Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud is a true luxury watch brand, making seriously good watches for serious connoisseurs. And yet sometimes, this ultra high-end watchmaker – part of the Chopard Group – doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves among the collector community. This despite winning no fewer than four awards at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, including the best-in-show Aiguille d’Or prize.
We examine a few facets of the company that may not appear obvious, but that show how this watchmaker more than merits your attention.
Honouring a Legacy the Right Way
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele revived the distinguished Ferdinand Berthoud name with the launch of the FB1 in 2015, but it was over a decade before that that the Chopard co-president became aware of the rich legacy of Ferdinand Berthoud, the 18th-century Swiss watch- and clockmaker.
“I actually discovered Ferdinand Berthoud thanks to our collection of marine chronometers, having acquired one of his for the L.U.Ceum, our museum,” he says. “The more we researched it, the more we found out about him, and decided to bring his name back to life.”
Gradually, Scheufele acquired and restored more original Berthoud pieces, no mean feat given their scarcity. Over the next decade, he identified design traits, mechanical features and decorative touches of Berthoud’s acclaimed marine, pocket and precision timepieces that could translate to contemporary wristwatches.
As President of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, Scheufele now ensures that each detail of the brand’s timepieces is in keeping with Berthoud’s legacy, from the layout of its oven-fired enamel, regulator display or skeletonised dials, to its octagonal-shaped and porthole-endowed cases.
The maison’s in-house movements also honour the legendary watchmaker’s oeuvre through the pillar-and-plate architecture and fusée-and-chain mechanism of the company’s earlier models, or the stepped balance bridge and cylindrical hairspring of the more recent Chronomètre FB 3SPC.
According to Scheufele, Berthoud was “intent on sharing his discoveries” writing numerous treatises which “continue to inspire us today”. The modern-day brand duly emulates his passion for giving knowledge back to the watchmaking fraternity through its involvement in the third and latest Naissance d’une Montre project, in concert with Time Æon Foundation.
Precision Mastery
Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud lives up to the “Chronométrie” part of its name and pays tribute to Berthoud’s precision timepieces by having each of its watches certified by COSC, with an accuracy of -1/+2 seconds per day. What’s more, some models are even subjected to the Fleuritest to assess their precision in conditions replicating daily use of the watch.
Across the brand’s collection, this superlative chronometry is achieved thanks to the use of an inverted fusée-and-chain, tourbillon or remontoire, or a combination of these. In the case of the Chronomètre FB 3SPC, it has none of these mechanisms and its regulating organ’s top-notch timekeeping was made possible thanks to the company’s team of talented régleurs.
Few if any other watches in this high class boast such superlative timekeeping precision, and it’s no surprise that brand has won a hat-trick of Chronometry Prizes at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
Rarity and Bang for your Buck
Here’s a stat that will blow your mind: It takes up to 250 hours to hand-decorate one of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud’s movements. The maison’s finishing artisans master the full gamut of decoration techniques including hand-bevelling with steel files, polishing with diamond paste and gentian wood, frosting and black polishing as well as different types of graining. The brand’s insane level of hand-finishing often leads clients to wonder why their watch doesn’t cost more than its $150,000-plus price tag!
As you can imagine, this labour-intensive process means the brand can only make a few dozen watches per year. In any event, rarity is assured at the launch of each new model, with limited editions defined by the number of movements allocated.
That Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud defines its limited editions by the quantity of calibres is a neat way of ensuring rarity while still giving customers the ability to personalise their timepiece. Clients can usually choose the shape of the case (round or octagonal case), case material (stainless steel, titanium, ceramised titanium and 18k white, yellow, or rose gold) and the types of finishings and tonalities of the dial.
Best of Both Worlds
In fact, over half of the brand’s customers opt to personalise their watch, made possible not just because of the brand’s production competencies, but also its personal touch, one of the benefits of being a small brand. Mirroring Scheufele’s modest, hands-on persona, the Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud team excels at direct and responsive contact with its customers through email, Whats App and Instagram. Beyond this premium service culture, the brand can also depend on its carefully chosen network of retailers to support its clients.
Of course, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud is not just a small brand out there on its own; it is part of the Chopard Group, and that alone should assure customers that the company is built on sound foundations and will be here tomorrow. On top of that, it can make use of Chopard’s manufacture in Fleurier for making complex movement components in addition to availing of Chopard’s Geneva foundry for sourcing ethically-mined gold.
People Power
Finally, it is the people behind watch brands that help to make them what they are, and in Scheufele, collectors will find a gentleman that puts the team before the individual, that stays incredibly humble and empathetic despite being one of watchmaking’s true visionaries. And he’s got manifold strings to his bow too: Truffle hunting, art collecting, car collecting, rally racing and wine growing are all part of his wheelhouse, which makes him absorbing company if and when customers get to meet him.
So, if you’ve so far passed over Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, now’s the time to pay more attention to it. To find out more, please visit the brand’s website.
