Why Carl F. Bucherer Has Hit A Home Run: The Heritage BiCompax Annual
Limited to just 888 pieces, this stainless steel timepiece is a true banner for both vintage and contemporary watch lovers.
Words, Igee Okafor
Photography, Bill Georgoussis
In the watchmaking industry, stainless steel signifies a utilitarian foundation - add 18k rose gold, and the emblem is affluence and luxury prompting a natural charisma.
What we are dealing with here is complex material that can be moulded to create new-fashioned timepiece forms with style and functionality – such as the Heritage BiCompax Annual.
In 1956, Swiss watch brand, Carl F. Bucherer introduced a vintage chronograph that was said to be more advanced than its time. Fast forward decades later, the brand has adopted the same shape of the chronograph for the brand new timepiece that was teased at Baselworld earlier this year.
For the Heritage BiCompax Annual, currently available in two versions each limited to 888 pieces worldwide (one in stainless steel with a silver and black panda dial and the other in two-tone steel and rose gold with a champagne and rose dial), Carl F. Bucherer elevates their craftsmanship by blending marketable modern and vintage watch preferences - the unadorned tachymeter scales, the syringe style hands, the Arabic numerals, the chronograph style, and the annual calendar feature itself. Being able to style such complicated features with simplistic leather and rubber straps ticks well on the visual appeal scale and also nods to its vintage loving wearers.
Although Carl F. Bucherer has a bit of history in these timepieces, there are also distinctly thoughtful attributes that cater to modern fans like its automatic movement, its 42 hour power reserve, its double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, its 41 mm diameter, and 3m water resistance. On the whole, these characteristics mirror points of reference for the brand’s individual excellence - a traditional blueprint strand with requisite re-equipment.
Priced at $7,200 in stainless steel and $10,200 in its two-tone design, Carl F. Bucherer’s Heritage BiCompax Annual Calendar solidifes a durable monetary proposition compared to its competitors - that is, on equal ground to its highly functional complications and elegant look.
For more information, see Carl-F-Bucherer.com.
