Suitably Swiss: Carl F. Bucherer Dials it Up with the New Manero Flyback 40 mm

Encouraged by the response received by their Manero Flyback 43 mm collection that was launched in 2016, Carl F. Bucherer has now introduced a Manero Flyback series in 40 mm size and in five new colours. Unveiled at the Geneva Watch Days 2022, the collection is young, cool and deeply rooted in the brand’s Swiss identity. 

In fact, the renowned Swiss luxury watch brand has even reiterated this ‘Swissness’ by roping in acclaimed nature photographer Hannes Becker to capture the same in the country’s stunning landscapes. Hannes, a German lensman who specialises in adventure and landscape photography, was fascinated by what the project had in store for him. “It was an interesting challenge to take inspiration directly from Swiss nature,” he says. 

And indeed, the colours captured by Hannes are rendered rather beautifully in the collection. From the lush green rolling fields of the Emmental, the deep red hues of the imposing Berner Oberland mountain range before dusk and the changing shades of blue of Lake Lucerne to the black rock surface of the Grimsel region and the white expanse of the Aletsch glacier, the Manero Flyback 43 mm collection is a beautiful ode to all five colours. 

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An Ideal Successor

The Manero Flyback 43 mm has enjoyed global popularity since its launch in 2016. In a nod to both timeless design and contemporary style, the chronograph is now available in a 40 mm case. Available in five different colours - blue, green, red, white, and black - the timepieces come with matching subdials and sustainable textile straps as well. 

Uwe Liebminger, Carl F. Bucherer’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), shares how the new timepieces are aimed at attracting the younger generation who believes in engaging with culture and is ever-mindful of the world around them. “The 43 mm Manero Flyback was a tremendous success. Listening to our global clientele – men and women – we decided to launch a complementary 40 mm version. It’s a perfect way to engage with a younger, cooler audience with a conscious mindset, who love minimalism with a great design. The collection resonates with what our young audience expects from a contemporary timepiece and an equally modern watchmaker,” he says.

Colour Theory 

A closer look at the collection shows how the colours have been interpreted so well… 

Verdant Green

Picture this scene: You are hiking through the rolling hills in the countryside in spring and all you see is beautiful green. The Manero Flyback in green reflects this verdant view. The white dial has a sunray-brushed surface with boldly contrasting green subdials and the sustainable textile strap comes in a matching green colour. 

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Deep Blues

The Manero Flyback in blue transports one to a peaceful lake in the Swiss mountain valley. The blue subdials against the sunray-brushed white dial are complemented by the watch’s sustainable blue textile strap. 

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Burning Red

This one’s a hat tip to the rusty hues of the desert sand beneath your hiking boots, even as you walk towards a crimson-red sunset in Switzerland. Here the subdial’s dark red contrasts with the sunray-brushed white dial and matches the timepiece’s red textile strap. 

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Classic Black and White

The yin and yang of the collection, these two versions explore the concept of shadow and light. The Manero Flyback in white comes with a white sunray-brushed dial with matching subdials, and a sustainable textile strap, while the one in black boasts a black dial and subdials plus a sustainable textile strap in the same colour. In both models, the design is well complemented by gold-plated wedge indexes and hands. 

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Hannes Becker says there’s a story behind each colour, thus aimed at invoking certain emotions. He says, “Each colour represents another element to me, shares a different story and, I’d say, gives me a different reaction. I don’t think I could choose a favourite among them, but I can say that I find the one in black very trendy and cool.”

Performance 

The Manero Flyback 40 mm timepieces are powered by a CFB 1973 calibre, a fine automatic mechanical movement delivering 56 hours of power reserve. The dial has a date aperture at 6 o’clock, in addition to the central hour, minute, and chronograph seconds hands, the chronograph counter and small seconds subdials. The textile straps come with a quick-release system, which are made of recycled (vegan) materials and have a stainless steel, pin-lock folding clasp.

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Vivid and Versatile 

The timepieces in the Manero Flyback collection blend colour and craft in a seamless fashion. Moreover, the watches are versatile enough to suit different occasions: whether travelling between cities and/or countries or just going about your day from dawn to dusk. Uwe Liebminger adds that many watch lovers also match white dials with green straps. “A couple of clients sent us messages saying that the white one is beautiful but we’d love it with a green strap. So the cool thing here is that you can actually change the straps on your own,” he says. 

Sustainability Matters

For the campaign, the brand made a conscious attempt to keep the carbon footprint low. Since capturing the visuals required travel, they got Hannes to find spots within Switzerland and to complete the campaign shoot in just eight days.

The collection itself uses sustainable textile straps, even as the brand reaffirms its commitment to sustainability by supporting a charity called the Manta Trust, which works towards the conservation of the manta ray’s natural habitats. Liebminger emphasises that  sustainability is important to the brand and to their customers, who want to make informed decisions while buying watches. “We feel that customers are becoming more and more conscious of what kind of timepiece they buy and what brand they engage with,” he says.  

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