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A few weeks ago, when we first saw photos of the new chronograph movement from Fleury, it immediately caught our attention. Now that the dust has settled after 'Watches and Wonders', we reached out to Jean-Marc Fleury to learn more… A few days later, we headed to the outskirts of Geneva to visit his workshop and get our hands on several FXR-4 chronograph prototypes. We also examined its movement, based on one of the most beautiful calibers of all time: the Lemania 2310.
Jean-Marc Fleury, an experienced professional in the watch industry, has been producing watch parts since 2017 through his company Suisse Precision Composants. In his workshops located in Choulex, on the outskirts of Geneva, he produces meticulously crafted parts in small series, primarily aimed at independent watchmakers. Driven by an innate passion for the craft, Fleury naturally gravitates toward creating his own movements and watches. The FXR-4 chronograph became his second work, following the FM01 model, a 28-mm hand-wound caliber.
The project naturally started with the movement. For its creation, Jean-Marc Fleury drew inspiration from one of the greatest chronographs of all time - the Lemania 2310, with the support of watch engineer Jean-Paul Duarte. Created by Albert Piguet and Jacques Reymond, this excellent classic chronograph was introduced in the early 1940s. It traditionally combines a column wheel and horizontal clutch. Among other watches, it was used by Omega as caliber 321, which has recently been revived. The best chronograph calibers were created based on it, such as those by Patek Philippe (caliber CH-27-70 used in model 5070 before the brand transitioned to 5170 and its own mechanism), Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, and Roger Dubuis...
At first glance, the hand-wound FM04 caliber is not a direct copy of the Lemania 2310. Its architecture is clearly borrowed from this revered chronograph movement with its characteristic bridge on transverse levers, column wheel, and horizontal coupling. However, it includes many modifications, such as the chronograph lever. Notably, the movement's dimensions are also larger, and the two registers are spaced slightly apart. Despite using a higher frequency (21,600 vibrations/hour compared to 18,000 vibrations/hour), the power reserve has increased to a comfortable 65 hours. Thanks to the higher frequency, the balance wheel has become slightly smaller. The display also includes a date and day-night indicator.
Overall, the movement is executed magnificently. Jean-Marc Fleury takes pride in using high-quality materials for making parts. Various finishes are offered. We had the opportunity to see a restrained dark-toned design, where steel parts stand out, or a version in untreated German silver (maillechort), adorned with stripes.
Moving on to the watch itself, the Fleury FXR-4 manufacture chronograph. Here again, everything is entirely made in-house, except for some parts like the sapphire crystal, of course. This beautiful movement is housed in a moderately sized 40-mm case, which can be made from high-grade steel 1.4441, white or rose gold 4N. Its design features a sloping bezel, elongated lugs, and rounded rectangular pushers.
The dial is modern in style. It is made of satin-finished brass with horizontal brushing on most parts and circular brushing on recessed registers. The geometric applied markers are made of black polished steel. The 'chronometer' inscription present on prototype dials will be removed or replaced. The hands are also meticulously hand-finished. The hour and minute hands are rounded (bercées), and the chronograph hands are lacquered. On occasion, Fleury also adds a date hand to the subdial at the 6 o'clock position, as well as a day-night indicator.
The Manufacture Fleury Chronographe FXR-4 watches are released in limited series of 11 pieces in each material. Their price is 91,000 Swiss francs in steel and 96,000 Swiss francs in gold, which is, of course, not cheap, but this is likely due to small-scale production. The watches are made to order, with the first deliveries scheduled for early 2025. Since Manufacture Fleury produces its watches and movements in small series, there is room for a personalized approach, including movement decoration.
Additional information can be found at www.fleurymanufacture.ch.