Franck Muller Color Dreams vs. Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 Red Grape, which one?

[hikarupanda]

About two years ago, I started to get more interested in watches in general and in luxury mid-sized automatic watches in particular. I sold my smaller sized quartz watches and bought a Chanel J12 365 in black with beige gold, and a Rolex Yacht Master 37mm. I’m now thinking about getting my 3rd automatic watch and I’m having a hard time choosing one. Initially, I had my eye on Franck Muller Cintree Curvex 5850 Color Dreams, I even tried it on at NM and my SA offered a discount that is slightly over 10% off ($8000). The watch is comfortable on my wrist and I do like the case shape and the colorful markers. Definitely a signature style by FM. But DH is right that FM is probably not a good investment piece, it may look dated down the road and I’ll get tired of it soon. I do think it’s a bit overpriced for what it is, even with the discount my SA offered. Then I saw a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 with that pretty Red Grape dial! I haven’t tried the OP 39 in person so I dunno if I can rock that size, since both my Chanel j12 and my Rolex YM is about 36.5-37 mm. DH thinks I can rock it coz my wrist isn’t that tiny, and as a Rolex, the OP 39 is a pretty good price ($5700). I know that these two are very different watches and I do like both. But if you can only pick one, which would you choose given what I already have?

Me trying on the FM Color Dreams with blue strap (if I get this watch I may want the orange strap instead, I think that burnt orange shown in the next photo is more versatile)



I haven’t tried this Rolex but found a lady on IG who’s rocking it! I like this Rolex for its clean lines, simplicity but not boring at all with the grape dial and red marker! I also think that I’d probably get more use out of it than the FM watch.



And these are the two babies I have now!

 

[JolieS]

You have 2 nice watches already. The FM is ranked slightly below Rolex as a timepiece, so roughly equivalent. The FM is definitely a specialty item, and could be a fun addition to your watch wardrobe, but I agree with your DH that it is not an everyday watch.
It seems that you’re attracted to a coloured watch face. Have you considered other brands, such as Jaeger-Lecoultre or Ulysse Nardin? They have some models with coloured faces under $9,000, and are better quality than either Rolex or FM.
Good luck in your search for a fine timepiece!

 

[JeanGranger]

The two watch that you have. Yatchmaster and Rosegold J12 are beautiful. One in steel and another in Ceramic. Third watch for you maybe Leather band? FM watch are unique and beautiful.

 

[Miss Happy]

hikarupanda,

Of the two watches you are considering, I would recommend the Franck Muller watch. It is very different than what you have, and not a watch you are likely to see someone else wearing very often. Also, I think the orange strap really compliments your skin tone.

The Rolex looks very much like what you already have, and I doubt that the 39mm size is going to become a classic size for women's watches. One positive though, it probably will have the better resale value of the two.

Best wishes with your choice!

 

[CoastalCouture]

I think this particular Franck Muller watch is too big for your wrist. The Rolex in question is most likely 36 as I don’t believe Rolex have a 39 in Oyster Perpetual.

 

[hikarupanda]

I think this particular Franck Muller watch is too big for your wrist. The Rolex in question is most likely 36 as I don’t believe Rolex have a 39 in Oyster Perpetual.

OP 39 is the newest size: https://m.rolex.com/watches/oyster-perpetual/m114300-0002.html

There is a OP 36 with red grape dial too, but IMO it’s not as unique and pretty coz the markers don’t have the red accent: https://m.rolex.com/watches/oyster-perpetual/m116000-0010.html

As for the FM, this is actually the smallest size with automatic movement, anything smaller is just quartz. My SA said it’s the unisex size, I think it looks bigger in the photos than when I tried it on IRL last week. In fact, I was a bit worried when my SA texted me the case dimension is 32 x 45 mm b4 I went to the store, but I was surprised to see that it looks smaller than I thought.

 

[ultravisitor]

I'm a Rolex guy, so for me it's the Rolex no question. That grape dial is gorgeous. I also don't think it's too similar at all to what you have.

I'm not a fan at all of the Franck Muller. Just...no--especially not for that much money.

 

[hikarupanda]

hikarupanda,

Of the two watches you are considering, I would recommend the Franck Muller watch. It is very different than what you have, and not a watch you are likely to see someone else wearing very often. Also, I think the orange strap really compliments your skin tone.

The Rolex looks very much like what you already have, and I doubt that the 39mm size is going to become a classic size for women's watches. One positive though, it probably will have the better resale value of the two.

Best wishes with your choice!

Yea, I do think orange strap works well with my skin tone too!

As for the Roles OP 39, I think it’s more a man’s watch, on IG I saw many photos of men wearing it, I only found that one photo with a lady rocking it.

 

[hikarupanda]

Thanks for all the comments! I’m a bit surprised that so far I got more votes on FM than Rolex lol. Keep them coming, I’d love to hear more from the ladies coz all DH is thinking about is depreciation lol!

 

[hikarupanda]

I'm a Rolex guy, so for me it's the Rolex no question. That grape dial is gorgeous. I also don't think it's too similar at all to what you have.

I'm not a fan at all of the Franck Muller. Just...no--especially not for that much money.

My DH definitely shares the same sentiment as you when it comes to FM watches. I do think it’s a bit overpriced at $8000...if it’s in the $6000 range I probably would have gotten it. Ppl who are into watches seem to think FM watches kinda blah, why’s that so? Are the movements not good?

I get what you mean by the Rolex OP 39, to me is less sporty compared to my two other watches, so in that sense is quite different from what I already have, which is why I’m considering it. I guess I should go try it out and see if I can rock a 39mm watch!

 

[LuckyBitch]

It's all a matter of personal taste I know but if it were my choice I would MOST definitely take the Rolex, the grape dial is so beautiful and the resale value of the Rolex will likely be higher than the Muller (which I am not a fan of). I'm a Rolex girl myself, so I may be a touch biased...
Have you considered the Cartier Ballon Bleu?

 

[ultravisitor]

My DH definitely shares the same sentiment as you when it comes to FM watches. I do think it’s a bit overpriced at $8000...if it’s in the $6000 range I probably would have gotten it. Ppl who are into watches seem to think FM watches kinda blah, why’s that so? Are the movements not good?

I just don't think it's an attractive enough piece for the money. Franck Muller does have some nice watches, but a lot of the watches also have too much going on for my taste. I just think the one you've chosen is not one that I find particularly aesthetically pleasing.

As for the Rolex, though, I will say that 39 is a pretty big watch for a woman. A lot of people, women included, have been wearing big watches for a while, but I'm not sure how long that will last. From what I've read, some watchmakers are starting to move smaller again, as for most of history, men's watches have been 40mm or less.

Personally, for myself I like the classic 36mm size of the Rolex Datejust. My wrists are on the smaller side of normal, and I like the versatility of the 36mm. It's not too big and not too small.

If the picture above is you wearing your 36, then I'd be very careful of a 39. The 36 looks just about as big as you can go before it starts to look wrong. Definitely try on the 39 to see how you feel about it.

 

[hikarupanda]

I just don't think it's an attractive enough piece for the money. Franck Muller does have some nice watches, but a lot of the watches also have too much going on for my taste. I just think the one you've chosen is not one that I find particularly aesthetically pleasing.

As for the Rolex, though, I will say that 39 is a pretty big watch for a woman. A lot of people, women included, have been wearing big watches for a while, but I'm not sure how long that will last. From what I've read, some watchmakers are starting to move smaller again, as for most of history, men's watches have been 40mm or less.

Personally, for myself I like the classic 36mm size of the Rolex Datejust. My wrists are on the smaller side of normal, and I like the versatility of the 36mm. It's not too big and not too small.

If the picture above is you wearing your 36, then I'd be very careful of a 39. The 36 looks just about as big as you can go before it starts to look wrong. Definitely try on the 39 to see how you feel about it.

Yea, the photo of the Yacht Master 37 is me wearing it, so I’m comfortable with that size. I’ve never gone bigger than 37 mm tho. So with that said, OP 36 would definitely work on my wrist, but as I mentioned above, it’s the dial of the 39 that caught my eyes — the red accent looks gorgeous! I do think that OP 39 might still work coz it doesn’t have a big bezel like my DH’s GMT Master II (which is 40 mm and still fits on my wrist lol). I think without a big and thick bezel the OP 39 may visually look smaller...

It’s interesting how you described the trend of watch sizes. Before I had my two kids I used to wear smaller sized watches (a Chanel J12 in 33mm, for instance). After two kids and some weight gain though, I felt smaller watches look kinda off on my wrist (and I’m not a super girly girl either so I’m never into dainty watches to begin with). With that said, I do see that many women love wearing oversized watches, but some imo just look way too big on them if they are skinny and their wrists are on the smaller side. I am petite myself despite the weight gain after kids so I can’t imagine wearing anything 40 mm and up (tho I love Daytona).

 

[ultravisitor]

I do think that OP 39 might still work coz it doesn’t have a big bezel like my DH’s GMT Master II (which is 40 mm and still fits on my wrist lol). I think without a big and thick bezel the OP 39 may visually look smaller...

Definitely worth a try. The 36 that I'm wearing right now has a fairly large bezel on it, so it doesn't look as small as other 36s that I've worn. A 39 without a large bezel may work for you.

 

[hikarupanda]

It's all a matter of personal taste I know but if it were my choice I would MOST definitely take the Rolex, the grape dial is so beautiful and the resale value of the Rolex will likely be higher than the Muller (which I am not a fan of). I'm a Rolex girl myself, so I may be a touch biased...
Have you considered the Cartier Ballon Bleu?

Cartier Ballon Bleu was one of the watches I had my eye on when it first came out! I kinda forgot about it after all these years lol! I do like the aesthetics, tho it’s definitely dressier than both the FM and the Rolex I was looking at.