TRAVELLING LIGHT
On the eve of the summer holidays, Frédérique Constant offers fans of watches with an impeccable finish and affordable prices a timepiece with a second time zone, guaranteeing travel with peace of mind.
You come from Geneva, you fly to Hong Kong, you work in Los Angeles… Today, the planet has become, so to speak, “smaller” than before. The development of civil and commercial aviation during the 20th century led to a considerable reduction in distances, so that mankind could (again) become a nomad and travel easily from time zone to time zone. For people hurrying from one plane to the next or who work with a range of distant countries, Frédérique Constant has designed a watch with a classic look and a GMT function that is both easy to read and to use: the Classics Automatic GMT.
This new watch makes its appearance along with summer and is available in two versions. The Classics Automatic GMT comes with a 42mm-wide steel case or a pink gold-plated steel case. The case back with a glass window reveals part of the mechanism of the calibre FC-350 driving this duo of watches and providing a power reserve of 38 hours. The self-winding movement powers the time display (local and home time), the minutes and seconds – at the centre of the dial – as well as the date.
Since this is the Classics collection, the watch face with silvery tints on this new piece features three levels, adding a certain visual dynamism to a dial with a classic look. The central dial with a Clous de Paris pattern is encircled by a ring with a 24-hour scale in black Arabic numerals. The scale features a hand with a red and white arrow showing the second time zone. A wide sunburst strip features a discreet minute track near the chapter ring and includes an hour rim with Roman numerals, which are also black. Two central Breguet-style hands, with slim, moon-tipped bodies, display the hours and minutes, together with a second hand.
Price: 1,395 CHF (Steel) – 1,695 CHF (Gold plated) frederiqueconstant.com
By Sharmila Bertin