Watchmaker Franck Muller to Launch Mystery Box NFTs

Credit: Frank Muller - Luxlabs / Binance

Franck Muller, the renowned Swiss watchmaker, is making his second foray into the world of Web3. On July 27th at 11 a.m. UTC, he will drop a set of 15,000 Mystery Box NFTs on the Binance NFT marketplace. Here is everything we know about the Mystery Box set so far:

  • The team has broken up the Mystery Boxes into four levels of rarity
  • The Mystery Boxes come with IRL perks, including a tour of the Muller factory
  • There are 10 IRL watches up for grabs through the normal 15,000-set drop
  • One Mystery Box will cost $100 BUSD or $100

In addition, collectors of 10 Mystery Boxes will receive an allowlist opportunity for a future avatar collection. Furthermore, Muller is celebrating the drop with a 1/1 IRL auction of the watch of “Aoki Sloane,” who is said to be a “fearsome warrior of peace” who is battling the “Harakuma Warlords” for the future of the metaverse.

This is not Muller’s first foray into the world of Web3. In 2019, he crafted a one-of-a-kind Bitcoin watch with a QR code. When scanned, the QR code allowed the owner to check the transaction history of their Bitcoin wallet and even deposit some cryptocurrency. This Mystery Box set is decidedly bigger, showing that perhaps Muller has caught the Web3 fever.

The watchmaker is one of the elites in the world and is famous for bold designs that come with incredible complications. According to a press release, he is now bringing his expertise to the world of crypto, where he will match his skill in watches with IRL life experiences, as shown in the Mystery Box collection.

IRL Life Experiences Popular with Mainstream NFT Collections

Although many associate non-fungible tokens with simple digital collections like NBA Top Shot moments or Bored Apes, many companies choose to pair NFTs with IRL experiences instead. Here are two examples of that mechanism in stories Rarity Sniper has covered this year.

First, there is Hennessy. The cognac-maker auctioned off an NFT early in the year that came with IRL utility: a rare bottle of cognac along with serving glasses and a wooden crate. It was the beginning of a year that saw many companies attaching physical goods to these digital assets.

Second, there is McLaren. The British sports automaker held an NFT drop recently that rewarded holders with IRL experiences. Those with a McLaren NFT will receive a virtual tour of the company’s engineering facilities, an event that will likely spur the interest of sports car lovers worldwide.

This mechanism caused Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary to say that NFTs could be bigger than Bitcoin. Because of the easy link between NFTs and physical objects, luxury collectibles traders can easily track provenance, preventing fraud.

Franck Muller’s second entry into the Web3 space is welcome, especially with the IRL watches attached. There is no doubt that people are watching the NFT space to see what innovations they can come up with next.