Now beginning its second decade under the leadership of Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Ferdinand Berthoud (FB) has introduced the Chronomètre FB 2TV.1, the first model in the new Mesure du Temps 1787 collection.

The FB 2TV represents an evolution of the brand’s long-running chain-and-fusee architecture, adding zero-reset seconds and a flying tourbillon, and inverting the calibre to exhibit its key functional elements on the dial side.

It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since the debut of Ferdinand Berthoud as a contemporary brand. It was clear from the outset that FB had big ambitions, launching its first model with a chain and fusee mechanism.

Since then, FB has maintained admirably high standards for itself, and while not all of the designs appeal to me, the obvious effort that goes into every watch — each FB 2TV receives more than 300 hours of decoration — has won the brand a durable position near the top of the industry.

Now beginning its second decade, FB has released the first watch in a new collection that portends a more mechanically expressive style, with features like the chain and fusee inverted to the dial side.

This approach isn’t original, but the success of other ‘inverted’ movements from independents like Kari Voutilainen demonstrate demand for the format.

Ferdinand Berthoud, an 18th-century pioneer of the spring detent escapement among other breakthroughs, approached watchmaking from the perspective of a scientist, with form following function by some distance. As a result, the dials of his early marine clocks often looked more like miniature dashboards than what we would now consider a coherent dial.

For better or worse, the contemporary incarnation of FB reflects the occasionally chaotic look of these early clocks. For example, Berthoud often favoured an arc-shaped hour window, a detail that has been reimagined by watches like the FB RS Régulateur Squelette.

This form-follows-function mentality explains the layout of the FB 2TV, which feels less like a unified design and more like a presentation of components. The chain and fusee is displayed prominently, as are the flying tourbillon (the brand’s first) and the oversized cone and feeler system for the power reserve indicator.

The relative sizes of the cone and the power reserve indicator itself seem odd — the cone takes up a lot of real estate on the dial, while the hand and scale feel like an afterthought, shoehorned into a sliver of (German) silver next to the flying tourbillon.

But as strange as these details are, they reinforce the connection to the era that inspired them, when aesthetic codes were less developed and experimentation was rewarded.

Since FB was relaunched in 2016, the brand has positioned itself as a leading practitioner of the chain and fusee for delivering a constant torque to the escapement. This device was common in Berthoud’s day, since watchmakers were still coming to terms with the advantages of detached escapements that were less sensitive to variances in torque.

Moreover, the chain and fusee is a complicated device that often features as many components as the rest of a watch movement put together. For a brand with elite aspirations, such features create more opportunities to demonstrate expertise in engineering, manufacturing, and decoration.

In this case, the chain adds 465 stamped links and 311 pins to the component tally, and is 279 mm in length — nearly double the length of the chain used in A. Lange & Söhne’s Pour le Merite watches.

Like Lange’s pioneering chain and fusee from 1994, the FB 2TV utilises a differential system for its maintaining power. A maintaining power is a feature (mostly) unique to chain and fusee systems, and allows power to flow to the escapement even while the cone reverses direction.

The use of a differential system, rather than a more traditional Harrison-style maintaining power, probably explains why the winding feel is quite similar to that of Lange’s fusee-equipped watches. In both instances, the winding feel is remarkably tactile and pleasant, with richer feedback through the fingertips than is typical for most movements.

Despite the pleasure of winding, FB has seen fit to improve winding efficiency. Compared to the brand’s earlier chain and fusee watches, the FB 2TV requires 10 fewer turns of the crown to fully wind.

While the chain and fusee is familiar, the flying tourbillon represents new territory for FB. Its dial-side placement is probably a boon for commercial success, and makes it easier to admire the obvious care that went into its design and construction.

The delicate-looking three-armed cage contains a massive 11.2 mm free-sprung balance wheel, which oscillates on an overcoil hairspring. The cage itself is terraced to accommodate the height of the overcoil — a detail that characterised some of the best historical tourbillons — enhancing the elegance of the overall construction.

The flying tourbillon is mounted to a modular plate, allowing easy removal of the entire assembly. The plate itself — like the rest of the movement — is hand-frosted German silver, creating a radiant but uniform backdrop for the rotating regulator.

This detail may seem trivial, but many tourbillons, including some made by FB, suffer from a lack of visual contrast against their surrounding components.

Of course, features like the flying tourbillon and the chain and fusee are fundamentally about precision, so FB has gone the extra step of submitting every Chronomètre FB 2TV for COSC certification.

Though the COSC test itself is not especially challenging for a brand like FB — mass-market industrial brands produce certified chronometers by the hundreds of thousands — the effort is somewhat unusual at this end of the market and, more importantly, echoes the quest for precision that guided Berthoud throughout his career.

The FB 2TV features a small instrument-like dial — carrying the brand’s signature typeface and hands — perched at the top. The dial is mostly unremarkable by comparison with the rest of the watch, but its matte white finish and engraved, lacquered markings make it easily legible despite its diminutive size.

This configuration is not unlike that of Berthoud’s original Montre Astronomique No.3, which inspired the Naissance d’une Montre 3. Perhaps for this reason, both the Naissance d’une Montre 3 and the FB 2TV feature a central seconds hand, though the latter has a trick up its sleeve — or more literally its crown tube.

A pusher in the crown resets the seconds hand to zero for precise time-setting, or for timing intervals of up to 60 seconds. This explains the “Mesure du Temps” moniker and adds a degree of interactivity to the wearing experience.

Appealingly, the scythe-like reset hammer and open-worked snail cam — both black-polished steel — are exposed through the case back. These components are surrounded by a large and mysterious-looking ring gear, which is part of the motion works used to set the hands.

The 44 mm case is similar to that of my personal favourite FB, the FB 2RE, though the FB 2TV is about 1 mm thicker at 15.46 mm. I can appreciate the brand’s octagonal cases at a distance, but on the wrist I prefer this simpler round shape.

The case design is distinctly steampunk in terms of feel, with bolted lugs and screwed crown guards giving it an antique look. The details are beautifully wrought, and even the case back engravings are done in the brand’s signature font.

That said, the FB 2TV’s case lacks the vitrine-like windows of its predecessors, which offered a view of the chain and fusee (or the escapement) through the side of the case. With the inverted chain and fusee now exposed on the dial side, such windows are redundant. That said, the observation window was a detail that dates back to Berthoud himself, and its absence is felt.

While other case materials and finishes are likely to follow, the FB 2TV is currently available in Fairmined 18k white gold, which meets independent standards for ethical sourcing. Because of its size and the fine materials selected for its constituent parts, the FB 2TV is quite hefty, but rightly so for a watch of its stature.

In keeping with FB’s status as a top-quality maker, the FB 2TV is finished exceedingly well. This is most obvious on the front of the watch, which contains a more varied landscape of materials and textures.

The three-dimensional German silver dial plate is uniformly sandblasted by hand for a frosted finish that almost glows, bordered with wide, precise bevels. The steelwork atop the fusee cone — containing the stop-work device — is another key detail that’s expertly done.

The view is less dramatic around back, which is characterised by a somewhat haphazard bridge configuration and a number of unfamiliar-looking details.

These details include the trio of circular jewels that keep the massive ring gear in place, and a quartet of jewels — carrying the gear train for the central seconds — arranged in a straight line through the centre of the calibre.

All visible jewels are set in gold chatons, many of which are complemented with neat radial bridge cambers and crisp internal angles. While the movement architecture was clearly not intended to be an exercise in internal-angle maximisation — the slender-spoked wheels feature rounded corners — the quality of execution is immaculate.

Ferdinand Berthoud Mesure du Temps 1787 Chronometre FB 2TV
Ref. FB 2TV.1

Diameter: 44 mm
Thickness: 15.46 mm
Material: 18k white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: FB-TV.FC
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator, chain and fusee, flying one minute tourbillon, zero-reset seconds.
Winding: Hand-wind
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours

Strap: Alligator with white gold folding buckle

Limited edition: No
Availability: At boutiques and retailers
Price: EUR382,000 (~US$442,000) excluding taxes

For more, visit Ferdinandberthoud.ch.

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