By Kristen Shirley
This story originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Elite Traveler.
After founding and selling Techno Marine watches, originally known for pairing diamond-set cases with plastic bands, Franck Dubarry created his eponymous company, keeping his playful and creative vision. Here, he combines French design with Swiss watchmaking, eschewing traditional design codes, which allows him to be more innovative.
Contact Nadège Levy, sales coordinator, nadege@franckdubarry.com, franckdubarry.com
Crazy Balls
For his return to horology, Franck Dubarry decided to make a splash with a cheerful complication. Twelve balls sit at the hour markers in a channel, held in place by magnets. As your wrist moves, they rotate around the dial. Shake your wrist, and they’ll crash into each other. Another shake will snap them back into place.
$5,350 in 18K rose gold with gold balls
Revolution GMT
This watch showcases Dubarry’s affinity with Argentinian street art, as seen on the hand-painted Fileteado Porteño motif on the dial. The case is engraved with curved lines for more drama. The automatic watch shows hours, minutes, date and has a 24-hour GMT hand.
$22,600 in 18K rose gold with black vanity dial
Crazy Wheel
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The subdial showing the hours is placed on the minute hand, which is itself a rotating bridge. This means the hour subdial moves around the face of the watch as the minutes pass. A mechanical differential keeps the hour dial horizontal, so you don’t have to turn your head upside-down to read the time.
$9,500 in titanium with red wheel
