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Frederique Constant Celebrates a Worldtimer

Frederique Constant celebrates the tenth anniversary of its Classics Worldtimer Manufacture with a pair of attractive blue-and-grey-dialed limited edition references.

Frederique Constant releases limited edition versions of its Classics Worldtimer Manufacture in steel and in pink gold.

In keeping with this Geneva brand’s ‘affordable luxury’ tenet, the Classics Worldtimer has been among the highest-value Swiss-made examples of it type, particularly as it’s supplied with an in-house worldtimer caliber (visible through the sapphire caseback).

We’ve seen Frederique Constant release the Classics Worldtimer Manufacture in a variety of hues and metals during the past decade. This new offering, in a choice of a pink gold or steel case, combines the most classic combination that represents the earth’s blue oceans surrounded by white clouds.

The worldtimer dial allows the time to be read in twenty-four time zones with clear daytime or nighttime indication. Frederique Constant applies luminescent indexes (and on the hands in the steel model) to the fairly traditional globe décor world time display. This all frames a handsome sunray guilloché date hand display at the 6 o’clock position.

Frederique Constant will make the 42mm pink gold model as a limited edition of eighty-eight while the second, in steel, will be limited to 1,888 pieces. Both pieces arrive on a matching navy blue alligator strap with a folding buckle, decorated with the Frederique Constant logo.

Prices: $4,495 today and $4,695 as of April 15 (steel) and $18,995 today, $21,995 as of April 15 (pink gold).

 

 

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The Watches

Frederique Constant Adds New Dials to Classic Heart Beat

Frederique Constant returns to its roots and adds two watches sporting guilloché dials to its long-running Classics Heart Beat Automatic collection.

One of two new Frederique Constant Classics Heart Beat Automatic watches.

While the pair may be new to the Geneva watchmaker’s Classics Automatic collection, their ‘Heart Beat’ design, which exposes a portion of the automatic movement, is a characteristic Frederique Constant pioneered. In fact, when Frederique Constant first debuted the open balance wheel design in 1994, the young brand neglected to protect what was at the time a novel design. As it was never patented, the concept continues to be copied by numerous watch brands.

These latest additions to the collection each measure 40mm diameter in a steel case with so-called ‘apple’ hands on a choice of a silver dial and a dark khaki dial. The highlighted guilloché dial center is framed by a nice satin-finished hour circle with twelve very classic Roman numerals.

Frederique Constant fits its Sellita-based automatic FC-310 caliber inside these two newest Classics Heart Beat Automatic watches, with just a bit exposed on the front of the dial, offering a power reserve of 38 hours.

Price: $1,495.

 

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Alpina

Alpina Limited Edition Chronograph Hits the Slopes

Geneva-based Alpina re-affirms its deep connections to the sporting world by introducing an eye-catching, affordably priced quartz chronograph in partnership with the snow sport Freeride World Tour.

The new Alpina Alpiner Quartz Chronograph Freeride World Tour Limited Edition.

The new limited edition Alpiner Quartz Chronograph Freeride World Tour 2022 commemorates Alpina’s fifth year as a partner of the ski and snowboarding competition series.

To be produced as a limited edition of 100 pieces, the 42mm steel watch is designed to recall the original 1938 Alpiner4, complete with Alpina’s red triangle logo at the base of the seconds hand.

Like the original Alpiner4, this new model also combines the four primary features that typically define a sports watch: anti-magnetism, shock resistance, water resistance and a steel case.

This limited model, however, incorporates the Freeride World Tour ‘alpine peaks’ logo at 12 o’clock and on its solid caseback (atop an engraving of the Swiss extreme skiing mountain Bec De Rosses). The watch also adds a chronograph, which is displayed here on the black dial via three counters, each framed by a silver circle.

Alpina touts an impressive four-and-a-half-year battery life for its quartz movement.

Price: $1,295.

 

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The Watches

New Zenith Defy Skyline Highlights 1/10-Second Display

Just days after revisiting its 1969 Defy by launching a limited edition revival Zenith Defy A3642, Zenith this week again references the sporty Defy collection with a new model called Defy Skyline.

The new Zenith Defy Skyline, also available in black or silver dial.

For the new Defy Skyline, Zenith starts with the original collection’s octagonal case and twelve-side faceted bezel. But then Zenith adds extra edginess with a larger case size (41mm) and a technical dial display close to Zenith’s heart: a constantly running 1/10-of-a-second indicator.   

Placed at the 9 o’clock position, the one-tenth-of-a-second hand makes steady jumps in fixed increments, rotating fully once every ten seconds. The display references Zenith’s trademark El Primero caliber, which beats at 5Hz (36,000 VpH) and directly powers the display’s seconds hand.

As the hand is connected directly to the escapement, Zenith refers to as a “natural” fraction-of-a-second indication. And to best utilize the 1/10-second display when setting the time, Zenith provides a stop-second mechanism built directly into the crown.

For the new Defy Skyline, Zenith developed the El Primero 3620, a new iteration of its El Primero 3600, which headlined the debut of the Zenith Chronomaster Sport last year. Zenith harnessed the El Primero 3600 to give that Chronomaster a rare 1/10-of-a-second timing scale linked to its central chronograph hand. For the Defy Skyline, the new caliber omits chronograph timing to simply power the unusual seconds display.

The new Zenith Defy Skyline is a fairly spare time-only watch (with date) interchangeable steel bracelet/rubber strap watch that offers contemporary styling with clear references to its Defy antecedents, especially with its embrace of that collection’s twelve-sided bezel.

Zenith is offering three debut star-patterned dials for the new collection in metallic blue, black or silver with (included) matching rubber straps. The color scheme carries into the movement itself as Zenith finishes the caliber in tones of grey and silver, with elements in blued metal.

Price $8,400

 

Specifications: Zenith Defy Skyline

Movement: El Primero 3620, automatic, silicon escape wheel and lever, frequency of 36,000 VpH (5 Hz) and power reserve of approx. 60 hours, special oscillating weight with satin finishings.

Functions : Hours and minutes in the center, 1/10th of a second counter at 9 o’clock. Date.

Case: 41mm steel, screwed-in crown, water resistance to 100 meters.

Dial: Black-toned, blue-toned or silver-toned sunburst star-pattern.

Hour markers and hands are rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLuminova.

Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet folding clasp. Comes with a matching rubber strap with starry sky pattern and folding clasp.

Price $8,400.

 

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The Watches

Frederique Constant Expands Perpetual Calendar Options

Frederique Constant adds a new blue-grey dial to its Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture collection, adding a stylish air to the Geneva manufacturer’s classical perpetual calendar dial layout.

A new blue-grey dial graces the Frederique Constant Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture.

The new deep blue-grey dial almost guarantees perfect legibility to the perpetual calendar’s myriad displays. These include: days and the phases of the moon, date, month and leap year – all in addition to the time of day.

Frederique Constant has carefully considered its chromatic choices with this fourth dial option within the nicely priced Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture collection.

Thus, we see an eye-pleasing contrast of white typography and mirror-polished and luminescent hour-markers and hands. At the center of the dial Frederique Constant places the Highlife collection’s signature guilloché Earth motif.

Here we have a nicely integrated three-link bracelet, alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces. If you’d prefer a strap, Frederique Constant has you covered: the entire Highlife collection offers bracelet-to-strap interchangeability.

The Frederique Constant Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture comes with a navy blue textured and stitched rubber extra strap that can be changed as desired without the need for tools.

The back of the watch allows a clear view of the automatic Manufacture FC-775 caliber, which Frederique Constant has embellished with circular graining and Côtes de Genève decoration.

Price: $9,950. Available in June.

Specifications: Frederique Constant Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture

(Ref. FC-775BL4NH6B)

Displays: Hours, minutes, moonphase, date, day, month, leap year.

Movement: Automatic FC-775 in-house caliber, perpetual calendar, Perlage & circular Côtes de Genève decorations, 38-hour power reserve, 28,800 vph.

Case: 41mm by 12.65mm brushed and polished stainless steel three-part, convex sapphire crystal with anti-glare coating on both sides, see-through caseback, water-resistant to 50 meters.

Dial: Blue grey, globe decoration, silver color applied indexes filled with white luminous treatment, hand-polished silver color hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment, date counter at 3 o’clock with silver color hand, moonphase at 6 o’clock, day counter at 9 o’clock with silver color hand,
month and (leap) year counter at 12 o’clock with silver color hands.

Bracelet: Three-link brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet, includes an additional navy blue rubber strap.

Price: $9,950.

 

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