Ferdinand Berthoud has built its contemporary reputation on chronometry, carrying forward the legacy of its eighteenth century namesake and his nephew, Louis Berthoud. The Chronomètre FB 3SPC.2-1 continues that tradition in a new monochromatic execution, uniting an 18-karat 5N rose gold case with a nickel silver movement finished in a sandblasted surface. Unveiled to mark the opening of Art in Time Tokyo, the watch joins the existing white gold FB 3SPC.1 as a non-limited addition to the collection, its tonal palette lending it a distinctly classical presence on the wrist.
When the Chronomètre FB 3SPC first appeared in 2022, it introduced a combination previously unseen in a wristwatch: a variable inertia balance, a cylindrical balance spring, and full chronometer certification from the COSC. The cylindrical balance spring, developed over three years of research, features two hand-formed terminal curves and a specially designed collet. The achievement earned the model the Chronometry Prize at the GPHG in 2023. Certification is all the more demanding here because each Ferdinand Berthoud timepiece is individually crafted, assembled, and regulated, rather than produced serially, which allows the manufacture to apply traditional techniques and refined Haute Horlogerie finishing throughout.
Beneath the domed sapphire crystal, faceted and skeletonized open-tipped hands in 18 karat gold, treated with blue CVD, stand out against the beige varnished small seconds track and inner bezel ring. The blued seconds hand, power reserve indicator, and a scattering of blued screws punctuate the composition, quiet accents within an otherwise tonal landscape of rose gold and nickel silver.
