With major projects already launched or ongoing, Franck Muller is awakened from its slumber in Asia
Franck Muller is having its moment. After beguiling watch enthusiasts with Asia-exclusive special editions, the brand is amplifying its presence with new boutiques in Singapore, Thailand, and, later this year, Kuala Lumpur. “[The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur] boutique will be about 1,800 sq ft in size and it will be very luxurious,” promises Sharon Lim, who became the CEO of Franck Muller Pte Ltd in 2021.
This is part of a long-term strategy to increase the profile of Franck Muller in this region, which is supported by Sincere Fine Watches and Cortina Watch's extensive network of retail outlets. Cortina acquired Sincere for S$84.7 million in 2021, and the deal includes Franck Muller of which Sincere has exclusive distribution rights in Asia-Pacific.
Read more: What to know about the Franck Muller Grand Central Tourbillon Flash CX 36
Founded in Switzerland in 1992, Franck Muller is known for its bold creations, from the Crazy Hours with jumbled hour numerals (and yet the watch always displays the right time) to the Giga Tourbillon with the world's largest tourbillon cage. The watchmaker is highly inventive, with numerous world premieres under its belt.
In this interview, Lim shares why she is incredibly excited about leading Franck Muller in Asia.
What was your impression of Franck Muller before you took on the CEO role?
Franck Muller is very creative, audacious and bold, and we really feel it has a lot of potential.
How do you plan to move Franck Muller forward?
We want to be the leader in the luxury contemporary watchmaking segment. To do that, we need to have good products. We must recognise what our customers want. We've also stepped up our game with special editions for the region.
Secondly, Franck Muller must have high visibility and awareness. Before this, Franck Muller was only in Sincere but now we also have Cortina. We have repositioned locations that were not desirable, for instance moving to ION Orchard in Singapore, which is the right environment for the brand. We’ve also revamped the store concept to make it seem more contemporary and luxurious. We're also launching a new boutique in Siam Paragon in Bangkok. And the next exciting project will be in Malaysia, where we will open one of our biggest boutiques.
Please elaborate more on the special editions.
When I talk about the creation of products, it’s really for this market where we want our watches to stand out. One good example is the Southeast Asia-exclusive Vanguard Rose Skeleton in black diamonds. The choice of black diamonds is something very different for the market—it’s not new, but it’s rare. And the rose is beautifully shaped on the skeleton dial.
We want to highlight not only Franck Muller's strength in creating complications but also gem-setting. In our communication, these are the two pillars we always want to focus on.
