Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4

The four Aeternitas new models from Franck Muller

Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega, the everlasting timepiece, has been enriched with a Grande and Petite Sonnerie Minute Repeater Westminster Carillon. In 2006, the House of Franck Muller has amazed watch experts and collectors from around the world with the Aeternitas. This year, the legend continues with 4 new models.

Aeternitas Mega 1

The basic movement remains the same. A Cintrée Curvex shaped automatic movement with a micro-rotor placed at 6 o’clock and visible through the open-back with the following dimensions: 3-9 o’clock 33.8 mm,12-6 o’clock 40.8 mm, width 7.3 mm.

The novelty of this year is the addition of a Grande and Petite Sonnerie (Grand-strike) Minute Repeater, Westminster Carillon. The movement is equipped with a double barrel: the first barrel guarantees a power reserve of about 4 days; the second barrel provides energy for the Sonnerie. It has a grand tourbillon (Ø14mm) with a balance wheel with adjustment screws in platinum and no index. The Grande Sonnerie (Grand-strike) strikes the hours and the quarters automatically. The distinctive feature is that it chimes the same notes as the clock tower of the Westminster cathedral. For instance, at 3.15, the owner of the watch will hear 3 low pitch sounds (din din din) followed by the first four notes of the Westminster chime « mi do re sol ». The Petite Sonnerie is programmed by a push-piece placed at 2 o’clock and it is displayed on the dial by a small hand. It only strikes the hours and the quarters (without repeating the hours at each quarter). For instance, at 3.15 the owner of the watch will only hear the first four notes of the Westminster chimes « mi do re sol ».

The Minute Repeater is activated on request by pressing a push-piece placed at 10 o’clock. It strikes the hours, the number of quarters and the minutes. For instance, at 3.20 the owner of the watch will hear (din din din) followed by the first four notes of the Westminster chime « mi do re sol » and then 5 low and middle pitch sounds (mi do mi do mi).

Aeternitas Mega 2

The Aeternitas Mega 2 incorporates a Split-seconds Chronograph with a 30-minutes counter placed at 3 o’clock and an hour counter placed in a retrograde sector.

Aeternitas Mega 3

An eternal calendar module (placed on the dial side) is added to the basic movement in the third version. A perpetual calendar indicates the day, the date, the month and the moon phases. It takes into account the length of each month and doesn’t require any manual intervention. This mechanism also takes into account the leap years, but it needs to be adjusted three times in a row every 100 years. According to the Gregorian calendar, every 400 years, the leap year is cancelled for three centuries in a row and is re-established on the fourth century. For instance, in 2100, 2200, 2300 and so on, the leap year is omitted whereas in 2000, 2400, 2800 and so on, it is re-established. The eternal calendar of the Franck Muller Watchland workshops is different from any traditional perpetual calendar in that it takes into account the rule governing the Gregorian calendar stating that all century years not divisible by 400 are common years and not leap years.

The eternal calendar follows a cycle of 1’000 years (renewable to infinity) thanks to two additional sets of wheels:

• The first set of wheels, comprising a wheel of 10 years, a wheel of 100 years and a wheel of 1’000 years, allows for the display of a cycle of 1’000 years.
• The second set of wheels was designed for the setting, through the use of cams, of the skipping of the leap years three times in a row every 100 years and its re-establishment the fourth time.

On top of the usual indications - retrograde date at 12 o’clock, days, months, 24h day and night, normal leap year cycle - it also indicates the time equation. The equation of time is coupled with the calendar, which means that even when the watch is not wound for many years, at the moment of its correction, the equation of time follows the calendar. In addition to that, secular years are indicated through a red point placed at 2, which turns into green during the month of February of secular years.

On the lower side of the dial, two time zones with a 24 hour hand are placed on the left and on the right hand side of the tourbillon. It is possible to set the hour by pressing the push-pieces on the case. The push-piece on the lower right hand side sets the time zone placed on the right hand side of the tourbillon. As it was conceived for traveling eastwards, at each pressure the hand moves one hour ahead. The push-piece on the lower left hand side corresponds to the time zone placed on the left hand side of the tourbillon. As it was thought for traveling westwards, at each pressure the hand moves back one hour. Between the tourbillon and the center of the dial, the years from 0 to 999 are displayed in an aperture and the cycle can go on indefinitely.

On the dial, the moon phases are displayed with the utmost precision. The error is of only 6.8 seconds per lunar month which represents a deviation of only one day every 1000 years, whereas in a traditional system the error is of one day every four years.

Aeternitas Mega 4

The fourth version groups all the complications found in the first three versions: Grand tourbillon, grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater, Westminster carillon, split-seconds chronograph, eternal calendar with retrograde date at 12, days, month, 24h day and night indicator, normal leap-year cycle, indication of secular years (through a red point placed at 2, which turns into green during the month of February of secular years), moon phases, time equation, two additional time-zones. (Haute Horologerie)