Franck Muller’s Round Triple Mystery has arrived, marking one of its new novelty lineup for 2025. Before we dive deeper, it would do well to track its points of origin so that it becomes easier to appreciate the journey of this timepiece.
Those privy to Franck Muller’s creations might remember the Mystery and Double Mystery — watches which perpetuate the watchmaker’s motto as the Master Of Complications. To the uninitiated, the start of this series of watches began with the Mystery, where Franck Muller sought to capture a freer way of time-telling by creating a watch that had only one rotating hour disc.
Perpetuating the mystery
Two years later, the Double Mystery would be born, featuring hours- and minutes-discs to tell the time. And just last week (April 2025), the Round Triple Mystery continued this legacy through the addition of a seconds disc, which proved to be a challenge from the get-go.
Why? Because discs require significantly more power to run than tiny (and lighter) watch hands. Plus, the previous iterations only featured hours and minutes, both of which move less frequently. Measuring the seconds means that you need a component that moves 60 times more than what has been produced to date. That is why the addition of this disc alone is worthy of a new novelty release.
Keeping it light
How did Franck Muller address this? By first ensuring that the seconds disc is as light as possible. Take a gander at the disc and you will notice a skeletonised structure, all done in the name of reducing weight. It is all about balance here, because cutting too much will compromise the disc’s integrity, while not removing enough will leave the disc heavier than necessary.
Another factor that contributes to this mission is the material used. This seconds disc is made out of aluminium, chosen out of many other possibilities, thanks to its lightness and rigidity. The result is a disc that weighs just 0.052 grammes, rivalling a seconds hand itself.
Looking good
From an aesthetic standpoint, this watch comes in two cases: rose gold or white gold. The former comes in white and red accents, and the latter in green and blue accents. Separately, there is a variation of the watch with a bezel set in baguette-cut diamonds.
Speaking of diamonds, it is important to note that the white version will be the hardest to tell time with, thanks to the diamonds set on the entire dial itself. This is because the colourless indicator blends in with the rest of the stones, requiring the user to hunt for the arrow indicator.
But one may argue that the Round Triple Mystery was not made to tell time. And if you have it on your wrist, you are either making a fashion statement or setting yourself apart from the everyday watch enthusiast. Still, the red, green, or blue options provide enough contrast for easy time-telling, even if that priority takes a backseat to feeling like a million dollars.
Unsurprisingly, there is quite a heft to this piece thanks to the precious metals and stones. The Triple Mystery would not qualify as an everyday watch, though it will feel just at home in the more extravagant of events. It is also a piece that will take centre stage, no matter your outfit. So it is the perfect partner in crime if you are looking for more than a few double-takes.
Yet, beneath all this adornment is the watchmaker’s technical prowess and never-ending pursuit of more: more boundaries, more innovation, more perfection. And for Franck Muller, thanks to its interesting roster which includes the likes of Crazy Hours, Grand Central Tourbillon, and this year’s Triple Mystery, there is always more to be explored.
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