… That is Franck Muller. From a time where all had one and those that did not, needed one… to a time where wearing a Franck Muller Crazy Hours set you miles away from the knowledgeable collector crowd. Several scandals (nothing that other brands did not do, yet they never got caught…) and a commercial strategy that switched to be more “bling” rather than superlative horology as it initially began, have been driving a wedge between Franck Muller and the “respectable” horological community over time. A community that (if you remove the “respectable”) I do feel part of.

All that said, it is interesting that when you propose a “Crazy Hours” to this very same community the reaction is not that of absolute rejection buy instead you get a; “well… if it’s a Crazy Hours then yes!” I have always been a fan of the Cintree Curvex case shape by Franck Muller. Despite all the horological disdain by others I find this case to be one of the most elegant and pleasant to wear should you remain in the thinner versions. (The 8880 case goes way beyond elegant and flirts with the “bling” factor a bit too much for my taste.) To me, thin and ultra-thin are a complication in itself. Complex and especially curved cases make the ultra-thin a requirement thus the inherent challenges of a case such as this are appealing to me.

It will be almost a year now since I owned this Crazy Hours and it has not let me down. It is comfortable and elegant as well as being a talking piece. Strangely I have come to value these two traits more than its unique way to display time (that my children love). The deep grey dial with black numerals combine with many straps of different colours and textures. A black grainy strap will make it more dressy while a tan/camel strap will give it a more sporty appearance yet remaining very elegant. I would have liked it to be a bit thinner to accentuate the curvature of the case though.

I do like this Franck Muller Crazy Hours, yet the finishing on the case could have been better. The engraving and the linear brushing are a step below what I would expect on a watch of this price point. I also think this watch should/could have been thinner so as to emphasize its curved case shape. Either that or a better movement with a longer power reserve would have improved the “value” score by at least 30 points. I didn’t purchase this Franck Muller because of its horological excellence. What it does, it does to perfection. That is what I value most about it.