Rolex
Introducing Carl F. Bucherer's New Manero Flyback Seeks To Embrace "Swissness" Through Five Fresh Colorways
And they tapped nature photographer Hannes Becker for help.
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Geneva Watch Days takes place in the Swiss cultural capital from Monday, August 29, to Thursday, September 1, 2022, so stay tuned to HODINKEE in the days ahead for detailed coverage of all the top releases, from brands such as Bulgari, MB&F, Oris, Urwerk, and many more.
What We Know
For Geneva Watch Days 2022, Carl F. Bucherer introduced five new colorways for the Manero Flyback: blue, green, red, white, and black. Not only are the colors new, so is the case size. In line with the industry-wide trend of downsizing, the new Manero is now 40mm, down from 43mm.
In a press release, Uwe Liebminger, Carl F. Bucherer's CMO explained the impetus for the updates, saying "listening to our global clientele – men and women – we decided to launch a complementary 40mm version. It's a perfect way to engage with a younger, cooler audience with a conscious mindset who love minimalism with a great design."
The evolution of the Manero Flyback has been a slow and deliberate one. Back in '18, Jack took a look at the then-current Manero and explained the modifications made to the Valjoux 7750 by Carl F. Bucherer to make this model a "quintessentially Swiss column-wheel chronograph." This time around, Carl F. Bucherer tapped La Joux-Perret to create the CFB 1973 caliber inside the new watch. The new movement has an upgraded power reserve and a new rotor that resembles the CFB logo.
What We Think
As part of the launch, Carl F. Bucherer got creative with the marketing campaign. They brought in Hannes Becker, a young German photographer with a massive following of 1.7 million people on Instagram. He's earned that following through a creative approach to documenting landscapes that highlights the adventure travel aspect of discovering new places. So how did it all work? Carl F. Bucherer gave Becker a great degree of latitude, they showed him the five new colors and set him loose with the goal of capturing the concept of "Swissness."
What he came back with was a series of breathtaking landscapes of Switzerland that explore this abstract notion of "Swissness." For each color, he photographed an iconic part of the Swiss landscape, the green of the rolling fields of the Emmental, the deep red of the impressive mountain range of the Berner Oberland before dusk, the changing shades of blue of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee), the black and dramatic rock surface of the Grimsel region, and the eternal whiteness of the Aletsch glacier.
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Marketing efforts in the horology space can be hit or miss, and to me, this is an interesting one. The watch – like any other watch – will appeal to some folks and not to others, but the breathtaking nature of Becker's photography can be universally appreciated. Bravo to Carl F. Bucherer for making a 40mm version of their watch, and for funding such an interesting series of landscape photography of Switzerland. Check it out below.
The Basics
Brand: Carl F. Bucherer
Model: Manero Flyback Collection
Reference Number: 00.10927.08.13.01, 00.10927.08.13.02, 00.10927.08.13.03, 00.10927.08.13.04,
00.10927.08.33.01
Diameter: 40mm
Thickness: 14.45mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Silver with red, blue, or green counters, then mono-tone silver-white or black.
Indexes: Wedge index markers in rhodium or rose gold color
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Textile strap made of recycled materials
The Movement
Caliber: CFB 1973
Functions: Minute and seconds counters, flyback, tachymeter, date, hour, minute, small seconds
Diameter: 30.4mm
Thickness: 7.9mm
Power Reserve: 56 hours
Winding: Automatic
Jewels: 29
Pricing & Availability
Price: $7,100
Availability: Immediately
Limited Edition: Standard production, not limited
For more, click here.
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The HODINKEE Shop features a selection of chronographs, both new and old. Learn more about Carl F. Bucherer online.
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