FRANCK MULLER

Franck Muller was born on July 11th, 1958, in Switzerland, to an Italian mother and a Swiss father. He grew up in a cosmopolitan atmosphere and acquired both creativity and discipline. He acquired a strong interest in all mechanical gadgets from a young age.

After four years of outstanding study at the Geneva School of Watchmaking, he quickly established a reputation: endowed with exceptional technical ability, auction houses and collectors from all over the world brought him their prized possessions for repair.

He began manufacturing one-of-a-kind clocks under his own name after a few years in the profession. Franck Muller chose to concentrate his labor to the manufacture of unique timepieces, particularly wristwatches, that give the same degree of technological achievement as pocket watches in order to change the situation (influx of quartz watches on the market).

Franck Muller introduced his first wristwatches in 1983, following months of research and commitment. They all had a complex movement that he had devised entirely on his own. He recognized there was a market for collectors looking for one-of-a-kind clocks.

To match that demand, he has succeeded in revealing a World Premiere every year since then, building complexities that have never been constructed before. Franck Muller recognized the Tourbillon as a significant scientific breakthrough early on. It was developed over 200 years ago in order to improve the accuracy of watches. For the first time, Franck built a Tourbillon that could be seen from the front. Unlike all other kinds of Tourbillons, it can only be viewed from the rear. His groundbreaking new design and subsequent Grand Complications cemented Franck Muller's reputation as the "Master of Complications."

Vartan Sirmakes, co-founder and CEO of the Franck Muller Group, was born in Constantinople in 1956 and comes from a family of Armenian jewelers. At the age of 18, he came to Geneva on the recommendation of his uncle, who had lived there since 1952. He had already mastered the French language, having studied at Constantinople's famed French school, Collège Saint Benoît.

He began a jewel-setting apprenticeship with Antonio Bertolini when he arrived in Geneva in 1974. He opened his own workshop in Geneva's Eaux-Vives neighborhood as soon as he had his diploma. His reputation expanded quickly, and he gained the trust of significant customers like Ebel and Cartier. The modest workshop quickly grew into a major corporation.

His enthusiasm for design, architecture, and beautiful items led him to broaden his business and combine with Pierre Ecoffey, a bracelet and watchcase manufacturer, to enter the watchcase market. The relationship was a huge success, and they attracted high-profile clientele like Daniel Roth. This was his first foray into the world of timepieces.

His ambition had now become the production of high-end timepieces, and he had found a perfect partner in Franck Muller. The success came quickly and in spades.