Franck Muller's Vanguard Casablanca reinvents a timeless traditional
A more youthful, more affordable Casablanca for younger watch lovers.
If the name " Casablanca" evokes Humphrey Bogart's goodbye to Ingrid Bergman within the iconic 1942 film Using the image of Paris", we have been not surprised. Or, if you are a wealthy traveler acquainted with the exotic, charming Moroccan port cities are known for their own diverse architectural and cooking treasures.
But if you are a watch enthusiast, its name “Casablanca” will inadvertently think of Franck Muller’s exquisite tonneau-shaped dress watch collection of exactly the same name. Legend has it that this eponymous founder of the brand had been himself inspired by the movie Casablanca when creating the watch selection.
Defined through sensual lines, the Casablanca timepiece magnifies the figure and volume of a traditional tonneau-shaped case - an visual Franck Muller has because trademarked " Cintree Curvex" (French for " bent arch" ) - The actual Casablanca watch is also built with a variable dial along with large Art Deco Persia numerals fanning out from the middle. In fact , the look and style might become synonymous with Franck Muller. More pertinently, the actual Casablanca line, both a good old-school tribute and distinctively modern dress watch, has been so popular that it appeared upon multiple cash registers throughout its heyday.
Although the Casablanca line has not been discontinued, it has used a backseat in recent years, overshadowed through the brand's other lines; the particular Vanguard line, launched within 2015 in particular, has completely outclassed new releases. This year, but Franck Muller decided to cross-merge the two collections with Vanguard Casablanca. If silver screen reviews were to be made - in the end, the collection has “Casablanca” in the title - these timepieces are like Baz Luhrmann-esque termes conseillés of the originals.
Watch lovers familiar with typically the Vanguard line will be knowledgeable about these watches' bulky instances (sort of like the fitness center sibling of the Cintree Curvex), colorful, eye-catching dials, as well as thick, sturdy straps which convey a sporty and powerful spirit. Just as Franck Muller's iconic products, such as Insane Hours and Revolution three Tourbillon, received the Vanguard treatment and finally looked prepared to party, Vanguard Casablanca additionally re-emerged as an introduction that will looked a few years less than it had been. Notable series.
Available in 41mm and 43mm sizes, the Vanguard Casablanca makes its presence experienced. The tonneau profile continues to be significantly enhanced, replacing the initial Casablanca's Art Deco switch and classic lance-shaped fingers with a unique font together with bold, stretched printed hours markers (also Art Deco) with skeletonized hands, presented by the minute track of often the Vanguard collection, with compass points on the inner board.
The showmanship of the series is straightforward, for any woman. Available in automatic three-hand and also steel chronograph models, timepieces are available in a black call with Super-LumiNova markings, the brown dial with chocolates numerals and a salmon face with Super-LumiNova markings. Every version is imbued using its own charisma while jointly expressing the collection's nice luxury DNA. There’s the steel three-hand and wathe boutique version with a dark dial and blue numbers, which is, in our opinion, the good look in the collection.
The sporty style of the actual Vanguard Casablanca is a stabil departure from the exuberant however refined elegance of the initial Casablanca. Franck Muller phone calls it a rendition from the " 21st Century" collection, and it's not too far from the mark. In addition , a brand someone revealed that Vanguard Casablanca should attract the attention of youthful watch lovers.
The muscular silhouette of those watches, in their vibrant colors, made them Franck Muller's entry-level product category. Given, that's still a pretty higher bar for young professionals. But as the brand's entries level collection, Vanguard Casablanca provides an alluring and intriguing proposal.