Refined, understated, but loaded with aesthetic nuances, the Curvex CX is representative of Franck Muller’s creative ingenuity
Watch collectors often fall into two camps. The first values timeless forms—watches built on restraint, symmetry, and slow evolution. The second favour the bold, audacious timepieces that play with shapes and disrupt tradition. For the horologically adventurous, the house of Franck Muller has always been the natural choice.
Since its founding in 1991, Franck Muller has routinely pushed the envelope, creating highly complicated watches that express an exuberant watchmaking language. For proof, one needs to look no further than the brand’s iconic Cintrée Curvex.
Introduced in the early years of the brand, the collection introduced the maison’s now signature tonneau-shaped case, curved across every axis to sit naturally on the wrist. The timepiece was immediately recognisable, sporting oversized, hand-painted Art Deco numerals arranged on a curved guilloché or clean dial, while housing complications like retrogrades, perpetual calendars, and central tourbillons.
So when the brand introduced the Curvex CX in 2022, some skeptics raised an eyebrow at its apparent similarities to the Cintrée Curvex. The perception, at least in some corners, was that the Curvex CX—while framed as a natural evolution of the Cintrée’s curved silhouette and expressive character—felt too familiar.
But don’t be mistaken. The Curvex CX may be built on the same architectural foundation, and it may wear its lineage openly. Look closer, however, and you’ll find it has far more to offer the rebel-seeking connoisseur.
Expressive Curves
The Curvex CX preserves the signature silhouette of the Cintrée Curvex, but everything about how that silhouette is expressed has evolved. The most immediate shift lies in the sapphire crystal, which now runs seamlessly from edge to edge, meeting the lugs and giving the entire case a sense of continuous curvature.
The bezel, once a defining border, has been slimmed and recessed, allowing the dial to dominate the front-facing architecture. This seemingly simple decision changes the character of the watch: the case feels more fluid and sculptural.
An Alluring New Guilloché
Franck Muller’s dials have always been expressive, but in the Curvex CX, that expression is further conveyed through one standout feature: the new spiral guilloché. A modern interpretation of the Clous de Paris motif, the guilloché dial sports pyramidal forms that expand in scale as they radiate from the centre. The result is a dynamic dial that strikes the eye as it catches and disperses light.
Add the dial’s increased real estate on the Curvex CX, as well as the maison’s signature Art Deco numerals, and you have a true visual powerhouse.
A Subtle Experience
While its form draws directly from the Cintrée Curvex, the Curvex CX feels noticeably different on the wrist. Available in 40mm, 36mm, 33mm, and 30mm, the collection boasts a rebalanced curvature that hugs more closely to the wrist.
Elsewhere, the watch’s integrated strap reduces bulk at the edges, offering a more tapered silhouette that gives the impression of a thinner watch. That being said, the watch’s recessed bezel and edge-to-edge sapphire crystal ensures the watch still offers strong presence on the wrist.
Three-hand Simplicity
When the Curvex CX first debuted, it did so with the Grand Central Tourbillon, a spectacular timepiece that, in classic Franck Muller fashion, placed the tourbillon at the centre of the dial.
Recent offerings, however, show the collection in a more pared-back form, equipped with a three-hand automatic movement that reflects the watch’s understated refinement. Powered by the in-house FM 2536-SC calibre, the Curvex CX offers a 42-hour power reserve. Measuring 3.6mm, the movement is decorated with Geneva stripes across the bridges and rotor, perlage on the mainplate, and a sunray-brushed rotor.
For Those Who Know
Independent watchmaking has grown crowded in recent years. Once defined by a few pioneering names, the space is now filled with new voices vying for visibility through bold complications, disruptive materials, or aggressive design language.
Franck Muller was among the first to show what independent watchmaking could be: expressive, technically ambitious, and unapologetically unconventional. The Curvex CX, in many ways carries that spirit forward. Through a refined case architecture, a dynamic guilloché, and a more composed use of its own codes, the Curvex CX speaks clearly to those who remember what made Franck Muller a trailblazer in the first place.
