Social media can be a wonderful tool. When we discovered the initial pictures of the new chronograph movement from Manufacture Fleury a few weeks back, it immediately tickled our interest. Now that the dust from Watches and Wonders has settled, we have contacted Jean-Marc Fleury to find out more… A few days later, we hit the road to the outskirts of Geneva to visit his workshop and get our hands on several prototypes of his Chronograph FXR-4. And to check its movement, derived from one of the most beautiful calibres of all times: the Lemania 2310.
An experienced professional in the watch industry, Jean-Marc Fleury has been manufacturing watch parts since 2017 through his company Suisse Precision Composants. In his workshops based in Choulex, on the outskirts of Geneva, he produces components, meticulously crafted in small series, with an approach mostly tailored for independent watchmakers. Driven by an inherent passion for the craft, Fleury naturally gravitated towards the creation of his own movements and timepieces. The Chronograph FXR-4 stands as his second endeavour, succeeding the FM01, a 28mm hand-wound calibre.
The starting point of the project was naturally the movement. For this, Jean-Marc Fleury drew inspiration from one of the greatest chronograph movements of all time, the Lemania 2310 with the support of watchmaking engineer Jean-Paul Duarte. Created by Albert Piguet and Jacques Reymond, this superb classic chronograph was introduced in the early 1940s. It features a traditional combination of a column wheel and a horizontal clutch. Among other watches, it was used by Omega as the calibre 321. If the look is familiar at first sight, the hand-wound calibre FM04 is not a straightforward copy of the Lemania 2310. The architecture is clearly derived from this revered chronograph movement with its distinctive wishbone bridge, column-wheel and horizontal clutch. But it includes numerous modifications such as the chronograph lever. Notably, the dimensions are also larger and the two registers are slightly more spaced. Despite the use of a faster frequency (21,600 vibrations/hour versus 18,000 vibrations/hour) the power reserve has been beefed up to a comfortable 65-hour autonomy. With the higher frequency comes a slightly smaller balance wheel. The display has also been updated with a date and day-night indicator.
The Manufacture Fleury Chronograph FXR-4 is housed in a 40mm case available in recycled steel, white gold, or 4N pink gold. It features a sloping bezel, elongated lugs, and rounded rectangular pushers. The dial has a modern look with a combination of satin-brushed brass and circular brushing for the registers. The applied markers are in black polished steel, and the hands are meticulously hand-crafted. The watch also includes a pointer date and a day-night indicator. The movement is beautifully executed with top-quality materials and can be customized with different decorations.
The Manufacture Fleury Chronograph FXR-4 is released in limited editions and retails at a higher price due to small-scale production. First deliveries are planned for early 2025.
