Frederique Constant
Frederique Constant at Watches & Wonders 2024: All the Latest Releases
Frederique Constant
Frederique Constant at Watches & Wonders 2024: All the Latest Releases
New watches in its elegant Classic family of dress watches introduce refinements and upgrades including a smaller case that’s sure to please many fans.
Frederique Constant’s releases for Watches & Wonders 2024 present us with two “classic” yet standout models, the Classic Date Manufacture and Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture. Frederique Constant has already established a catalog of 31 calibers designed, developed, and assembled in its own Manufacture at Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. These latest releases reveal an impressive alliance of technical specifications with a distinctive aura of sophisticated refinement.
Classic Date Manufacture: A New Spin on a Timeless Classic
The Classic Date Manufacture is a perfect example of Frederique Constant’s commitment to fusing tradition with innovation. Although the timepiece still carries the “Classic” moniker, it introduces a new generation in-house movement, the FC-706 caliber. This new movement offers a power reserve of 72 hours and an extended warranty of 5 years.
The timepiece’s aesthetic transformation is equally impressive. The steel case now measures a crowd-pleasing 40mm, a reduction of 2mm from previous collection models, offering versatile diameter. The dial, devoid of numerals, presents refined hour markers and a “chemin de fer” minute track. The dial comes in three sunray variants — silver, black, or salmon-colored — each imparting a unique character to the watch.
Ref. FC-706SAL3H6
The dial and movement of the Classic Date Manufacture have each received significant upgrades. The dial, despite the model’s overall reduction in size, appears more refined and spacious, with its sunray finish diffusing the light evenly and softly. The movement, on the other hand, replaces the old 38-hour power-reserve calibers with the new Manufacture FC-706 movement, offering a power reserve of 72 hours.
The new iteration of the Classic Date Manufacture comes with several more enhanced features. The hour markers, hands, and minute track are all meticulously refined, with diamond-cut and polished applied hour markers. The hour and minute hands, also diamond-cut and hand-polished, are now of the “Alpha” type, harmonizing with the profile of the hour markers.
The first variation of the Classic Date Manufacture features a salmon-colored dial combined with a steel case, silver-colored hour markers and hands, and it’s worn on a chocolate-colored alligator strap. The second model sports a silver sunray dial on a navy-blue alligator strap. The third model, the most contemporary of the three, offers a steel case and silver-colored hands and hour markers set against a black sunray dial on a black alligator strap.
Frederique Constant Classic Date Manufacture (Ref. FC-706SAL3H6) Specs
Movement: FC-706 in-house automatic movement, 72-hour power reserve
Function: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date
Case: 40mm × 12.4mm stainless steel, 50 meters water resistance
Dial: Salmon dial with sunray finishing, applied silver color diamond cut indexes
Strap: Dark brown alligator leather with tone-on-tone stitching and folding buckle
Availability: May 2024
Price: USD 3,495
Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture: A Fusion of Elegance and Modernity
The Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture, Frederique Constant’s flagship model, comes with a new design and movement. Available in three new 40 mm variations, this timepiece features a new, refined dial with a sunray finish, fine hands, and a new FC-716 movement.
Ref. FC-716N3H6
The new models introduce the FC-716 Manufacture caliber, equipped with a new barrel that offers a power reserve of 72 hours. Despite this, the caliber retains its original proportions, and can be used as the foundation for future Manufacture movements in the FC-700 series.
Ref. FC-716S3H6
In the world of watchmaking, the moonphase is often a less practical, yet “romantic” complication. These three creations in 40mm steel cases are no exception. They stand out with a refined dial featuring silver-colored central hands, redesigned and now diamond-cut. The single window at 6 o’clock combines two complications: the moon phase and the date. They are closely correlated, with the moon passing through a starry window at the precise rate of 29.5 days. The date is indicated by a central hand running along a peripheral scale graduated from 1 to 31.
Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture (Ref. FC-716S3H6) Specs
Movement: FC-716 in-house automatic movement, 72-hour power reserve
Function: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Moonphase, Date
Case: 40mm × 12.4mm stainless steel, 50 meters water resistance
Dial: Silver dial with sunray finishing, applied silver color diamond cut indexes
Strap: Navy blue alligator leather with tone-on-tone stitching and folding buckle
Availability: May 2024
Price: USD 4,095
