The Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral Limited Edition and the Heritage BiCompax Annual models are an ode to the art of watchmaking, whose innovative spirit Carl F. Bucherer has embodied since 1888.
By Mathilde Binetruy
A watch can be used for educational purposes and help all those who love great mechanics to understand the history of a brand. This is the credo of two designs by Carl F. Bucherer: the Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral Limited Edition and the Heritage BiCompax Annual. The first illustrates the firm’s exceptional heritage, while the second offers a glimpse in the rearview mirror of distinguished past models.
Released as a limited edition of 88 timepieces, the Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral Limited Edition honours the house’s slogan: ‘Made of Lucerne’. Between lake and mountains, the gateway to central Switzerland embodies the Carl F. Bucherer spirit: openness, innovation and constantly redefined traditions. The brand is deeply rooted in the cosmopolitan character of its home town. So it comes as no surprise that the 42.5 mm case in 18-carat rose gold reflects the golden splendour of this baroque city. On the back of the movement, a bridge in 18-carat white gold is engraved with a view of Lucerne that covers the entire rear of the calibre, save the tourbillon. What does the detail show? Lucerne’s Kapellbrücke bridge in the centre of the engraving, and a swan. A clever allusion! In 1888, Carl Friedrich Bucherer, the brand’s founder, opened his first shop in Schwanenplatz (Swan Square), just a stone’s throw from the current store. The famous CFB T3000 calibre that drives the watch is a true visual and technical work of art, equipped with a suspended tourbillon and a peripheral self-winding mechanism. The minutes carriage is supported by three invisible peripheral ball bearings that ensure fluid connections and stable, accurate guidance. The tourbillon appears to levitate as a result. Furthermore, the pallet lever and escape wheel are in silicon.
Established
1888
Company status
Société anonyme (public limited company)
Senior Management
Sascha Moeri, CEO
Number of employees
200
Flagship collections
Heritage, Manero, Patravi, Adamavi, Pathos, Alacria
Bestseller
Undisclosed
Retail prices
Average of CHF 5,000 to 30,000, with some models in excess of CHF 400,000
Annual production
25,000 pieces
Back to the future
The second flagship model, the Heritage BiCompax Annual, takes a leap back into the past. Welcome to 1956, the year of the lounge chair, Grace Kelly’s wedding dress and Elvis Presley’s first number one hit. Another memorable event that year was the launch of a chronograph equipped with a symmetrically divided BiCompax dial, i.e. featuring two separate apertures positioned along the central longitudinal axis. This watch is what inspired today’s Heritage BiCompax Annual version, which showcases a range of past treasures as we slalom between a 1950s design to a tachymeter with vintage typography, via a dial with a BiCompax display. By celebrating this heritage model, Carl F. Bucherer continues to pay tribute to its origins. The version with a rose-and-champagne dial and a bezel, push-buttons and crown in 18-carat rose gold evokes the golden reflection of the city of Lucerne.
The number of pieces in each limited series (rose gold and steel), 888, also highlights the year in which the house was founded. Some liberties have been taken in relation to the original model: the diameter has been increased to 41 mm and the movement benefits from modern technological assets. In addition to its chronograph function, the automatic CFB 1972 calibre displays an annual calendar with a large date in the upper part of the dial and the month between 4 and 5 o’clock. It also has a 42-hour power reserve. With these two timepieces, fine watchmaking enthusiasts will be in raptures over both the object itself and Carl F. Bucherer’s expertise. Both are inextricably linked. And what of Lucerne, I hear you ask? Well, since 1888, this city has nurtured all the house’s creations, which are both elegant and at the cutting edge of innovation.
Patravi ScubaTec Black Manta Special Edition in DLC titanium, black dial with ray silhouettes, strap made from rubber and a textile derived from recycled plastic.
Watchmaking focused on values and sustainability
Carl F. Bucherer and the Manta Trust are fighting the same battle. Both contribute to ocean conservation and, thus, to protecting the habitat of manta rays, an endangered species. As Guy Stevens, CEO of the British charity, explains: “This partnership notably helps us to collect new information on the movements and behaviour of the manta ray in the Yucatán peninsula’s coastal waters”. Considered to be one of the most intelligent marine creatures, the black manta ray is the emblem of the Patravi ScubaTec Black Manta Special Edition. This COSC-certified watch is at ease in the depths, as it is waterproof to 500 metres (50 ATM) and has both a helium escape valve and an ultralight, 44.6 mm titanium case. With a strap made largely from recycled plastic bottles, the watch also demonstrates a clear commitment to sustainable values. It bodes well. For as the (now) standard saying goes: “There is no planet B”.