Franc Vila was born in Valencia, Spain and after studying science, art, and philosophy he started crafting high-end leather goods which fully immersed him in the world of luxury. At the same time, his fascination for mechanical timepieces led him to learn horology and launch a namesake watch brand in 2004 after creating his very own first timepiece. With his love for horology and the ambition to create one of the most beautiful watches ever imagined, he combined functionality with a unique upsidedown ‘figure eight’ design inspired by the world of ‘luchadores’ —Mexican professional wrestlers.
Following the purest Swiss watchmaking tradition, he set up an atelier in Geneva, Switzerland. Horological creations like the Cobra or the Neo-Alta gave Franc Vila prestige in the world of horology and granted him world-renowned status after becoming a niche brand with a huge watch collector fan base out of Mexico, Spain, and other countries in the world.
After 20 years of experience following the rules of mass luxury watchmaking, Franc Vila started his very personal concept collection of ‘haute horlogerie’ timepieces that include the development of a carbon minute repeater and the new FVF Tourbillon Superligero Unibody No. 1 by Franc Vila. Franc Vila had learned the rules like a professional so he now can break them like an artist. FVF is not a watch brand but what he likes to describe as emotional horology. It is the result of elevating watchmaking to the concept of art with the purpose of inspiring emotions. It is a horological artistic boutique concept, designing and handcrafting extreme artisanal contemporary timepieces with superlative hand finishing.
Produced in a very limited edition of four pieces annually, Franc Vila decided to join forces with talented independent watchmakers who share his passion and vision of horology, to create a unique timepiece in terms of looks and design. Based on the watchmaking tradition that goes back centuries and the technological view of the 21st century they created a piece in which performance along with technical, architectural, and aesthetical prowess deliver in terms of arts and emotions.
The new FVF Tourbillon Superligero Unibody No. 1 by Franc Vila was fully designed by Franc Vila to the last detail. This concept project is the archetype of his unique universe with an ultra-light complex mechanism, ultra-high performance, and an ultra-rugged tourbillon. His expertise in developing skeleton watches that are shock resistant, innovative, light, and well designed, led him to choose for this evolution a complex movement case with a unibody "case-baseplate" making the watch ultra-light at a total weight of 54.8 grams including its alligator strap with titanium buckle. The dial features a one-minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock, a heptagonal display cylinder in titanium for the day of the week at 12 o’clock, and a day/night indicator in Grand Feu enamel right underneath the day of the week indicator.
The unibody design construction made the watch lighter and sturdier while using grade 5 Titanium for the 42.5 mm middle case —which serves as the baseplate— and the bridges. The front and back bezels are made from sapphire crystal creating a glass-box effect protecting the movement and making the watch 13.9 mm thick. The philosophy of the movement combines respect for longevity and precision with classical watchmaking tradition and contemporary techniques in architectural design. The modern architecture of the movement avoids unnecessary complexity thanks to a rational approach and mechanical solutions.
Each watch is finished to the highest standards. All finishing and decoration are done by hand with inward angles, wheels and pinions are fully flat and highly polished by hand, screws are also polished by hand to achieve the highest possible level of surface polish. The watch can be purchased directly by emailing Franc Vila at Francvila@francvila.net or at his atelier located at 8 Rue Neuve-du-Molard in Geneva, Switzerland.
Sticker Price CHF 125,000 Swiss Francs —approximately $138,000 USD.
