Carl F. Bucherer’s watches are the issue of a long tradition during which knowledge and skills in the crafts of watchmaking and jewelry-making were continually extended. The experience and development accumulated over more than 125 years go into each and every watch, making it an exemplar of watchmaking art rich in tradition. Our task now is to protect this heritage and to guarantee that the name of Carl F. Bucherer continues to exemplify the best quality. For this reason, protection against counterfeits that illegally display the name of Carl F. Bucherer has become essential. In future, the innovative CLR-LIGA laser technology will enable clear authentication of originals, unequivocally and at a glance.

Cutting-edge technology on the smallest scale

The Swiss company Mimotec SA, of Sion, has developed a new type of technology for certifying original products with an individual laser signature. Named CLR-LIGA, this technology provides even the smallest components with a diffractive surface structure that reflects light in the form of a unique signature. A complex 4-stage process of structural calculation, nanostructuring, photolithography and galvanization makes it impossible for counterfeiters to copy the laser signature.

© Carl F. Bucherer

Furthermore, this new technology stands out sharply against other methods of certifying original products. Unlike certificate cards or QR codes, authentication by CLR-LIGA technology needs no complex database of identification numbers, but can be recognized quickly and easily with a simple scanning device. Furthermore, the laser signature is actually integrated into the product, making unequivocal authentication possible even decades later, independently of technical systems.

Signed for eternity

Carl F. Bucherer places the highest value on the protection of its technical achievements, which are crucial to the company’s success. For example, the exceptional Manufacture caliber CFB A1000 with automatic winding is not only an example of outstanding watchmaking technology, but also an expression of the company’s philosophy, which continually forges ahead with progressive, ground-breaking developments. Carl F. Bucherer decided to implement CLR-LIGA technology to keep its own creations, which are invariably of the highest quality, clearly distinct from counterfeits and to make it even easier to tell the difference. The first model presented with an integral laser signature showing the Carl F. Bucherer logo is the Manero PowerReserve. From 2014, all other models powered by the CFB A1000 caliber will bear the detailed laser signature, unmistakably identifying them as original models from Carl F. Bucherer. It is not merely the signature of the brand name, but also the certificate of touchstone quality, innovation and design.

Let’s forget about the past! With the range of ladies’ watches available constantly on the increase, the time when women had to make do with a choice of gents’ watch copies seems to be over. Just like their male counterparts, ladies who appreciate fine watchmaking now demand a choice. This is why, faced with the giant watches that were in fashion over the past few years, there has been a marked return of mini-watches.

Symptomatic of this fact is the Mini D by Dior, which to a certain extent tells the story of this change in attitude. A reduced version of the D by Dior launched in 2003 with a design highly inspired by the 1970s and aimed, in the words of the brand, at “a lady who wears a man’s watch as a constant reminder of him”, the Mini D is unequivocally feminine. Its 19mm steel case set with diamonds is the clearest indication of its feminine style. As is its black mother-of-pearl dial and its strap in a yellow, white or rose gold coloured “mirror” goatskin designed by Victoire de Castellane for the latest models in the collection.

The Mini D de Dior Mirror, in three gold colours.
© Dior

Hermès has always paid particular attention to women, even though the brand has been busy targeting the male customer over the past five years. At Baselworld, the Paris fashion house clearly addressed women, in particular with the Faubourg watches with the minuscule diameter of 15.5mm. Its light silhouette is fashioned in yellow, white or rose gold in both discreet and more precious versions set with diamonds. “We do not follow trends,” explains Luc Perramond, CEO of La Montre Hermès, “we are more concerned with developing a range of beautiful objects in line with the brand’s DNA. There is undoubtedly a return to a certain classicism, but it’s not so pronounced. And the Faubourg watch, which is a small, fine and delicate dress watch, runs a little counter to the market.”

The Faubourg by Hermès in white gold set with diamonds and satin strap.
© Hermès

Without going to extremes, the market nevertheless seems quite favourable to the return of these small diameters. All the more so given that, in spite of a growing interest among women in mechanical watches, the jewellery watch has never lost its appeal. Think of the Josephine watch by Chaumet, for example, which pays tribute to the empress of the same name. Both feminine and audacious, this shaped watch embodies a delicate heritage by incorporating an aesthetic that alludes to the lace found on the collars of dresses in the era of the first French Empire. The Charms gold Mini by Van Cleef & Arpels also comes to mind, with its gold case with a diameter of 25mm and the mischievous look of its lucky charms, which recall the pendants of the 1920s and follow the movements of the wrist by turning around the case.

The Joséphine watch by Chaumet.
© Chaumet

Because the size of their case means that they need minuscule movements, these small watches that are big on style are fitted with quartz movements, which may not please the die-hard fans of mechanical watches. But for everyone else, the small watch is now becoming one of the essentials. Less is more…

Charms Gold Mini.
© Van Cleef & Arpels