Cintrée Curvex Damier: Franck Muller’s Chequerboard Dial in 18k White Gold

Key Highlights

• Reference 7880 SC DT Damier in solid 18k white gold
• Chequerboard dial in translucent silver lacquer with light-refracting geometry
• High-precision automatic movement with date complication via discreet aperture
• Signature Cintrée Curvex™ tonneau case, designed and assembled at Watchland, Genthod
• Finely crafted hour markers that enhance depth and readability

Inside the Release

The Cintrée Curvex Damier is built around a single, uncompromising idea: that geometry can be an expressive language in its own right. Franck Muller has long treated the dial as a spatial proposition rather than a flat information surface, and the Damier edition makes that philosophy explicit. The chequerboard pattern — each square calibrated to catch and redirect light at a slightly different angle — transforms the dial into something that reads differently at every hour of the day.

This is not ornamentation layered over function. The translucent silver lacquer finish preserves legibility, whilst the finely crafted hour markers anchor the geometry to its practical purpose. The date aperture sits within this composition without disrupting it, a detail that required considered placement during development. The result is a dial that is optically active without being restless.

Design & Mechanics

The Cintrée Curvex Case

The Cintrée Curvex™ tonneau shape is among the most recognisable proprietary silhouettes in contemporary watchmaking. Its flowing curves follow the arc of the wrist rather than sitting across it, which distinguishes the wearing experience from that of any conventional rectangular case. Achieving that precise curvature demands what Franck Muller describes as a meticulous manufacturing process, combining advanced production technology with hand-finishing expertise at the Watchland manufacture in Genthod.

On this reference, the case is machined from a solid block of 18k white gold. White gold’s natural brightness works in alignment with the chequerboard dial, amplifying the play of light rather than competing with it. The material also carries a discretion that yellow gold does not — the Damier is, in this sense, a watch that rewards proximity.

Movement & Date Function

The Cintrée Curvex Damier is powered by a high-precision automatic movement, engineered and assembled within the Watchland facility. The date complication is delivered through a discreet aperture that integrates cleanly into the dial architecture. It is an everyday function, and Franck Muller has treated it as such — present, readable, and in no way diminishing of the dial’s visual coherence.

Heritage & Lineage

A Brand Built on Formal Invention

Franck Muller’s position in haute horlogerie rests on two pillars: mechanical ambition and formal originality. The manufacture introduced the world’s first tri-axial tourbillon and holds the distinction of creating what was designated the world’s most complex wristwatch ever made. Both achievements originate from the same Geneva-canton manufacture that produces the Cintrée Curvex Damier today. The Damier reference belongs to a different register — not a grand complication, but a refined expression of the brand’s signature case paired with an architecturally coherent dial.

Within the current Cintrée Curvex collection, the Damier joins references including the Cintree Curvex Color Medley and the Cintree Curvex Gatsby, each exploring a distinct facet of the tonneau silhouette’s expressive range. Where those editions lean into colour or decorative programme, the Damier prioritises optical geometry — a purer, more austere proposition.

Why This Reference Matters

Collectors who follow Franck Muller across its full catalogue — from the Vanguard Crazy Hours Jisbar to in-house tourbillon complications — will recognise the Cintrée Curvex Damier as a study in restraint from a house not typically associated with understatement. The chequerboard dial imposes its own visual rigour, and the white gold case answers that rigour with material quality rather than decorative surplus.

Market Position

For the GCC collector, the Cintrée Curvex Damier occupies a considered position: an 18k white gold dress watch with a dial architecture that distinguishes it from the convention of a plain lacquered surface, yet none of the mechanical complexity that can make certain Franck Muller references demanding to wear every day. The automatic movement, the date, and the wrist-following curve of the case make this a timepiece built for sustained use rather than occasional occasion. That balance has genuine appeal in a market where fine watches are worn, not stored.

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