Its Fine Watchmaking movement appears here in the version featuring sapphire half-bridges, highlighting the exceptional finishing and pillar-type structure of this calibre with tourbillon and constant-force transmission. Offering a decidedly modern take on the work of the master watchmaker, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud unveils a model paying tribute to Alessandro Malaspina, an explorer who left an indelible imprint on the latter end of the Age of Enlightenment. It stems from a judicious and passionate approach governed by the most demanding quality standards.
 

The latest interpretation of the Chronomètre FB1, the Malaspina Edition, is a one-of-a-kind model featuring a new colour combination: a rose gold case and a silver-toned dial enhanced with touches of blue. It belongs to the now well-established lineage of Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud special editions and pays homage to the expedition undertaken by Captain Alessandro Malaspina.

This expedition launched in 1788 with a scientific, political and cultural mission is now recognised as one of the most daring and rigorously executed that could possibly have been undertaken at the time. Aboard their two brand-new frigates, the captains were entirely dependent on navigating instruments such as the sextant, the compass, and above all marine chronometers – the only devices capable of determining longitude at sea.

By offering a modern take on the quest for excellence of the Master Watchmaker-Mechanic by appointment to the French King and Navy, Chronomètrie Ferdinand Berthoud highlights the progress in terms of science, time measurement and knowledge of the world to which Alessandro made an exemplary contribution – aided and abetted by Ferdinand Berthoud’s Marine Clocks Nos. 10 and 13

The entire range of Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud timepieces stem from an innovative horological approach. From design to movement and finishing, everything composing these tourbillon and constant force chronometers is specific to them and reflects the uncompromising pursuit of excellence. Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud is driven by the vision of its president, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. The latter has patiently assembled a substantial collection of objects relating to time measurement within the L.U.CEUM in Fleurier, including a significant number of works by Ferdinand Berthoud.
 

In honouring this native of the Val-de-Travers whose name it bears, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud can rely on a dedicated team, a specific development process as well as genuine expertise encompassing numerous skills and crafts.

In 1788, the government of King Charles III of Spain, an enlightened monarch and friend of science, received a proposal for a broad-scale scientific expedition driven by geopolitical aims. It was devised and helmed by Alessandro Malaspina. Like Christopher Columbus before him, Malaspina was Italian and acting on behalf of the Spanish crown. He aimed to explore all Spanish territories, to strengthen their ties with the Iberian peninsula, but above all to deepen existing geological, botanical and zoological knowledge of these possessions. In this respect, Malaspina was following in the wake of James Cook. On July 30th 1789, two brand-new 33-metre frigates left the port of Cadiz, to which they would return only in September 1794.

During these five years at sea, Malaspina crossed the Atlantic, rounded Cape Horn, sailed up the American coast before setting out across the Pacific towards the Philippines, Indonesia, and finally heading back towards Cadiz.
 

The scientific scope of the Malaspina Expedition is of a rare magnitude, epitomising the Age of Enlightenment. By bringing back maps, herbaria and new species, the Malaspina Expedition proved a significant episode in the nomadic science of the 18th century and heralded the following century.

In 1791, the expedition made a stopover in Acapulco. The large Pacific port of the Mexican colony played an essential role in the expedition. It was there that Malaspina received new orders to push north towards Alaska, where a coastal glacier still bears his name. It is to this major episode in the history of the great explorations of the Age of Enlightenment, and to Mexico, that this special edition of the FB 1 Chronometer is dedicated.

Malaspina had two Ferdinand Berthoud Marine Clocks aboard his expedition: Nos 10 and 13. Marine chronometers, and particularly those of Ferdinand Berthoud – reputed to be the most accurate and reliable – were the most advanced technological instruments of their time, and of great strategic importance. The Kingdom of Spain was an ally of France at the time, a fact that had facilitated authorisation for the sale of these time-measuring instruments. Ferdinand Berthoud had even organised the knowledge transfer essential to their maintenance.
 

Between 1774 and 1803, the Spanish government thus acquired 11 Ferdinand Berthoud timepieces. Among them were the Marine Clocks Nos 10 and 13 that were delivered in 1776 to the Armada Observatory in Cadiz. These were detached-escapement chronometers with a bimetallic grid, pillar-type structure and regulator-type dial. They served for other expeditions before being entrusted to Malaspina, thereby testifying to the long-term robustness and reliability of these high-precision instruments.

The Chronomètre FB 1 Malaspina Edition measures 44 mm in diameter and is 13 mm thick. Crafted for the first time entirely in 18-carat rose gold, the case is identically shaped to the first three series of this Fine Watchmaking chronometer. The case flanks featuring four lateral ‘portholes’ provide a chance to admire the operation of this fusee-and-chain mechanism and of the mobile cone-type power-reserve display. These apertures are complemented by a glareproofed sapphire crystal case-back serving to appreciate the quality of the movement finishing. An imposing knurled dynamometric crown in 18-carat rose gold ensures smooth winding of the movement with its 53-hour power reserve.