Frederique Constant is celebrating 37 years with a five-piece collectors’ set that shows off the Genevan manufacture’s breadth of watchmaking skills. A range of stone dials, tourbillons, perpetual calendars and a worldtimer make up the commemorative The Elements Collection.

The Elements Collection

Special releases have become a signature for Frederique Constant and this collection really raises the game. When the brand was launched in 1988 the thought of an upstart brand making Swiss haute horlogerie at sensible prices was not taken seriously by many people. But Frederique Constant was very serious, and has quietly built up its range of watches along with its reputation, and since 2004 has developed 34 in-house movements that range from slender automatics for three-handers, through to the tourbillons with silicon escapements, along with that true single-crown worldtimer.

Four out of the five watches have dials cut from a slab of natural stone. Lapis lazuli, onyx, turquoise and heliotrope provide a range of vivid colors, and natural variations in the stone means that no two watches will be exactly the same. Not that many other people will have them anyway – Frederique Constant is offering just 37 sets to collectors – one for every year – so rarity is guaranteed.

The blue genuine Turquoise dial for Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture

The fifth watch does not have a stone dial, but if we are talking horological Top Trumps, it has more than enough to shout about. The Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture is the most technically accomplished watch in the collection. It has a 41mm steel case with integrated bracelet and a 60-second tourbillon at six o’clock, along with the full day, month, date indicators. The leap year indication sits within in the month counter. In-house caliber FC-975 is visible through the open-worked burgundy dial. The watch is exclusive to this collection, with 37 numbered pieces.

Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture

You are spoilt for perp cals here, and the green-dialed watch shows off the complication in a very differently styled watch. The Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture has a 40mm steel case with a dial cut from heliotrope, a mineral that contains oxides of aluminium, iron and potassium, each contributing its own flecks of color. The tricompax dials show the day at nine, month and leap-year at twelve and date at three, nicely framing the moonphase at six.

Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture

It is powered by caliber FC-776, the movement that was first unveiled in 2016 and brought the perpetual calendar to a much wider audience. It is decorated with perlage and Côtes de Genève visible through the sapphire caseback. This Classic Perpetual Calendar also exclusive to the box set, with 37 numbered watches.

The blue-dialed watch also has a movement that will be well known to fans of the brand. The Classic Worldtimer Manufacture is powered by caliber FC-718, which can be adjusted with a single, oversized crown. The movement was launched in 2012 and in keeping with the company ethos, brought a high quality worldtimer within reach of a lot more people.

Classic Worldtimer Manufacture

This version has a 42mm steel case with a lapis lazuli dial and a matching date counter at six. Above that sits the 24-city disc, split into a light and dark hemisphere for day and night. This is one of two watches in the set that is available individually with a total run of 718 pieces.

The blue genuine Lapis Lazuli stone on dial and date counter sits above the 24-city disc

The Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture has a dial cut from turquoise – the first time Frederique Constant has used the blue-green stone in one of its watches. Other than the moonphase at 6 o’clock, there is little to hide the view of the textured stone dial. It is powered by caliber FC-716, the in-house automatic with a 72-hour reserve, housed in a 40mm steel case. This watch will also go on wider sale – again with 716 pieces in total – but seen first in The Elements Collection.

Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture

The Classic Tourbillon Manufacture is an exercise in minimalism. It has a 39mm steel case and a black onyx dial. There is a 60-second tourbillon at six that gives visual drama, but next to that you have the calming dark stone marked out by polished hands and diamond cut indices. The movement is FC-980-4, with a silicon escapement, along with anglage, perlage, cerclage and mirror polishing that can be admired through the full-size sapphire crystal caseback. This watch is one of 37 pieces, exclusive to this collection.

Classic Tourbillon Manufacture

These five watches add up to a great demonstration of how far the brand has come. It started off as a small independent family-run operation but with its growth and move to manufacture status, Frederique Constant caught the eye of the biggest players in the game and in 2016 was acquired by Japan’s Citizen group.

And through all this growth, the brand has stayed true to its ethos. The price for The Elements Collection is $64,995. Not small change in anyone’s book, but consider the fact that it is easy to drop that kind of money on just one tourbillon or perpetual calendar. In that context, this set of five watches is exceptional value.