Inspired by the Marine Clock No. 7 that Ferdinand Berthoud produced in 1767, the construction and the regulator-type display of the Chronomètre FB 1R.6-1 overturn traditions. Composed of the rear side of the black rhodium-plated nickel silver regulator plate adorned with straight-grained lines, the dial features three openings: one for the hours (at 2 o’clock), another for the minutes (at 12 o’clock) and a third for the power reserve (at 10 o’clock). The Calibre FB-T.FC.R, with its pillar-type architecture, features a direct-drive centre seconds tourbillon whose constant force is provided by a fusee-and-chain transmission mechanism incorporating a satellite differential gear and Malte Cross stopwork device. Continuing the tradition of precision inherited from Ferdinand Berthoud, this COSC-certified timepiece is available as a 20-piece limited edition in carburised steel.
The case of the Chronomètre FB 1R.6-1 is made of a new material: carburised stainless steel, a steel whose molecular structure has been reinforced by a thermochemical process. Its exceptional hardness of 1'200 Vickers on the surface makes it extremely resistant, particularly to corrosion.
Based on an unprecedented design, the barrel and fusee of the FB-T.FC.R calibre are reversed and suspended, thereby saving precious millimetres within the movement. They are connected by a chain comprising no less than 474 steel links for a total length of 280 mm. When the movement is fully wound, the tension on the chain is equivalent to three kilograms.
Visible through the openworking of the half-bridge on the case-back side, the power-reserve indication device consists of a mobile cone and a set of flat levers on the dial side. This highly sophisticated mechanism is the result of complex mathematical calculations that guarantee the concentric deployment of the balance-spring coils in all states of winding and unwinding.
This regulator-type chronometer movement with tourbillon and fusee-and-chain transmission is the result of comprehensive technical and aesthetic development and is inspired by Marine Clock No. 8, produced by the master-watchmaker in Paris in 1768. The production of this movement will be strictly limited to 20 in all where the choice of watch exterior will be left to the collector.
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