It’s only been a few years since the Ferdinand Berthoud marque was resurrected by the Chopard Group but there’s no doubt that the brand has been extraordinarily impactful during that time. In 2016, the young brand took home the prized Aiguille d’Or (basically the equivalent of winning Best Actor/Actress at the Oscars) at the GPHG awards. Next week in Baselworld, we’ll get a chance to see what all is new with the brand but, first, we need to brief you on the brand’s latest timepiece released back in January at SIHH.
The Ferdinand Berthoud FB 1R.6-1
The FB 1R.6-1 is inspired by research Ferdinand Berthoud (1727-1807) did while building his original marine chronometers over 200 years ago, specifically Marine Chronometer No. 7. That original model was constructed to improve the operating principles of longitude watches. The main difference was a display that switched out the traditional central minute hand with a seconds hand and adding in a minutes subdial to replace the seconds subdial. A close up of the minute subdial at 12 o’clock. The opening allows a view of the gear train that is connected to the hour indicator to the right of the watch.
The new model features a case made from carburized stainless steel that has been reinforced through a thermo-chemical process involving the diffusion of vapor-phase carbon, which guarantees improved surface hardness, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. The case has two octagonal-shaped stain...