Carl. F Bucherer – One Of The Last Independent Watch Companies
Carl. F Bucherer is a bit of an underdog among Swiss watch companies, but there is still much to be said for the historical company. An interesting aspect is that it is one of the few Swiss watch companies that is still family-owned and thus independent from larger groups. In this day and age when most watch brands are bought up by either The Swatch Group, The Richemont Group, LVMH, or Kering, it is quite unique.
History And Collections
Carl F. Bucherer was founded in 1888 in the city of Lucerne by Carl Friedrich Bucherer where he initially had a combined watch and jewelry business. Nowadays, the company is known for its attention to detail as well as some very complicated movements where some models have the company's in-house movements. All of Carl F. Bucherer's collections (or "families" as the company itself calls them) have everything from entry-level models to more exclusive models. The Manero, Patravi, and Adamavi collections are mainly aimed at men, while Pathos and Alacria are women's collections. The design is largely classic, but they also have sportier models in the Manero and Patravi collections and the Pathos women's collection, which is futuristic, to say the least.
Today the company is divided into Carl. F Bucherer, which manufactures and sells its watches, as well as the company Bucherer which also sells and markets other brands such as Rolex, IWC, and Audemars Piguet. Besides the unique detail that the company is one of the few family-owned watch companies, they are the only company that has managed to create a production movement (CFB A1000) that does not have a visible rotor that you wind up. The movement thus appears to be manual even though it is automatic. This means that the case becomes narrower and that you can see the entire movement on the back of the case, without a rotor getting in the way.
Popular Culture
Carl F. Bucherer has started investing a lot in marketing, both in the East where they have the superstar LI Bingbing as an ambassador, and in the West where the company's CEO Sasha Moeri's contacts in Hollywood have created interesting product placements. It is noticeable that the company focuses a lot on the right films that suit the company's products and to face the tough competition from the big watch giants. Two collaborations stand out in the crowd; partly the John Wick movies where the main character John Wick played by Keanu Reeves is seen with a Carl F. Bucherer Manero Autodate. The product placement may not be that special in itself, but as these films are on their way to becoming future cult films, it makes it special.
The other film that stands out in the crowd is Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron. Here the product placement is unique as the watch shown also has a function in the film where the movement contains secret documents and in the film you can see the movement being taken apart.
New Watch Releases At The Baselworld
At Baselworld this year, the company released a total of six new models, including the Heritage BiCompax Annual which we think is worth a closer look. The model was partly created to pay tribute to the founder Carl F. Bucherer and to pay tribute to the year the company was founded. It is a reinterpretation of the Bi-compax Chronograph model that came out in 1956, where the big difference is that the size has gone from a modest 34 mm to 41 mm and that, in addition to being a chronograph, it also has an annual calendar that only needs to be reset once per year in February.
Otherwise, much is the same as the original model, and the dial is almost identical. The design can be summed up as sophisticated with a timeless design, while many complications are housed in the case. In terms of appearance, the large date window stands out together with the perfect choice of syringe hands which are also luminescent. This stylish men's watch is limited to 888 pieces in two different designs; one with a silver dial and one with a rose/champagne dial that has an 18k rose gold case.
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