The Manero Minute Repeater Anniversary is quite simply the pinnacle of CFB’s watchmaking prowess and a powerful expression of the company’s rich history, engineering talent and pioneering spirit. Equally technically ambitious and aesthetically exacting, this trio of watches epitomizes how CFB’s watchmaking skills and ability have been refined since 1888. Each watch, limited to one piece only, features CFB’s three highest complications, all peripherally mounted: an automatic winding system, “floating” tourbillon and minute repeater regulator – which controls the speed at which hammers strike melodic gongs to tell the time with sound. Entirely designed, developed and manufactured in-house, the movement took six years to perfect and consists of 617 individual parts.
From a creative perspective, each watch is also one of a kind, demonstrating the highest quality materials and decorative competencies of the in-house artisans, expressed in three dramatically contrasting appearances. As such, they evoke the progressive attitude of a wholly family-owned business that, over three generations and 135 years, has continually pushed the boundaries of watchmaking.
Classical elegance, ultimate precision
The first in the Manero Minute Repeater Anniversary trilogy presents the stunning intricacy of an 18K gold dial finished in a moss green guilloche, handmilled by experienced artisans using a 200-year-old lathe. It comes in an 18K yellow gold case and is complemented by gold index marks and a matching moss green nubuck leather strap. The result is arguably the most classic watch in the collection, exuding stately, sophisticated elegance.
Contemporary style, flawless details
The second in the series showcases an 18K white gold dial overlaid with light blue mother-of-pearl, the color exactly matching 40 ice blue, baguette-cut sapphires arranged around the bezel – all contained in an 18K white gold case. The dial finish uses naturally occurring white mother-of-pearl – the rarest form – which has been delicately hand-painted from the rear to preserve its translucent and luminous qualities. All the sapphires, chosen for their brilliance and purity, are naturally occurring and naturally colored – that they all match perfectly in cut, color, clarity and luster is itself an exquisite achievement. A hybrid rubber strap helps convey a distinct contemporary style.
Celebratory panache, beautifully colorful
The final watch in the trilogy is characterized by a cascade of color – an 18K rose gold case is framed by a full-spectrum bezel containing 40 baguette-cut gemstones including tsavorites, sapphires and rubies. Again, these naturally occurring, naturally colored gemstones were all chosen for their brilliance, purity and cut. Here, the challenge was to ensure the smoothest transition between colors to create an incredible rainbow effect, and to ensure the gemstone index marks match perfectly with the corresponding gemstone on the bezel. A black sunray dial and hybrid rubber strap make the colors shine in an unashamedly bold, free-spirited and celebratory design.
Collectively, these three timepieces characterize CFB’s exceptional technical proficiency, refined over generations, as well as its evolving sense of style. The trilogy is just as representative of the brand’s origins in 1888 as it is with the evermore colorful, genderless collection of 2023 that is redefining CBF for a new generation of watch aficionados.
CFB's most complex movement
At the heart of all three watches is the impressive CFB MR3000 caliber movement. Each one takes the most experienced watchmakers many weeks to assemble, complicated by the fact that assembly itself can distort its delicate parts. The 33- jewel movement was patented in 2021 and is a COSC-certified chronometer.
It owes its complexity to three peripherally mounted technologies: these minimize the thickness of CFB’s watch cases, despite the additional complications, and maximize the view of the movement through case backs.
First is an automatic winding system, featuring a bi-directional oscillating, 18K gold weight. Next comes a “floating” tourbillon cage, neither mounted in the movement’s main plate nor attached to overlying bridges but supported peripherally and appearing to float in space. CFB’s tourbillons are displayed in a distinctive style at 12 o’clock, rather than 6 o’clock.
Finally, a peripherally mounted minute repeater regulator controls when hammers strike two gongs to sound hours, quarter hours and minutes. Unlike most such mechanisms, CFB’s components are visible in the dial: the regulator at 6 o’clock; the hammers at the base; and the circular gongs running around the inside edge of the case. Arranging these components in such a fashion was both a bold design decision and a feat of micro-engineering – not least as the company’s designers and watchmakers had to work closely with acoustic specialists to ensure the case and gongs formed the perfect sound chamber. One final detail: a space between the gongs can be engraved, perhaps to signify how the wearer intends to enjoy #ExploringTime.
