The FB 2RSM.2-1 wins the Mechanical Excpetion Award - the fourth GPHG prize for Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud.
On 10 November 2022, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Jury awarded the title of Mechanical Exception to Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, from a shortlist of six timepieces. It’s the brand’s fourth award, following an Aiguille d’Or in 2016 and Chronometry prizes in 2019 and 2020 for the FB 1R.6-1 and FB 2RE.2 respectively.
This year’s award-winner, the FB 2RSM.2-1, is a new complication developed in the finest tradition of watchmaking apprenticeship. For the first time ever, the tourbillon regulating organ and fusee-and-chain transmission system includes a stop seconds mechanism and an independent deadbeat seconds display. This was developed with the help of a young watchmaking apprentice who made it the subject of their end-of-study dissertation, thus helping to take up the challenge of achieving official COSC chronometer certification for the movement alongside all Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud’s other timepieces.
The design of the Chronomètre FB RSM draws inspiration from Marine Clock No. 8 (also known as H.M.8), made by Ferdinand Berthoud in 1768. The clock features a regulator-style display, with hours, minutes and seconds shown on separate dials. This arrangement was adopted to make it easier to read the time, thus providing a reliable point of reference when taking navigational measurements at sea.
“As ever, it’s a privilege to be receiving another GPHG award, especially given the excellent timepieces we were competing against,” says Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud’s CEO Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. “In all modesty, we strive passionately to secure appropriate recognition for Ferdinand Berthoud and the huge contributions he made to watchmaking and science. Receiving another distinction from an internationally acclaimed institution such as the GPHG Foundation is a huge boost in that respect. I would especially like to thank the Jury for this honour, as well as our team and all the collectors who have believed in us right from the start of this adventure.”
