Components-specialist-turned-watch brand Fleury Manufacture created its own chronograph calibre inspired by the famous Lemania cal. 2310, which debuts in the FXR-4 Chronograph.

Given Fleury’s origins as a supplier of parts, the calibre is built almost entirely by Fleury, and to a high standard. And the FXR-4 stands out for another reason: while independent watchmaking is rarely the value proposition it once was, the FXR-4 is priced well.

The FM04 movement

Initial Thoughts

Self-developed chronographs are a risky proposition for high-end independents. Established brands offer fierce competition, and developing a new chronograph calibre is arguably a thankless task today since enthusiasts remain fixated on highly-decorated three handers that offer the watchmaker a greater return on a smaller investment.

The FM04 movement inside scores well in terms of construction and finishing. The architecture is more refined than most other Lemania-esque chronographs, with the chronograph driving wheel integrated into the going train. And the finishing, a mix of machine and hand finishing, has enough of the latter to be considered high end; the black-polished clutch lever is especially outstanding.

The design of the exterior doesn’t score quite as well, which is not surprising given Fleury’s background as a parts supplier. The date isn’t to my preference – and the date pusher looks strangely large – it will be a meaningful value-add to others.

Vacheron Constantin’s Lemania-based stainless steel Cornes de Vache 1955 is an obvious point of comparison, and is a more conventionally attractive watch and movement – with an overcoil hairspring too – for only a few thousand more. But the diverging aesthetics mean few collectors will be cross shopping these two watches, even if they are very similar on paper.

Styling

Both dials are horizontally grained brass with circular grained sub dial surrounds and black polished steel hands and dial furniture. Though, for all that attention to detail, the sub-seconds track is not properly graduated for the 3 Hz beat rate.

Fleury added a register containing both the date and day/night indicator for a three-counter look. The additional button at eight 0’clock sets the date, a step up from pin-pushers but it gets in the way of the case outline.

Movement

Fleury portrays the calibre FM04 as a Lemania 2310 recreation. In reality, it is a completely distinct movement, inspired by the Lemania 2310, but designed and built by Fleury.

The most significant difference is size: the 27 mm diameter Lemania 2310 is relatively small for a chronograph – sometimes even (erroneously) described as the smallest in the world when launched.

Fleury’s chronograph calibre is a generous 32.5 mm in diameter, which fills the case back of a 40 mm watch nicely. Proportionally, this makes the 3 Hz balance look even smaller compared to the 2.5 Hz original.

Fleury founder Jean-Marc Fleury worked at Patek Philippe during the Lemania era, which is presumably where his affinity for the movement stems.

During his tenure at the brand, Patek Philippe moved the hammer spring on top of the hammer, which I notice Mr Fleury adopted for his own take on the calibre. Unfortunately, the column wheel cap, a critically endangered species today, and the overcoil hairspring were both lost in translation.

Integrated Chronograph Driving Wheel

A more obvious Patek Philippe-ism, the fourth wheel and chronograph driving wheel both sit under the fourth wheel bridge in Patek Philippe’s previous chronograph movement, the Valjoux based cal. 13-130, which the clutch also pivots around.

This is a somewhat upscale approach, in a normal Valjoux 23, the driving wheel sits on top of the fourth wheel bridge fiction, friction fit onto the extra long fourth wheel pivot.

A Valjoux 23 inside the Patek Philippe 2499. Image – Phillips

When transitioning to the Lemania based CH 27 during the 1980s, Patek Philippe opted to add jewel-less imitation fourth wheel bridge for the clutch to pivot around, rather than rework the movement to place both wheels under the fourth wheel bridge.

Patek Philippe later rectified this in the cal. CH 29-535, designed from the ground up as a Patek Philippe chronograph. Unconstrained by Lemania supplied parts, the Fleury FM04 located both wheels under the fourth wheel bridge.

Aesthetically, it is a radical departure from traditional aesthetics, with straight grained bridges to match the dial, blackened by ruthenium-free NAC treatment. The bridges are maillechort, or German silver, under the anthracite coating, a material extensively used in Swiss watchmaking, though with less fanfare than in Germany.

While the decoration appears industrial at first glance, human hands apply much, including pearling, graining, and black polishing.

Key facts and price

Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 12.8 mm
Material: Recycled stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: FM04
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph minutes and seconds, date, day/night
Winding: Hand-wound
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 65 hours

Strap: Fabric with steel pin buckle

Limited edition: 11 pieces per dial, 22 total
Availability: Now from Fleury
Price: CHF39,500 (excluding taxes)

For more, visit FleuryManufacture.ch.

De Bethune narrows the diameter of the bestselling DB25 Starry Varius but broadens its horizons with an entrancing red-leaning-purple dial achieved by heating titanium.

And it’s more than just a pretty face, the DB25xs Starry Varius packs one of the most advanced two-hand manual wound calibres on the market.

Initial Thoughts

A personal favourite of mine, the Starry Varius line is gorgeous, technically adept, and meaningfully customisable. De Bethune justifies this variant as representing the night sky after a volcanic eruption, and colour perfectly matches viral, and hauntingly beautiful, images taken after the Tonga volcano eruption in 2022.

As a chronometry-focused movement that paradoxically lacks a seconds hand, I find the cal. DB2005 very interesting. I’d even argue it makes sense as the six-day power reserve paints it as an endurance timekeeper.

It’s also more technically interesting than most of the – very finely decorated – three handers from younger independents, even if Be Bethune’s R&D efforts have dwindled recently.

Under A Sea of Stars

The dials are mirror polished titanium, which De Bethune heat oxidises for colour. While the brand’s specific method is proprietary, the thickness of this oxide layer determines which wavelengths of light transmit back to the observer, and this Burgundy dial must have a thinner oxide layer than the brand’s typical blue.

Next, artisans set dozens of tiny gold pins into the dial to marks starts, before a micro-milling laser affixes 24k gold leaf to the dial, creating the Milky Way backdrop. As with all Star Varius dials, you can work with De Bethune to customise the star-scape to your preference, such as to match the stars overhead when and where you were born.

Other than the reduction from 42 mm to 40.6 mm, the case remains unchanged, with the familiar DB25 open-worked lugs and baroque crown. The height is unaffected too, still 8.8 mm tall.

Haute Horlogerie, Haute Technologie

De Bethune’s movement finishing is always clean and thorough, if lacking some decorative flourishes currently in vogue, including sharp interior angles and exaggerated anglage, and the titanium movement accents aren’t red to match the dial.

The movement’s architecture looks carefully considered, the two barrels are arranged similar to the barrel and fusee in A.-L. Breguet’s four-minute tourbillons. Despite the contemporary 4 Hz beat rate, the two “self-adjusting” mainspring barrels drive the watch for at least six days on a full wind.

The silicon escape wheel, aerodynamic titanium balance with white gold weights, and proprietary flat hairspring (that breathes like an overcoil) are all fruits of De Bethune’s significant past investment in research and development.

The nicely polished dual-anchored balance bridge is not fixed in place. Rather, the brand’s “triple parachute” shock protection system allows the entire balance bridge to move under shock, adding a second layer of protection as well as visual interest. Notice that the regulator grips the hairspring, rather than leaving it to bounce between curb pins.

Key facts and price

Diameter: 40.6 mm
Height: 8.8 mm
Material: Titanium or Rose Gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: DB2005
Functions: Hours and minutes
Winding: Hand-wound
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: Six days

Strap: Alligator with pin buckle (matched to case materal)

Availability: Now from De Bethune and authorised retailers 
Price: Approximately US$80,000 in titanium, US$95,000 in 18k rose gold (excluding taxes)

For more, visit Debethune.ch.