Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC.4-1 in Black Ceramised Titanium
A dark, contemporary take on Ferdinand Berthoud’s chronometer with a cylindrical hairspring.
Chopard co-president Karl Friedrich Scheufele resurrected the name Ferdinand Berthoud in 2015. An eminent Swiss horologist who emigrated to Paris in 1745 and gained fame for his precision marine chronometers, Ferdinand Berthoud was given a second lease of life in Scheufele’s hands as an elite haute horlogerie brand that perpetuates the founder’s legacy of chronometric precision. The Chronomètre FB 3SPC marked the brand’s third major product family and is inspired by a historic decimal pocket watch with a cylindrical balance spring built by Louis Berthoud, Ferdinand’s nephew, in 1793. Ferdinand Berthoud returns for Geneva Watch Days with a striking contemporary black ceramised titanium edition featuring newly introduced crown guards and a sporty textile strap.
The FB 3 was originally envisioned as a more compact and slightly more accessible edition for the brand’s enthusiasts. While it does not feature a tourbillon or a fusée-and-chain constant force mechanism, the FB 3 features a cylindrical hairspring. Originally used by Ferdinand Berthoud in his marine chronometers, a helical or cylindrical hairspring expands and contracts perfectly symmetrically around its centre axis, maximising timekeeping accuracy by neutralising gravity’s negative effects.
However, downsizing a hairspring of this nature into wristwatch format was a challenge. After a “long and tedious” process lasting three years, Ferdinand Berthoud’s team of watchmakers rose to the challenge to produce a regulating organ with a variable-inertia balance and a cylindrical balance spring with two terminal curves, both shaped by hand. A fun fact: the FB 3 is the only wristwatch with a helical hairspring and variable-inertia balance to achieve COSC Chronometry certification. Following white gold, rose gold, titanium and luxury platinum references, the FB 3 returns in the familiar 42.3mm case, now in black ceramised titanium. The dark matte sandblasted material, with enhanced scratch-resistance and the lightweight properties of titanium, gives the watch a distinctive contemporary appeal. It is also the first FB 3 to feature sporty crown guards flanking the large 8.5mm crown, although its 30-metre depth rating is the same as that of earlier models.
Retaining the same 9.43mm height and the domed sapphire crystal over the dial and exhibition caseback, the four lugs are also screwed to the case middle. In addition to the sapphire crystals on the front and back, the case features a rectangular porthole on the left flank to admire the beating cylindrical balance spring.
The German silver mainplate, with a black sandblasted treatment, is at the centre of the movement with six bridges on the front and ten on the back. The hours and minutes are indicated on the bezel ring with a black-varnished brass base and grey numerals, matching the small seconds ring at 6 o’clock. The white gold open-tipped hour and minute hands are skeletonised and sandblasted.
However, the star of the show is revealed in the large well at 9 o’clock, where the regulating organ is held in place by three individual bridges. At the top is the rectangular balance bridge securing the cylindrical balance spring beating in mid-air; in the middle is the anchor bridge followed by the escapement wheel bridge at the bottom.
The artisanal finishings are exceptional, and the 102 exterior angles and 15 inner angles of the movement are all hand-finished. The six bridges visible on the dial have a vertical satin finish, and it’s up to the artisan’s skill to ensure that all the lines on the bridges are aligned.
Held in place by a prominent arched bridge at noon is the large barrel with a 72-hour power reserve and a power reserve indicator nestled at 2:30. To avoid overwinding the mainspring, the barrel has a slipping device. The reverse side shows a different view of the 34mm x 6.84mm calibre FB-SPC, with a view of the underside of the hairspring, ten individual bridges and impeccable hand-finishing – including eight different decorative techniques – throughout.
The watch is paired with a contemporary fabric strap with a titanium pin buckle. Other strap materials, such as the present light blue strap, and a titanium folding clasp, are available on request. Price is upon request. More information at ferdinandberthoud.ch.
