There are watch launches, and then there is Franck Muller at WPHH. The difference is rather like comparing a polite dinner party to a Formula One car being driven through a ballroom. One is respectable. The other is unforgettable. For 2026, Franck Muller has arrived with a collection that seems to ask one very simple question: why should a watch merely tell time when it can perform it? This year the answer comes in the form of mystery discs, tri axial tourbillons, architectural tonneau cases, skeletonised movements and a new Imperium that looks like it was designed by someone who believes subtlety is for other people. It is bold, dramatic and gloriously excessive in the way only high horology should be.
Round Triple Mystery Rainbow
The timepiece is not so much a watch as it is a moving jewel box with an engineering degree. It begins with Franck Muller’s original Mystery concept, where traditional hands were replaced by a rotating disc, a rebellious act in itself. Then came the Double Mystery with two discs. Now, naturally, comes the Triple Mystery Rainbow, because if two rotating discs are fascinating, three are positively hypnotic.
Hours, minutes and now seconds are displayed on three fully independent rotating discs, each guided by triangular indicators. This turns the reading of time into something closer to a mechanical ballet. At the heart of it sits the MVD 2800 TM movement, designed to keep all three discs in flawless motion while maintaining precision and stability. The seconds disc, spinning faster than the others, required serious technical development to keep energy efficiency intact.
Then there is the dial, which appears to have been attacked by a very talented jeweller with excellent taste. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, tsavorites, amethysts, carnelians, citrines, garnets and pink tourmalines are hand set in a spiral composition, drawing the eye naturally toward the centre. The 36mm white gold Round case holds it all together with elegant restraint, proving that sometimes the most outrageous watches are the ones dressed most politely.
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Vanguard Slim Sfumato Tourbillon
Now for something slimmer, because apparently Franck Muller decided that complexity should also wear a tuxedo. The Vanguard Slim Sfumato Tourbillon takes the bold tonneau shaped Vanguard and somehow makes it refined without losing its attitude.
Crafted in 18K rose gold, measuring 41 mm wide and 49.95mm long, it carries the signature Vanguard presence but with a case thickness of just 9.1 mm. That is seriously thin for something housing a tourbillon. Even more absurd is the in house movement inside, the MVT FM 2070T VS1, which itself measures only 2.60 mm thick.
The tourbillon is, of course, the star. Rotating continuously to counter the effects of gravity on precision, it brings both function and theatre. But the real brilliance lies in fitting this level of horological refinement into such a slim architecture. Blue case inserts add contrast, the integrated strap flows seamlessly into the case, and the whole thing feels like a sports car in evening wear.
Triple Mystery Skeleton
If the Rainbow Triple Mystery is the glamorous extrovert, the Triple Mystery Skeleton is its darker, more intellectually dangerous sibling. Here, the same triple disc concept is stripped open to reveal the movement beneath, because why hide mechanical genius when it looks this good?
Powered again by the MVD 2800 TM, the watch drives hours, minutes and seconds through three rotating discs, but now everything is visible. The open worked architecture exposes gears, levers and bridges, each finished to an almost obsessive standard. The skeletonised central plate in rose gold balances rigidity and lightness, a necessity when dealing with rapidly rotating discs. Each bridge measures just 0.3 mm in width, which is not so much engineering as it is controlled madness. The case itself is fully hand set with 3.37 carats of brilliant cut diamonds, proving that technical brutality and jewellery elegance can coexist beautifully.
Imperium
Then comes the Imperium, which sounds less like a watch and more like something a Roman emperor would demand before breakfast. It introduces a new interpretation of Franck Muller’s iconic tonneau architecture, sharper, bolder and with enough wrist presence to announce itself from across the room. Crafted in stainless steel, the case features a sculpted two level construction with a dramatic bezel, pronounced angles and elongated curves that create constant motion even while standing still.
Satin brushed and polished finishes play against each other beautifully, while open worked lugs allow the metal bracelet to integrate with natural flow. The dial is where things become particularly interesting. An octagonal construction frames expressive numerals over a lozenge patterned guilloché surface, creating depth and shifting reflections depending on the light. It is bold without being chaotic, a surprisingly difficult trick. The date aperture is neatly integrated, practical without ruining the drama.
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Curvex CX Master Jumper Skeleton
Finally, the Curvex CX Master Jumper Skeleton arrives to remind everyone that normal time displays are apparently far too boring. This watch features a triple jumping complication where hours, minutes and date all move through jumping discs rather than traditional hands. Inside beats the in house MVT 3100 CS1 movement, powered by a clever double barrel system. One barrel handles the hours and minutes, the other powers the date and overall movement, ensuring enough torque for the simultaneous jumps. It is the sort of engineering solution that sounds simple until one realises how absurdly difficult it actually is.
The iconic Curvex CX titanium case is paired with a sapphire crystal that extends seamlessly into the bracelet, creating an uninterrupted flow from case to wrist. The crystal magnifies the skeletonised movement beneath, allowing light to dance across the architecture. It feels futuristic without losing the soul of traditional watchmaking.
Franck Muller’s 2026 collection is not interested in modesty. It is interested in spectacle, invention and reminding everyone that haute horlogerie should occasionally leave people slightly speechless. These are not watches that quietly whisper refinement. They stride into the room, sit at the head of the table, and politely inform everyone else that time, today, belongs to them.
Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton
The Franck Muller Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton is not a watch built for understatement. It is a bold mechanical spectacle centred around the brand’s iconic tri-axial tourbillon, a complication Franck Muller famously pioneered. Designed as both movement and theatre, this masterpiece transforms the wrist into a stage where precision and architecture perform together. Housed in a rose gold Vanguard case measuring 43.90 mm by 52.10 mm, the watch features a fully openworked construction on all four sides, allowing the movement to remain visible from multiple angles. The signature curved tonneau shape makes this even more complex, requiring extreme precision to reduce material while preserving strength and rigidity.
The case acts as a true frame around the movement, turning structure into design. Inside beats the in-house MVT 2031-VS calibre, a manufacture movement assembled from 280 components and mounted directly onto the caseback for the first time in Franck Muller’s history. Its skeletonised architecture exposes the bridges, barrels, and gear train, creating exceptional visual depth while maintaining stability. Even the crown required a new mechanical solution to ensure water resistance without compromising the openness of the case. The highlight, of course, is the tri-axial tourbillon composed of three concentric cages. The inner cage rotates every 60 seconds, the intermediate cage every 8 minutes, and the outer cage every hour, constantly correcting the effects of gravity across multiple positions for exceptional precision. Powered by two barrels, the watch delivers an impressive 10-day power reserve while sustaining this continuous rotation. Finished with an integrated strap secured by hidden screws, the Vanguard Aero Revolution 3 Skeleton is not merely a timepiece but a demonstration of engineering theatre. It is Franck Muller at its most unapologetically technical, where every detail exists to reveal the beauty of movement in full view.
