Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 3SPC.2-1 Pairs Rose Gold With German Silver

Ferdinand Berthoud’s Chronomètre FB 3SPC has always been more about chronometric obsession than visual drama, even if the watch is hardly shy on the wrist.

The latest FB 3SPC.2-1 gives that technical language a warmer tone, combining an ethical 18-carat 5N rose gold case with a sandblasted nickel silver movement architecture visible from both sides.

Unveiled for the opening of Art in Time Tokyo, it joins the collection as a non-limited edition with pricing on request, expected to sit around CHF 160,000.

At a glance

Rose gold gives the FB 3SPC a softer presence

The FB 3SPC.2-1 keeps the round 42.3mm case architecture that made the model a more classical counterpoint to Ferdinand Berthoud’s earlier, more sculptural watches.

At 9.43mm thick, it remains relatively slim for a watch with this degree of mechanical theatre, especially one that exposes so much of its regulating system.

The large 8.5mm crown is a functional signature rather than an ornamental flourish, while the rectangular sapphire porthole in the left case flank gives a lateral view of the cylindrical hairspring at work.

In rose gold, those details feel less architectural and more historical, which suits a brand so closely tied to marine chronometry and precision timekeeping.

German silver shapes the dial-side architecture

There isn’t a conventional dial in the usual sense.

What the wearer sees is an openworked construction made from visible movement components, now treated in nickel silver with fine sandblasted surfaces.

The beige-varnished inner bezel ring and velvet-finished small seconds subdial help soften the tone, making the watch feel more monochromatic than many openworked high-complication pieces.

That restraint matters because it leaves room for the finishing to do the talking.

The matte nickel silver surfaces set up a clean contrast with polished bevels, gilded gear trains and the blue CVD-treated 18-carat gold hands.

The hour and minute hands are facetted, skeletonised and open-tipped, with the same blue tone repeated on the seconds hand, power-reserve display and selected screws.

The chronometry story is still the main event

The calibre FB-SPC is hand-wound, made in-house and certified by COSC, but the headline remains its balance assembly.

The movement combines a cylindrical balance spring with two hand-formed terminal curves and a variable-inertia balance, a rare configuration in a wristwatch and central to the FB 3SPC’s identity.

This model family received the Chronometry prize at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, a useful reminder that the watch’s visual complexity serves a genuine regulating purpose.

A large barrel under an arched bridge provides 72 hours of power reserve, while the movement runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour.

The back mirrors the front in spirit, with nickel silver bridges, hand-polished bevels and a decorative approach that favours old-school craft over spectacle for its own sake.

Details & Specifications

The FB 3SPC.2-1 won’t be the loudest Ferdinand Berthoud, but it may be one of the most balanced, bringing warmth and restraint to a watch whose real appeal lies in disciplined mechanical execution.