The major industry fairs are all about watch brands displaying their latest and greatest innovations. Of course, the fairs are where a lot of business gets done, whether that is retailers signing on to buy an “X” amount of watch models, brands signing on to buy “X” amount of mechanism components, or the press singing up “X” amount of new readers.

Today we’re interested in the second variant, notably the presence of Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier (VMF) at Baselworld 2018, where the company will be promoting its new high-performance creation, the Seed VMF 6710.

The Seed VMF 6710 close up

For those unfamiliar, VMF is based in Fleurier, Switzerland and develops and produces watch mechanisms. It is where Parmigiani Fleurier watches are assembled (although they do not make Parmigiani’s high-end haute horlogerie models).

VMF also makes its own movements and modules – under the VMF Private Label name - which are typically targeted for use by small high-end brands.

Thanks to non-disclosure agreements among brands, it’s not often known from where brands source their components. As far as I know, the likes of Speake-Marin relies on Vaucher-made movements, as does the Slim d’Hermès line, which is fitted with the H1950 automatic movement.

Starting from this year, other brands will have the option of sourcing yet another quality movement by Vaucher, so long as they are making chronograph watches. The new caliber, which can be explored further in Basel, is a a high-performance integrated column-wheel chronograph, the Seed VMF 6710.

The result of 6 years of development, the Seed VMF 6710 balance wheel beats at a high frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour (or 5 Hz), good enough to allow for chronometer certification. Despite the high beat frequency, the caliber can store up to 65 hours of power reserve. To enhance efficiency, the chronograph hours are powered directly by the barrel.

The rapid rotation barrel is wound automatically by a 22k gold rotor mounted on ceramic ball bearings, which has a relatively compact construction of just under 7mm in thickness.

Another important feature of the movement is the column-wheel to manage starting and stopping. The vertical coupling of the chronograph allows for an instantaneous start, eliminating the jumping of the second hands. A one-piece hammer slides across the mechanism to reset simultaneously the chronograph hours, minutes and seconds.

The Seed’s 22k gold rotor

The Seed VMF 6710 chronograph is available in short series and of course it can also be personalized. For brands looking for more versatility at the high end of the market, the movement also comes with alternative functions, including manual winding, a large date, and a split-seconds mechanism.