Rise and Fall of Luxury Watchmaker Franck Muller

Here's what happened to luxury watchmaker Franck Muller - the person and the brand!

I had so much fun doing research on this but I am sure that I started started uncovering the tip of the iceberg! If you've been in this for a bit longer I'd love to know your take on the entire Franck Muller situation - what is your perception of the brand? How did you learn about them in the first place?
Let me know in the comments down below!

Here's the GQ article by Nicholas Foulkes I talk about in this video

Some more sweet, sweet deep dives into watch brands histories:
The current Hublot situation

The problem with Jaeger-LeCoultre

Oh and happy alopecia awareness month :-D

Thank you for watching!
Jenni

0:00 Intro
1:00 Chapter 1: What is Franck Muller
3:44 Chapter 2: What happened to Franck Muller
13:05 Chapter 3: Where are they now?

[adamselene]

Now - this - THIS - is the kind of story about watches that I LOVE to hear about.
It is what makes watches so very interesting - the stories about and behind the 'face' of it.

[randomdude]

Franck Muller is still going strong, maybe not your average watch collector’s favourite brand, but still popular nonetheless, and they’re experiencing good brand growth in the past couple of years. The recent Encrypto collection they made was quite interesting, and I’m glad to see they’re again gaining more traction in the watch world.

[thegabal]

I loved how relaxed this video is :) love the angle and laid back style of filming.

[bullnose]

Really enjoyed the video. Sounds like another story of a company that experiences early success because of its new ideas and then is brought down by the clash between the creative partner and the business management partner.

[curtbrown]

Thank you for a most well done deep dive into this brand. And thank you also for sharing your personal concern with all of us. Your humanity is refreshing.

[laskivious]

The best part of the video is the last 20 seconds. Thank you for being able to share that with us.

[nusbacher]

Great that you feel able to be open about your alopecia!

In the early 00s I felt that Franck Muller watches were avant-garde, but not grating. He gave us interesting colour and design choices, and I think he inspired some interesting pieces coming from more mainstream brands (as well as big tonneau cases). I'm surprised that people would connect that aesthetic with Richard Mille, apart of course from the tonneau cases.

[charles_the_elder]

I was so happy to see a video about Franck Muller. I love their watches. Maybe because I've been a watch fanatic for quite a while, I've never even thought of them in comparison to Richard Mille. The first Franck Muller watch I ever saw was the crazy hour, and nobody that i know of makes a watch like that. I really enjoy these deep dive videos. Thank you.

[pranavkarol]

Wow ... Jenni your videos are going from awesome to legendary. This is amazing stuff even for non watch collectors. 💯👑💖🔥

[jaberzaitouni]

Franck muller is one of the most beautiful watches out there. and you just talking about rumors baby, the brand is going stronger than ever !!!!

[Nefville]

I've always loved the crazy hours complication, BTW, Nick Foulkes is an absolute legend, anything he says is gold. He's been in the watch game and I've known of him for years in the cigar world. He is a fantastic journalist and well deserves the recognition. He also has a Youtube channel that is absolutely hilarious, his son Max and him are comedy geniuses.

[thereismoretolifethanrolex]

Fabulous! You've saved me a bunch of research as I've been trying to find out why FM had fallen from grace myself. Fell in love with them as a breath of fresh air when I started collecting in the late 90's but they were in grail watch territory back then and I was amazed to see some of the entry level pricing on the secondary market today. Maybe worth a dabble as I sense a possible return...

Great content as always Jenni.

[pdmotors]

What ever we think of Frank Muller the person, I think his talent for sure was in creating instant classic watches that will be loved by real watch collectors for years to come.

[togoandmoss]

I have many luxury watches and after being pulled into the Apple Watch world because of business reasons I almost fell out of love with the hobby …. You have changed that - thank you!

[FrankieTech]

Great video Jenni! I would love to see deep dives into watch brands that were really big at some point, but now are past their heyday or just lost their way. Some that come to mind are Panerai, Tag Heuer, Bovet or defunct brands like Enicar, Movado or Universal Geneve. Keep up the great work!

[mariomartin]

I loved your work on This brand. I have always been drawn to Franck Muller, but have not had the courage to spend that much on a watch even though I can afford it. Crazy, I know😢

[RogerAlan]

I’ve been a fan of Franck Muller watches since my dad bought his first one in the mid-90s, a steel Casablanca 5850 with a low 3 digit serial number, the same watch that’s on my wrist right now. He’s had a number of them over the years but most of them were eventually sold or traded. The fervor around them in the late 90s and early 2000s has left me with a passion for them that I’ll keep forever.

[johnnychen]

Another great video, thank you Jenni, I’ve known about FM and really wanted their watches when I was younger and suddenly they disappeared - thank you for your investigative work 👍

[afuentesalburo]

Great review, but the closing was even better. Congrats on your approach to alopecia; you are brave, passionate, and a role model.

[AM-hkuw]

Excellent video JE.
I like the look of some of their watches and went to a Boutique in Australia a couple of months ago. I staff were soo rude, I walked out after a few minutes.
I had to answer 10 questions to even get in the shop - what am I after, any model in particular, Do I know what Franck Muller is about, Do I have an appt, Do you know we sell watches, - the questions, the questions. I then eventually get in, and there is not one client in he shop. Four staff and me. Straight away ALL the staff walk to to back of the shop and leave me to look by myself. No one comes to talk and ask me - " Can I help you, would you like to try on one". They all stayed away from.
So I left the shop very disappointed.