Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud has enjoyed a highly successful year in 2018. Since its rebirth in 2015 under the impetus of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, the company has adopted a pace that involves applying its own stringent quality criteria to key events bringing together collectors and friends of the brand. Having seen its very first creation win the prestigious "Aiguille d'Or" award of the 2016 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, the Chronométrie has continued structuring its annual calendar in accordance with its own high standards. The year 2018 has proved particularly rich in terms of honours and distinctions.
A vintage Year 2018
Just as for Grand Cru wines, 2018 has proved remarkable for Chronométrie FERDINAND BERTHOUD, with every new model presented this year garnering an award. The new “regulator” FB 1R collection, in its carburised steel version, actually won two:
- Best Tourbillon Watch, 2018 Middle East Watch and Jewellery of the Year
- Beste Armbanduhr Handwerkskunst, Robb Report Luxury Award 2018/2019
The Chronomètre FB 1 Edition Malaspina, a tribute to the Age of Enlightenment explorer Alessandro Malaspina, was honoured at the SIAR (Salón Internacional Alta Relojería), by the “Premio de la Crítica”, the ultimate award of this unmissable event.
Above and beyond these trophies, 2018 was also a year brimming with new developments. The Manufacture enjoyed strong growth and organised a number of encounters with its collectors. These events dotted across the year were all ‘firsts’ in their own right:
- First participation in the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva (January 2018)
- First representation of Chronométrie FERDINAND BERTHOUD at Baselworld, with its own booth (March 2018)
- First exclusive presentation in Japan (April 2018)
- First participation in the Monaco Yacht Show (September 2018)
Confirming this desire to enhance visibility among collectors and the media. Chronométrie FERDINAND BERTHOUD will be taking part in the main watch events punctuating 2019.
From l’Astrolabe to Geneva’s old town
In the course of 2018, about 20 timepieces were crafted in the Chronométrie FERDINAND BERTHOUD’s Fleurier workshops. Almost all of these were instantly snapped up. The most original was probably the special series of five one-of-a-kind FB 1R models in patinated bronze. This “1785 Edition” retraced the moving voyage of the five Ferdinand Berthoud marine chronometers that the Count of Lapérouse took with him aboard his L’Astrolabe and La Boussole frigates. All five of these timepieces were an immediate success and sold out within the first three days of Baselworld 2018.
As part of its determination to honour the historical achievements of Ferdinand Berthoud, the Manufacture also announced its three-year commitment to supporting the Geneva-based cultural association "Art en Vieille Ville".
This initiative brings together thirteen prestigious art and antique galleries and three renowned cultural institutions. Drawing on the diversity and know-how of its members, this association aims to promote works of high quality, and thus fully meets the historical approach envisioned by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele for the late 18th century master watchmaker and visionary scientist Ferdinand Berthoud.