FVF Genève founder Franc Vila has created a unique piece of his flagship tourbillon for a noted European collector of independent and complicated watches who goes by @thedeadwatchsociety on Instagram.

The FVF1 Tourbillon “Seven Poets” is a romantic twist on the day complication that assigns a daily reading from one of seven historical poets.

Initial thoughts

Franc Vila is a man of many passions. His atelier in central Geneva is packed with art, and each piece has a story — I can’t think of anyone better to create a poetry-themed watch. Neither, it seems, could the lucky owner who commissioned the Seven Poets.

The watch is fundamentally similar to the standard FVF1 C2 Tourbillon Superligero, with its 42.5 mm case, titanium monocoque construction, seven-sided day roller, and flying tourbillon architecture. Even in its basic configuration, the FVF1 is a distinctive offering that relaunched Mr Vila’s career after he parted ways with his eponymous brand.

But the Seven Poets is anything but basic. Like the “Today” edition reviewed last year, the Seven Poets deviates from the norms of traditional watchmaking.

Instead of indicating the day of the week, the day roller has been repurposed to feature the hand-engraved names of seven poets that are personally meaningful to the owner who commissioned the watch.

I liked the conceptual, philosophical statement made by the “Today” edition, and the Seven Poets takes it one step further. This simple change to an indicator transforms the personality and intention of the watch, and I can imagine other collectors are dreaming up their own ideas for a custom roller.

The “Today” was priced at CHF165,000, which is a good point of reference for a bespoke FVF1 like the Seven Poets — both watches are functionally the same and have a similar bill of materials. An attempt might be made at a value judgement, but the Seven Poets is a highly personal watch that defies comparison.

Much like a work of art, the Seven Poets is intended to evoke emotion as much as tell the time.

Easy wearing haute horlogerie

Like other FVF1 models, the Seven Poets is effortless on the wrist thanks to its lightweight titanium construction and short lugs. The case construction is unusual, because the movement baseplate — made of grade 5 titanium — pulls double duty as the case band.

The sapphire crystal case back is screwed directly to this structure, revealing the O-ring gasket underneath.

The untreated grade 5 titanium baseplate is thus visible on all sides, while the 5N rose gold-plated German silver barrel bridge adds a bit of heft close to the wrist, enhancing the excellent weight balance.

The case flanks — which include the short openworked lugs — are attached separately. In this case, the flanks are also made of grade 5 titanium but have been given a Titalyt treatment, seen previously on the F.P. Journe Élégante but used here for the first time by FVF.

This treatment explains the dark colour and matte texture of the lugs, and also helps improve the durability of the titanium, making it less prone to picking up scratches.

Despite its primary role as a conceptual statement piece, the Seven Poets is well finished — even the titanium baseplate is brushed and bevelled, with tidy perlage in some of the nooks and crannies.

The most eye-catching details can be found on the gold-plated barrel bridge, which is bevelled front and back, with several prominent inward angles at key junctures. That said, the Seven Poets is not a watch that puts finishing as its foremost virtue.

Instead, it’s a watch that comes alive in the wearing experience, and in the way it questions what a watch should be in an age when time is ubiquitous.

The seven poets

As the name suggests, the Seven Poets is not a typical FVF1 — a watch that normally indicates the day of the week on a heptagonal roller.

In this case, the owner customised the roller with the names of his seven favourite historical poets — Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836-1870), Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Julio Cortázar (1914-1984), Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), Enrique Urquijo (1960-1999), and Mario Benedetti (1920-2009).

Notably, five of the seven poets are from the Spanish-speaking world, which hints at the owner’s first language — also that of the watch’s maker. Each name is evidently hand engraved, with the tell-tale imperfections of the human hand.

This approach differs from the clinical, machined perfection of the engravings on the “Today” edition, but the choice reflects the non-conformist nature of the poets’ subject matter and imbues the watch with unambiguous humanity.

Because the functional roller advances one step each day — just like a typical day indicator — the watch effectively ‘suggests’ a new poet each day, making it the perfect companion for a daily reading habit.

If another poet is preferred, the user can simply press the button at nine o’clock to advance the roller. This action is highly satisfying to the touch as well as the eye — the piston-style pusher with its coilover return spring is an important functional and stylistic detail of the FVF1 platform.

Key facts and price

FVF Genève FVF1 Tourbillon “Seven Poets”

Diameter: 42.5 mm
Height: 13.9 mm
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: FVF1
Functions: Hours, minutes, day-night indicator, modified day of the week display, and 60-second tourbillon regulator
Winding: Hand wind
Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 100 hours

Strap: Leather with pin buckle

Limited edition: Yes, unique piece
Availability: Direct from Franc Vila
Price: Upon request

For more, visit fvfgeneve.com.