When Rolex announced their intended acquisition of legendary international retail chain Bucherer in 2023, the watch industry was abuzz with speculation about how it would affect the world of luxury watch retailing. What has been talked about much less, however, is the fact that this acquisition also includes a world-class movement maker capable of producing minute repeaters, tourbillons and perpetual calendars. The in-house movement manufacturer for the Carl F. Bucherer watch brand was once a renowned standalone third-party maker of high complications known as TĂ©chniques Horlogères AppliquĂ©es (THA) located in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland. And now, if the Swiss regulators approve Rolex’s Bucherer acquisition, they will belong to Rolex.
Who is Téchniques Horlogères Appliquées?
In 1989, TĂ©chniques Horlogères AppliquĂ©es was founded by three all-stars of today’s luxury watch world–François-Paul Journe (of F.P. Journe), Vianney Halter, and Denis Flageollet (of De Bethune). THA supplied movements to high-end Swiss brands, and many regarded them as one of the few movement-for-hire firms remotely on par with Renaud et Papi. The top of the luxury watch industry is a small world.
The Bucherer Acquisition
Letting larger brands take the “glory” of your finest works often grows tiresome for elite watchmakers, so it’s not surprising that all three founders were long gone by the time Bucherer bought THA in 2007. Bucherer changed the name to “Carl F. Bucherer Technologies SA” and decided to keep all their movements for its own Carl F. Bucherer brand from then on. Their first important horological innovation under that name came the very next year. News of Rolex’s Bucherer acquisition came in 2023. Presumably, though, the integration of the companies will take years–if the deal is approved by Switzerland at all, that is.
Most Notable Complications
These are the most notable horological feats that Carl F. Bucherer Technologies SA is known for:
- Peripheral Rotor – Although Carl F. Bucherer Technologies didn’t invent peripheral rotors, they were the first to serially produce them in 2008, and they’re leaders in that area. Peripheral winding rotors, unlike typical automatic winding rotors, are like rings around the movement. This allows for a better view of the movement (assuming the watch has an exhibition caseback) and a slimmer case height.
- Floating Tourbillon – Although lots of brands make flying tourbillons, CFB’s “floating tourbillon” is supported peripherally by three ceramic ball bearings (the same concept behind their peripheral rotors) rather than being cantilevered on one side. This feature debuted in 2018.
- Minute Repeater – The minute repeater is a classic complication, but it’s one of the most difficult to make. Carl F. Bucherer Technologies is on a short list of houses that actually make their own minute repeater movements. A “Triple Peripheral” has a floating tourbillon, peripheral rotor and peripherally mounted minute repeater regulator.
- Perpetual Calendar – CFB used to add Dubois-Depraz perpetual calendar modules to ETA base movements, but since 2023 they’ve been making their own manufacture perpetual calendars.
- Flyback Chronograph – Although flyback chronographs are nowhere near as impressive as minute repeaters, it’s a neat complication that Rolex has never made.
What Will Rolex Do With Carl F. Bucherer Technologies SA?
Rolex is a hard company to predict. It’s likely that Rolex will do absolutely nothing different with Carl F. Bucherer Technologies and let them continue to put their world-class high complications in Carl F. Bucherer watches. After all, Rolex makes well over a million watches per year and has about 1,300 authorized dealers to distribute them to–selling a couple hundred minute repeater watches wouldn’t really change their financial fate.
But, based on Rolex’s 2024 releases they seem to be making a concerted effort to move upmarket, and they already do make a handful of ultra-low-volume off-catalog models each year. If a Rolex Carl F. Bucherer collab resulted in an off-catalog 1908 minute repeater, would that be so wrong? Carl F. Bucherer Technologies is among the world’s top manufacturers of complicated movements, but the Carl F. Bucherer brand itself isn’t particularly strong. Just consider, what did Keanu Reeves gift his stunt crew for helping him make the John Wick movies, which were all prominently sponsored by Carl F. Bucherer? Rolexes, of course.
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