WITH ITS BLACK DLC-TREATED STEEL CASE, RUBBER STRAP, AND VERTICAL SATIN-FINISH BLACK DIAL, THE CHRONOMÈTRE FB 1.6-3 EXUDES A SPORTS FEEL AT FIRST SIGHT. ITS MOVEMENT BOASTS ANGLED SAPPHIRE HALF BRIDGES, ECHOING THE MODERNITY OF ITS HOUSING.
AMONG THE OUTPUT OF FINE WATCHMAKING MANUFACTURES, CREATIONS IN STEEL ARE OFTEN THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER, BEING MUCH RARER THAN THEIR GOLD AND PLATINUM COUNTERPARTS. THE NEW CHRONOMÈTRE FB 1.6-3 IS ALL THE MORE REMARKABLE IN THAT IT IS THE FIRST ALL-BLACK CREATION BY CHRONOMÉTRIE FERDINAND BERTHOUD. THE UNIQUE PIECE HAS BEEN EXCLUSIVELY DESIGNED FOR THE ART IN TIME WATCH GALLERY IN MONACO, WITH PART OF THE PROCEEDS FROM ITS SALE PASSED ON TO CHARITY.
UNIQUE AND HISTORIC
THE SINGULAR NATURE OF THIS TIMEPIECE IS CLEAR AT FIRST GLANCE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, CHRONOMÉTRIE FERDINAND BERTHOUD HAS DECKED OUT ONE OF ITS MODELS IN BLACK DLC. THIS BOLD MOVE IS NEVERTHELESS CONSISTENT WITH DEVELOPMENTS TO DATE: RIGHT FROM ITS INCEPTION, IN ADDITION TO TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE INSPIRED BY THE VALUES OF FINE WATCHMAKING, THE MANUFACTURE HAS SOUGHT TO ENDOW ITS TIMEPIECES WITH AN UNASHAMEDLY CONTEMPORARY LOOK.
THE FB 1.6-3 EXPLORES THIS MODERN ETHOS – AND PUSHES BACK ITS BOUNDARIES. IT’S BOTH SPORTY AND DARING, WITH THE CASE, BEZEL, FLANGE, DIAL, CROWN, AND STRAP CLAD ENTIRELY IN BLACK. IT’S ALSO THE FIRST EVER STEEL CASE IN THE FB 1 COLLECTION, MAKING THIS MODEL VERY MUCH ONE OF A KIND.
THE MONACO CONNECTION
IN A FIRST FOR THE MANUFACTURE, CHRONOMÉTRIE FERDINAND BERTHOUD HAS APPLIED AN ALL-BLACK DLC TREATMENT TO THE FINE SAND-BLASTED STEEL. THE CROWN IS FITTED WITH A CERAMIC INSERT; THE SCREWS FASTENING THE CASE ARE IN TITANIUM.
THE VERTICAL SATIN-FINISH DIAL BENEFITS FROM A SEMI-MATTE BLACK GALVANISED TREATMENT. THE EVEN-NUMBERED HOURS, SECONDS HAND, AND POWER RESERVE ARE COLOURED RED, STANDING OUT ELOQUENTLY. THE COMBINATION OF DARK BLACK AND BRIGHT RED CONTRIBUTES TO THE SPORTS FEEL OF THE PIECE, AS WELL AS MAKING ITS INDICATIONS EFFORTLESS TO READ.
TO COMPLETE THE NOD TO ART IN TIME’S MONACO IDENTITY, THE CHRONOMÈTRE FB 1.6-3 FEATURES A WHITE SECONDS SCALE AND MINUTE CIRCLE, THUS ECHOING THE HOUSE OF GRIMALDI’S TWO HERALDIC COLOURS, RED AND WHITE. IN LINE WITH ART IN TIME’S TRADITION OF UNIQUE PIECES, PART OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE WATCH WILL BE PASSED ON TO THE PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO FOUNDATION, DEDICATED TO BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.
ABOUT THE PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO FOUNDATION:
FOR THE BEST PART OF 15 YEARS NOW, THROUGH HIS FOUNDATION, HSH PRINCE ALBERT LL OF MONACO HAS BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO COUNTER THREATS TO THE PLANET. COMMITTED TO RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, AND TACKLING MAJOR SOCIAL CHALLENGES, THE FOUNDATION FUNDS PROJECTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN, THE POLAR REGIONS, AND THE WORLD’S LEAST SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. ITS GOALS ARE TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, PROMOTE RENEWABLE ENERGY, PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY, MANAGE WATER RESOURCES, AND FIGHT AGAINST DESERTIFICATION.
