Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Now With Grey Dial (Live Pics)
FC's accessible perpetual calendar comes back in a new, sleek colour scheme.
When Geneva-based brand Frederique Constant introduced its first Perpetual Calendar in 2016, it came as a surprise for the entire world of Haute Horlogerie. How could a watch brand make such a complex movement for a price that didn’t even hit the EUR 10,000 mark? Well, we explained that to you here. Today, the brand presents two new references in its Slimline collection, both with Perpetual Calendars and new grey-coloured dials. And of course, the price remains quite a lot lower than you might imagine.
Frederique Constant has always made understated watches but has always been out to make some noise in the world of horology. It fought hard against the almighty Swatch Group to maintain access to ETA movements and brazenly situated its manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, right next to the illustrious elders like Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
Frederique Constant’s motto is “affordable luxury”, and that has definitely is the case here. Today’s new introduction is named the Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture and has a price of EUR 7,995. It features a 42mm steel case, grey dial, steel hands, baton hour markers and a blue leather alligator strap with off-white stitching.
The dial displays four counters, three of them being calendar functions and the last being a moon phase. The technical team of Frederique Constant, led by Dutchman Pim Koeslag, has once again delivered a nearly flawless piece of engineering that really shows what this watch company is capable of. When asked how he achieved this rather uncommon price point, CEO Dr Peter Stas told me back in 2016: “By smart engineering. We built it from the ground up and therefore could build it in a more economical way. Both in the number of components and the handwork needed.”
That doesn’t mean they didn’t pay attention to the usability of the watch. One very nice achievement is the layout of the dial: Frederique Constant managed to make a watch at a good size with the sub-dials placed at an ideal distance from the centre of the dial to maintain the elegant design.
The second new introduction is not much different, except for the rose gold-plated case. Therefore the price also goes up slightly: EUR 8,295.
Both new models are put in the Slimline case, and although we can’t really call it a very thin movement, it’s definitely not thick either: 11.3mm in height. One very nice feature for both models is the see-through caseback that showcases the in-house developed and manufactured calibre FC-775 with perlage and circular Côtes de Genève decorations.
More details at frederiqueconstant.com.
2 responses
I don’t like Q.E dials, even from the masters, but if they’re your thing, I can’t see anyone reasonably objecting to the steel version. It’s well-balanced, elegant, well-priced.
If if I were in the market for a moon phase watch then this might be it. It’s a very elegant watch and I think it looks better in the steel. The off white stitching is a great touch as well