Franck Muller · Vanguard · Crazy Hours · steel · red · on Amazon

The numerals are in the wrong order on purpose.

Crazy Hours is Franck Muller’s 2003 joke that became its most recognisable complication: the twelve numerals are scattered around the dial out of sequence, and the hour hand, instead of sweeping, jumps at the top of each hour to wherever the next number happens to be. The minute hand runs normally, so the watch still tells the time; you just have to look. This one is the Vanguard version in brushed steel, with a brushed steel dial and the numerals in red, on a black alligator strap with red stitching. Sold on Amazon by an independent dealer.

Illustrative render — hero view of the Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours V 45 CH BR (brushed steel, red numerals, black alligator strap)
This Crazy Hours on Amazon$10,000–$25,000 band

Case

Curved tonneau V 45, about 44 x 53.7mm, brushed stainless steel, curved sapphire, 30m

Movement

Calibre FM 2800 CH automatic with jumping hours, about 42 h

Dial

Brushed steel, twelve oversized red applied numerals in scrambled order, red hands

How it reads

Hour hand jumps once an hour to the next numeral in sequence; minute hand runs normally

Strap

Black alligator over rubber, red stitching

Listing

Independent dealer (Luxor Watches on the day), 30-day returns; condition not stated

How a jumping hour hand works

On a normal watch the hour hand is geared to the minute hand and creeps round the dial. On Crazy Hours the hour hand is driven separately, held still for sixty minutes and then released to jump to the next numeral in numerical order, wherever Franck Muller has put it. One to two is a jump of five positions clockwise; every hour is the same five-position jump, which is why the layout looks random and is not. The minute hand is untouched, so the time reads as a numeral plus minutes, once you find the numeral.

Franck Muller launched the idea on the Cintrée Curvex in 2003. The Vanguard version puts it in the sport case with the flat bezel and the applied numerals, and this one keeps the whole watch in brushed steel so the red numerals are the only colour, matched by the hands and the stitching on the strap.

Illustrative render — how a jumping hour hand works of the Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours V 45 CH BR (brushed steel, red numerals, black alligator strap)

Reading the listing

The listing is a short one: the title says Vanguard Red Crazy Hours, the model row says V 45 CH BR, and the description is Franck Muller’s own paragraph about the brushed steel case and dial and the coloured numerals. There are no spec rows, so there is nothing to contradict, and the photograph matches the reference. The dimensions, calibre and reserve here are Franck Muller’s published figures for the Vanguard Crazy Hours, not the dealer’s.

Whether the watch is new with Franck Muller’s warranty is not stated in the rows we read; ask, and ask for the box and papers. Every figure here comes from the listing and from Franck Muller’s published description, not from handling the watch.

Illustrative render — reading the listing of the Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours V 45 CH BR (brushed steel, red numerals, black alligator strap)

Buying it on Amazon

This is a regular Amazon listing from an independent dealer, Luxor Watches on the day we read it, with Amazon’s 30-day return window; it is not a Luxury Stores pre-owned unit. The second button opens the live search for Crazy Hours in case this one has sold.

Crazy Hours models have resold for well under new and close to what pre-owned buyers paid, sometimes more, sometimes less; that is a pattern, not a promise, and nothing here is investment advice.

Illustrative render — buying it on amazon of the Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours V 45 CH BR (brushed steel, red numerals, black alligator strap)

Specs

Reference
V 45 CH BR
Case size
About 44 x 53.7mm, curved tonneau (V 45 case)
Case material
Brushed stainless steel
Movement
Automatic with jumping hours, Franck Muller calibre FM 2800 CH
Caliber type
FM 2800 CH, automatic
Crystal
Sapphire Crystal, curved
Water resistance
30m (3 ATM)
Power reserve
About 42 hours
Complications
Crazy Hours jumping hour hand
Origin
Swiss Made

Specifications as published by Franck Muller. We research from manufacturer documentation and published sources rather than hands-on testing. Researched 2026-09-13.

Verdict

A steel Vanguard Crazy Hours with red numerals, on Amazon from a dealer: Franck Muller’s best-known complication in its plainest metal, for someone who wants a watch that makes people ask.

Strengths

  • The jumping-hour Crazy Hours mechanism, a real complication with a sense of humour
  • Brushed steel case and dial keep it under the gold Vanguards on price
  • Red numerals, hands and stitching on an otherwise grey watch
  • Amazon’s return window on a dealer listing

Trade-offs

  • Takes a beat to read; that is the point, but it is a point
  • About 44 by 54mm; a very large watch
  • Condition and warranty not stated; ask
  • 30 metres; a dress watch

Buy it if

Someone who has the plain watches already and wants the one with a story.

Skip it if

You want to read the time at a glance, or a case under 42mm.

This Crazy Hours on Amazon$10,000–$25,000 band

FAQ

The minute hand runs normally. The hour hand stays on one numeral for the hour, then jumps to the next number in sequence, wherever it sits on the dial. Read the numeral the hour hand points to, then the minutes.

Sources

Researched and last updated 2026-09-13. We do not test watches in hand; every figure above is traceable to the manufacturer or the sources listed here.

Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours V 45 CH BR (brushed steel, red numerals, black alligator strap)

Reference V 45 CH BR · $10,000–$25,000

Prices and availability change; the band above is a research figure, so check the current listing.

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