The Legend of Franck Muller - Westime

Franck Muller
Cintrée Curvex Crazy
Hours Tourbillon
with diamonds
mother, my wife and my new baby. You see,
family is primordial. It is the most important
thing for me!”
Desperate for a warm climate while
ushering in a new annum, Muller persisted
in seeking his friends’ advice.
He recalls, “Jean Todt told me to go to a
particular resort named the Royal Palm in
Mauritius. He said, ‘It is perfect, you can
go directly from Geneva to Mauritius
without changing planes so it will be no
problem for your baby.’
“At this point, it was November and so I
telephoned the resort, but they told me they
were completely full and they refused to
accommodate me. I told this to Jean Todt
who immediately called the director. The
director of the Royal Palm then called me
and told me, ‘Look, Mr Muller, every year at
the Royal Palm, we have the same clientele.
I can do nothing because every single room
is booked.’”
Muller replied, “Mr Director, look at the
wrists of your clients. I am sure they are all
wearing Franck Muller watches, so I hope
you can allow me to join my clients and
friends. He came back saying, ‘OK, let me
see what I can do, and if I can make it work,
I will call Jean Todt.’”
Muller chuckles, remembering, “At this
point, it was becoming something of a
challenge to me to go to this resort, and the
thing about me is, I cannot back down from
a challenge. Watchmaking is a series of
challenges that you compel yourself to
overcome. And so I bring this way of
thinking to my life as well. The other thing
was that this resort was left over from the
French colonial era in Mauritius. It was run
by the French for the French. And while I
love the French people, sometimes, the
French have a very narrow way of thinking.
They concern themselves only with the
French and simply ignore the rest of the
world. The more I thought about it, the
more determined I became to bring my
family to the Royal Palm!”
After weeks of persistent calling, Muller
succeeded. He states, “Finally, the director
called me back and wanted to know what
rooms I needed. I requested three mega
suites, one for my mother, one for my sister
and her family and one for my wife and
baby. He hemmed and hawed, but eventually
gave me the rooms.”
With that, Muller assembled his entire
family and they set off with every belief that
they would embark on what would be a
delightful and memorable holiday.
Only half of this equation would prove
to be true.
Muller recalls, “We arrived tired but
grateful to be in such a beautiful climate
in Mauritius and at such a lovely hotel
situated in Grand Baie. My family and I were
hungry, so we went to the dining room.