Franck Muller has built its reputation on the tonneau case, oversized numerals and a healthy dose of early-2000s confidence. Its latest release takes a different route. Introducing the Vanguard Slim Amador Montes: a collaboration with the Mexican artist of the same name, and it turns the brand’s best-known silhouette into a canvas for contemporary art.
Only 60 pieces will be made.
Who is Amador Montes?
Amador Montes is a visual artist from Oaxaca and one of the established names in Mexican contemporary art. Over more than 25 years he has shown his work in over 130 exhibitions across the Americas, Europe and Asia. For this project he did not simply hand over an illustration to print on a dial. Specific motifs from his paintings were translated into the watch itself.
An artist’s universe, in watch form
The clearest example is the crane fly, a recurring figure in Montes’ paintings. Its wings have been reworked into the hands of the watch. Behind them sits a camel-coloured, micro-blasted dial covered in the artist’s illustrations and personal references.
A pink crown adds one of Montes’ signature colours, and the caseback carries engravings that extend the artwork beyond the dial. The watch comes with two interchangeable straps, one pink and one camel, attached with Franck Muller’s screw-fixed integrated system instead of conventional spring bars. The presentation box was also designed by the artist.
Slimmer proportions
As the name suggests, this is the Slim version of the Vanguard, so it is far more restrained than the brand’s usual maximalism. The 35 mm case is 8.7 mm thick and the 41 mm case is 9.1 mm. Both sizes are offered in stainless steel or solid 18k rose gold, and the gold versions feature caramel case-side inserts.
Inside is the in-house automatic calibre FM 708, which shows hours and minutes and offers a 38-hour power reserve.
Edition, pricing and availability
The 60 pieces are split across four references:
Stainless steel, 41 mm: 30 pieces, CHF 14,800
Stainless steel, 35 mm: 10 pieces, CHF 14,600
18k rose gold, 41 mm: 10 pieces, CHF 23,800
18k rose gold, 35 mm: 10 pieces, CHF 23,000
According to Franck Muller’s Instagram announcement, the collection is available exclusively in Mexico.
Our take
The Vanguard Slim Amador Montes avoids the usual trap of artist collaborations. The art is built into the watch rather than printed onto it. The crane-fly hands, pink crown and engraved caseback all carry the artist’s language into the object.
The 35 mm version is the one to watch. It is slim, wearable and well suited to a younger, art-minded audience. Slimmer sizes are also growing in popularity. That said, the 41 mm could be the perfect universal fit for most wrists. Which one would you choose?