Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Bi-Compax Annual Hometown Edition (Live Pics & Price)
Paying tribute to 16 cities that the brand considers home.
With the Heritage Bi-compax Annual, Carl F. Bucherer has breathed new life into one of its historical watches, namely an elegant 1956 Bi-Compax Chronograph. Bringing together vintage flair with contemporary features, it is a rare but practical combination of complications. The latest iteration of the model pays tribute to the 16 cities that the brand likes to call hometowns. Here is the new and comprehensive collection of Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Bi-compax Annual Hometown Edition.
Although Carl F. Bucherer likes to identify itself with Lucerne, where the brand’s history is rooted, the new Hometown edition also honours 16 of the other cities it is proud to call home. The list of hometowns includes the Swiss cities of Lucerne, Basel, Bern, Geneva, St. Gallen, Zermatt, and Zurich. Other European cities include Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Munich and London. Rounding out the offering are four other global capitals: Beijing, Mumbai, New York, and Tokyo.
As Sascha Moeri, CEO of the brand, explains: “There’s something special about a hometown – the place where we have our roots and where our values were formed. No matter how far away from it we travel, it always defines us and occupies an important part of our hearts and souls. The Carl F. Bucherer Heritage BiCompax Annual Hometown Editions honour those connections and will be treasured by watch enthusiasts who are proud of the tribute to their favourite cities on their wrists.”
The limited-edition watches come in different versions with gradient dials in five colours: yellow, brown, burgundy, green, or mint. Each watch also features a dedicated 3D-style engraving on the caseback’s sapphire crystal, representing one of its iconic monuments. For example, the Lucerne edition features the Chapel Bridge, while the landmark Tiananmen Square represents Beijing. The second watch we had for review, the Geneva edition, features the city’s waterfront and its Jet d’eau (water jet).
The Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Bi-Compax Annual Hometown Editions come in a 41mm case with a rounded polished bezel and rectangular-shaped chronograph pushers. Reminiscent of watches from the 1950s, the dial is protected by a double-domed sapphire crystal. The gradient dials of the hometown editions are bright in the centre and darken towards the edges. Black totalizers highlight the bi-compax dial layout. The two calendar indications and the big date window just below noon are complemented by a discreet rectangular aperture lodged between 4 and 5 o’clock for the month. Last but not least, the tachymeter at the periphery of the dial brings a dynamic touch.
Inside the watch is the CFB 1972 automatic calibre combining a chronograph and an annual calendar. As such, it automatically keeps track of the correct calendar indication for months of 30 or 31 days, leaving the owner to manually adjust the date once a year instead of five times. Based on the ETA 2894 with an annual calendar module, it runs at 28,800vph. Its power reserve is of 42 hours.
Availability & Price
The Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Bi-Compax Annual Hometown Editions are worn on black perforated calf leather straps with flanks and stitching matching the colour of the dial. The strap is fitted with quick-release spring bars and a steel pin-folding buckle. Each iteration is released in a limited run of 88 watches, except for the Beijing editions, which are limited to 188 pieces.
The price is set at EUR 6,400, CHF 6,900 or USD 7,200, which is identical to other versions of the Heritage Bi-Compax Annual, making it a great package at a fair price. For more information, please visit www.carl-f-bucherer.com.
