 3SPC came about. We wanted to integrate this type of balance-spring into a wristwatch, while retaining its original purpose that was to guarantee accuracy”, explains Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, President of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. "We are particularly delighted to have been able to rise to the challenge and to see that the collection remains a great success among collectors, as confirmed by the latest award at the GPHG.”
To mark its first anniversary, the Chronomètre FB 3SPC is unveiled in a new, contemporary guise: the 42.3 mm 18-carat white gold case houses a movement in black and anthracite tones, embellished with gilded hands.
This new model will be presented for the first time at Dubai Watch Week, from 16 to 20 November 2023.
