Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud: The Brand Started By Chopard's Co-President
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele of Chopard on the genius of Ferdinand Berthoud and Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud’s latest and most affordable watch.
When you manage a company of Chopard’s size, starting a little-known boutique brand may not seem worth the hassle. But it was for Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, though he admits it was “more coincidence than anything else”.
Around 20 years ago, Scheufele came across a pocket chronometer made by Ferdinand Berthoud, a Swiss master watchmaker of the 18th century, while looking for marine chronometers for his family’s collection at auctions. The beauty and anonymity of Berthoud’s house intrigued Scheufele, who did some digging and discovered he used to live 15 minutes from Chopard’s main manufacturing facility where the famous LUC movements are produced. “After that, I was hooked,” he says.
In 2006, Scheufele purchased the Ferdinand Berthoud (FB) name, but it wasn’t until 2015 that the Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud brand was officially launched. He grabbed the name early becausae “I wanted to make sure nobody would come up with a Berthoud watch that was not up to his standard. There was a danger that could happen.”
The brand upholds Berthoud’s standards by ensuring each new watch is a COSC-certified chronometer. In seven years, it has won four Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards, including its first watch, the Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud FB1, winning the top Aiguille d’Or award in 2016. The Chronomètre FB 2RSM.2-1 won the “Mechanical Exception” award at the 2022 awards.
Its latest launch, the Chronomètre FB 3SPC, lacks any conventionally impressive complication, but is still a technically arresting feat. The time-only FB 3SPC boasts a cylindrical balance spring that took two long years to perfect, with the entire watch taking four years to complete. Much of that time was wholly dedicated to ensuring the movement’s reliability and precision. The team’s efforts paid off handsomely. It is the industry’s first such calibre to obtain a chronometer certification.
Unlike the previous two collections, the FB 3SPC was inspired by a creation from Berthoud’s nephew Louis and his No. 26 decimal watch, which used a similar hairspring. Besides having a slightly more contemporary design, the latest Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud is 42.3mm by 9.43mm, making it the thinnest and arguably most wearable timepiece to date.
“Some watch collectors said they love what we are doing, but can’t afford it. So, I thought it must be possible to do something extremely interesting and Berthoud-like at more reasonable prices,” says Scheufele. This explains why the FB 3SPC is “just” CHF 140,000 (S$202,000), compared to, say, the CHF 210,000 FB 2RE with a fusée-and-chain transmission, remontoir d’egalité, and deadbeat seconds. “We were also asked to make a smaller watch, which is the case here.” The 42.3-mm ticker currently comes in white and rose gold, but Scheufele teases steel, carburised steel, bronze, and titanium editions.
Being small affords the company the agility to attend to customer requests, especially since “the FB customer is someone who spends more time than the average person on research. They try to understand what they are buying. It’s not just about the brand; there is a lot more depth to their purchase reasoning.”
Chopard’s assistance in the background does help, says Scheufele. “For everything in the back office and logistics, it’s great to be associated with Chopard because an outside supplier will probably never accept an order for so few pieces in such a short period.” However, he maintains that Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud operates independently and “is on its own when it comes to research and development, construction, and movement design.” The FB 3SPC is limited to 25 pieces each year.
Even so, Scheufele isn’t interested in boosting Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud to the ranks of Chopard’s production might. “Our ultimate goal is not to make something like 250 watches a year by 2028 or whatever,” he says. “We want to grow organically while remaining a niche brand and to continue to explore less travelled avenues that correspond to the genius of Berthoud.”
Scheufele understands the significance of this company’s growing reputation, even if operating a niche brand wasn’t planned and “entirely Berthoud’s fault”. As he explains, “I thought it was essential to remind the watchmaking world that Berthoud had existed and pay tribute to him. He was one of the eminent figures of watchmaking.”
