Franck Muller mvmt in Martin Braun…?

[Strange]

I have a Martin Braun Classic W that I haven’t worn in ages. I hauled it out this morning to give it some wrist time and just for giggles looked over the movement through the display back. To my surprise it had ‘FM Watchland’ engraved on it. I googled around and haven’t found any references to Martin Braun watches with Franck Muller movements. Anyone know anything about this?

[skywatch]

I did find this reference that FM Watchland owns the Martin Braun brand:
https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=martin_braun

"Martin Braun is an eponymous German/Swiss watch brand, currently owned by Franck Muller's Watchland group. See also Braun, Martin and his new brand, Antoine Martin.Watch brand, founded by the German watchmaker Martin Braun. Meanwhile, the trademark rights are held by the group Franck Muller/Watchland, after Braun has left."

[Strange]

I did find this reference that FM Watchland owns the Martin Braun brand:
https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=martin_braun

"Martin Braun is an eponymous German/Swiss watch brand, currently owned by Franck Muller's Watchland group. See also Braun, Martin and his new brand, Antoine Martin.Watch brand, founded by the German watchmaker Martin Braun. Meanwhile, the trademark rights are held by the group Franck Muller/Watchland, after Braun has left."

Aha, I think you've solved it. Since Franck Muller now owns Martin Braun watches that would explain the 'FM Watchland' marque; what I hadn't noticed before is the inscription MAB 88, which apparently refers to the Martin Braun movement per https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=mab_88. Vewy intewesting indeed.

[skywatch]

I think you need to show us a picture of the watch now.

[tribe125]

There’s some room for scepticism with Franck Muller. Franck Muller himself hasn’t been involved for a long time, and there was a very unsavoury and long-running court case with his partner Vartan Sirmakes. Sirmakes has production facilities in some out of the way places, and has been implicated in some dubious activity, including in Armenian-occupied Nagorno Karabakh.

None of this might have anything to do with your Braun and its movement, but I wouldn’t assume that it’s as elevated as it might seem.

There’s loads of stuff on Vartan Sirmakes, if you want to get lost in Google for a while.

[Strange]

There’s some room for scepticism with Franck Muller. Franck Muller himself hasn’t been involved for a long time, and there was a very unsavoury and long-running court case with his partner Vartan Sirmakes. Sirmakes has production facilities in some out of the way places, and has been implicated in some dubious activity, including in Armenian-occupied Nagorno Karabakh.

None of this might have anything to do with your Braun and its movement, but I wouldn’t assume that it’s as elevated as it might seem.

There’s loads of stuff on Vartan Sirmakes, if you want to get lost in Google for a while.

Hmmm. This bears further researches. Since some of the allegations against Sirmakes come from the Azeris I take them with a whole mine full of salt. Nevertheless it's defo worth looking into.

[tribe125]

Since some of the allegations against Sirmakes come from the Azeris I take them with a whole mine full of salt. Nevertheless it's defo worth looking into.

Oh, there’s more than that, going back a long way…

[Strange]

I think you need to show us a picture of the watch now.

Certainement mon pôte.

[Strange]

Oh, there’s more than that, going back a long way…

More to research then.