Five Pieces, Four Collaborators, One Helluva Watch – Preview of the New Franck Muller Casablanca Daniel Arsham Limited Edition
Editor’s Note: Just need a quick watch fix? This preview of the new Franck Muller Casablanca Daniel Arsham Limited Edition is a GET TO THE POINT (GTTP) review with all the info you want / need to know QUICK. Let’s get to the point.
What is it: The new Bamford Watch Department x Arsham x King Nerd Franck Muller Casablanca in a beautiful teal blue colour featuring a hectic overdose of the Arsham Studio ‘A’ monogram design
Why: Because with one move of buying this you score the best foot forward of four masters of their respective fields: Casablanca is a classic for Franck Muller, the green present on the dial and seconds hand is quintessential Arsham Studio, the engravings are King Nerd’s impressive handiwork, and packing it all together beautifully is what Bamford Watch Department does best
When released: 15 March 2021, in limited numbers of 5-pieces only
Where: Online for £15’000
Who is it for: For the millionaires who want something rad to play with. If I had to imagine in my head, I would say it’s for someone standing outside the Gucci boutique in the long queue here in Sydney holding a Gucci monogram bag, wearing an LV monogram loafer, simply desiring everything monogrammed
Basic Specs: The new Franck Muller Casablanca Daniel Arsham Limited Edition features a Swiss automatic movement, details of which weren’t provided to us in the press release. The mysterious movement of the ref. 8880 C DT is encased inside a 39mm diameter and 17.5mm thick tonneau-shaped engraved stainless steel case that is water-resistant to only 30m and is covered by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Flip the watch and you witness a closed caseback that is handsomely engraved with an eroded Arsham Studio ‘A’ along with a Casablanca logo inspired by the film of the same name. The Daniel Arsham embossed leather strap further unifies the product. The entire package is housed in a unique outer box which continues the Arsham Studio ‘A’ monogram design.
Missing: Yes, I get it; it’s an Arsham Studio product
How does it do: As I clicked in the press email, my first reaction to my business partner was ‘hey, Franck Muller has done a collab with Tiffany’. It was only after I looked at the pictures for more than a few fleeting seconds that I realised it was something else, something more creative than just plastering Tiffany blue onto an existing dial design. And this is where it scores the most; the uniqueness of the final product. We are all familiar with the classic tonneau-shaped watch with stylised Arabic numerals that’s become emblematic of Franck Muller.
But the collaborative efforts here, aided by the mesmerising teal blue dial, ensure there is enough praise-worthy watch flex with the new Bamford Watch Department x Arsham x King Nerd Franck Muller Casablanca. As the press release puts it, the new timepiece is “dynamic, contemporary and classic”.
For lovers of this style, it is definitely one of the most striking watches to come out of 2021 so far.
To find out more about the new Franck Muller Casablanca Daniel Arsham Limited Edition and other Franck Muller watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are © 2021 Franck Muller Genève.
