Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC.1-1

Newly awarded the “Chronometry prize” at the GPHG 2023 after a year that has brought great success and multiple awards, the Chronomètre FB 3SPC celebrates its first anniversary with the unveiling of a new version combining a white gold case with a black movement.

The first and only wristwatch with a variable-inertia balance and a cylindrical balance-spring to be officially chronometer-certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), the Chronomètre FB 3SPC has been popular amongst collectors and watchmaking professionals since its launch in October 2022.

While the FB 1 and FB 2 collections followed in the footsteps of Ferdinand Berthoud’s marine chronometers thanks to constant-force mechanisms, the FB 3 collection explores accuracy from a new angle: that of the cylindrical balance-spring. Particularly appreciated for its stability, this type of hairspring was favored by the master watchmaker and his nephew Louis Berthoud in their precision timepieces.

“This is how the idea of the Chronomètre FB 3SPC came about. We wanted to integrate this type of balance-spring into a wristwatch, while retaining its original purpose that was to guarantee accuracy”, explains Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, President of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. “We are particularly delighted to have been able to rise to the challenge and to see that the collection remains a great success among collectors, as confirmed by the latest award at the GPHG.”

To mark its first anniversary, the Chronomètre FB 3SPC is unveiled in a new, contemporary guise: the 42.3 mm 18-carat white gold case houses a movement in black and anthracite tones, embellished with gilded hands.