Franck Muller Lemania Chronograph Platinum "Number 00" 2865 MA

US$0.00

SOLD

Description

This is the Franck Muller 2865 MA Lemania Chronograph. A true watchmaker, Franck Muller began his career doing restorations for brands such as Patek Philippe before setting up his eponymous brand in 1991. Known as the Master of Complications, Franck Muller himself specialised in complicated wristwatches, culminating in two titles of the “most complicated wristwatch in the world”.

While Franck Muller today is far from it’s heyday in the early 2000s when the brand was among the most popular in the world, the early work of Franck Muller truly went under the radar. It was not until recently that early Franck Muller chronographs with hand-wound Lemania movements became popular, coinciding with the renaissance of the neo-vintage era. It is from this period of the storied watchmaker that the aforementioned reference was born.

Not to be confused with the 7000 series that ran on automatic movements with a Valjoux base and a larger case size, this particular reference ran on the modified Lemania 1872 - the same base as other popular watches such as the Omega Speedmaster. With this reference, there are several dial variants with later 2865s characterized by the Chronographe wordings on the dial. This example, however, appears to be an early example signified by the brand above the six and the snail-style tachymeter scale. Housed in a platinum case numbered 00 with a stepped bezel and round chronograph pushers, the aesthetic borrows heavily from important chronograph of the past and gives an insight on the early work of the watchmaker.

Unfortunately for the brand, it appears to have lost its previous luster due to lawsuits and scandals. It’s a pity as earlier Franck Mullers exude a level of charm and ingenuity that is in my opinion lacking in their more modern offerings. As an early independent, the early Franck Mullers have also risen in popularity together with several others of their time and it’s fortunate that watches such as these are still exchanging hands as proof of the beauty of the earlier work from the “Master of Complications” himself.

Condition

This Franck Muller 2865 MA is in excellent pre-owned condition. The case has some light signs of wear in the form of hairlines on the bezel without any dings or dents. The dial has no signs of age with some loss of luminous material on the hour hand. Both front and back crystal have no flaws. The watch comes as head only and is mounted on a leather strap with a stainless steel buckle. It does not have its original box or papers and is in full working order.