Finding a partner to celebrate the Lunar New Year, Franck Muller ended up in Tokyo, where Ryo Ishikawa is a streetwear icon and founder of the Fxxking Rabbits (#FR2) label. Ishikawa was born in the Year of the Rabbit making him the perfect partner for a limited-edition timepiece.
The collaboration between the two avant-garde brands led to the #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard, available in 800 pieces throughout Southeast Asia and Australia.
Franck Muller has adopted #FR2 design language in its sporty Vanguard model characterised by a tonneau case and distinctive applique numerals.
The design of the dial positions the date window at 6 o'clock while the #FR2 iconoclastic rabbit motif replaces 7 and 8.
The eye of one rabbit is a red dot, against the matte white dial with black hands, markings and indices. Selectively applied Super-Luminova makes the signature motif glow in green while providing legibility in the dark.
Following its establishment in 2014, #FR2 quickly attracted a following with its signature erotic bunnies and Smoking Kills motifs, as well as bold photographic prints on its eclectic range of streetwear. Ishikawa is also behind the success of the Vanquish menswear brand launched in 2004.
Franck Muller revolutionised Haute Horlogerie by making the world's first tri-axial tourbillon, which corrects the forces of gravity in all positions.
Based in Genthod, in the canton of Geneva, the independent Swiss company aims to create exclusive timepieces characterised by complicated movements and original designs.
The launch of the brand in 1992 was accompanied by the debut of Cintrée Curvex, whose three-dimensional tonneau curved body involved technical challenges in manufacturing. The tonneau silhouette became an identity while Franck Muller demonstrated its know-how in case production.
For the first time in its watchmaking history, a new carbon and glass fibre composite has been used to make the case of the #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard.
After combining carbon powder and glass fibres, the resulting mass is impregnated with a bonding resin to achieve a light yet strong material.
The mixture actually has to be baked at 150C for three hours under 200 tonnes of pressure, to finally yield the composite that can then be machined into the necessary components. Due to random variations in how the mix is compressed, every watch case differs with a unique pattern of striations.
Powered by a self-winding movement, the edgy #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard is matched with a white nylon strap, emblazoned with black text in a typographic style that will be familiar to street fashion aficionados.
