A 21st CENTURY SOUL IN A 19th CENTURY BODY.
Frédérique Constant has unveiled two new seriously classic pieces fuelled by a self-winding movement.
Notched case, grooved ball crown, engine-turned dial, black Roman numerals, “vintage” hands: the Plan-les-Ouates brand whisks us back in time with two new Classics Automatic Heart Beat models inspired by early 19th century design. Two key features snap us back into the present: the so-called “Heart Beat” display on the dial that often appears in Frédérique Constant watch collections and the cutting-edge movement you can glimpse through the back of both pieces.
The brand founded in 2004 has made the “Heart Beat” its trademark, a visual signature that enables the watch’s owner to gaze at the escapement’s endless performance like a beating heart. The Plan-les-Ouates watchmaker also designs and makes its own movements such as the self-winding FC-312 calibre fuelling the Classics Automatic Heart Beat’s functions and 40-hour power reserve.
The 39mm case comes in steel or yellow gold-plated steel; you can see the movement fuelling the hands on the dial through the sapphire caseback. The shimmering silver dial has three different engine-turned designs. The hour rim near the chapter ring has a circular pattern whilst a pleated sunburst design radiates from the centre. The instantly recognisable pyramid-shape Clous de Paris pattern sits comfortably between both. Two black Breguet hands with openwork “pomme” tips track the hours and minutes in the centre of the dial. The gold-bevelled “Heart Beat” takes pride of place at 12.
Price: 1860 CHF (steel) – 2110 CHF (yellow gold-plated steel) / frederiqueconstant.com
By Sharmila Bertin