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Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture

Relentless in their pursuit of making classic designs with movements and complications that would typically be reserved for a much higher price bracket, and making it just a bit more attainable, Frédérique Constant have unveiled their take on a thin in-house perpetual calendar movement with the Frédérique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture watch, and the result is sure to please with prices just around 8,000 CHF.

First things first, for a perpetual calendar watch to be priced in the mid four figures and topping out at just around the five-figure mark for a gold, albeit gold-plated, version is quite a feat. Add on top of that the presence of an in-house movement, and you’ve got a combination for success. To put the Frédérique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture watch in context, pieces like the Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar watch asking €10,000 in steel are almost unheard of. Moving on from the value proposition, I’ve got some thoughts on the aesthetics of the piece.
I find myself preferring the looks of the more modern variants of the Frédérique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture. To be sure, the perpetual calendar, especially as executed here with the triple subdial layout plus a moonphase indicator, is very much an old-school look. This means it can get to looking (and feeling) a bit tired. With the smooth dial and stick indices, Frédérique Constant manages to unclutter the look and bring it closer to the modern era. Adding in what I feel to be their signature handset brings the complete package to a ready-for-anything sort of look, while the Breguet hand-equipped watch feels like it is more for the occasions when you have a suit or tux on. That isn’t to say the cleaner look couldn’t fit with a suit, as it most certainly could.
The new movement inside the Frédérique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture is known as the FC-775 calibre, produced and assembled by Frédérique Constant. In order to keep the overall watch slim, the movement itself only measures in at 6.7mm thick, while still giving a place for the perpetual calendar complication to call home. Other specs of note for the automatic movement would be the 38-hour power reserve and a running frequency of 4Hz (28,800 vph).
For the ultimate flexibility with the Frédérique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture, I should think that the steel case is the route to go, as the rose gold (along with this style of watch, regardless of dial and hands) can feel much more formal. As to the white or blue dial, I suppose, that is up to you. Now, serious horology nerds are going to likely freak out over this watch, and for good cause. As previously mentioned, pricing will be somewhere around 8,000 CHF for the steel version and likely not considerably more for the pink gold-plated version.

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Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture

An in-house flyback chronograph for less than $4,000 is nothing to scoff at. One of these is now available from Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture, which introduced a typically classical interpretation just last week. We shared the basics as soon as the watch was launched, and now a few days later we’re back with live images – including one of the new movement – and some more information. But our overall opinion hasn’t changed – this really is a great watch for the money.
First up, let’s take a look at the back of the watch, which offers a view of new FC-760 caliber. This is a movement which took six years to get right, so it deserves a little attention from us (and from you). It’s a flyback, meaning you can reset the chronograph hand without stopping it first, useful for timing laps, for example, or any two events that follow each other instantly. Developing a chronograph is never easy, and it’s something to be applauded for sure, but it’s worth noting despite the dial’s looks (more on that later) this is a two-register chronograph that only times up to 30 minutes.
It’s an automatic chronograph, originally developed by Frederique Constant’s prodigious technical director, Pim Koeslag, and entrusted to Alpina (a sister brand) before making its full debut in an actual FC collection, still with the same modular construction and surprisingly short components list. But this time it is cosmetically enhanced, which is a good thing since it is fully exposed, gold rotor and all, through a sapphire caseback.
The case measures 42mm and features rectangular chronograph pushers, giving it just a touch of vintage charm. The watch will be offered in stainless steel with or without rose gold plating. Several dial options are also available when it comes to color, finish, and dial features. The most classic of the bunch is a silver hobnail dial with thin traditional Roman numerals, blued pomme hands, and a hobnail minute track on the outside.
Just as elegant, but perhaps a little more contemporary in terms of style, are the dark grey and silvered dials with baton indexes and a tachymeter scale on the outside (note: the watches shown here are still prototypes and the tachymeter scale is wrongly labeled a pulsometer on the dial here – look at the graduations though and you’ll see it’s a tachy scale). The combination comes off surprisingly well, and these seem to the most popular of the three. My personal pick is the dark grey version, which offers the most interesting contrast with the rose gold case and feels like the most versatile. But each one stands on its own merits.
On the dial, what looks like a standard three-register chronograph layout isn’t. There’s no need for an hour totalizer, which would usually occupy one of the registers, since this is only a 30-minute chronograph, remember. In addition to that hours totalizer, the remaining two registers display the running seconds at nine o’clock and the date at six o’clock. On top of that, these registers are quite large compared to classic chronograph displays, which increases their legibility, particularly when we’re talking about the date.

In stainless steel, the Flyback Chronograph Manufacture will set you back $3,995, while the rose gold plated version will retail for $4,295. It’s worth noting the Alpiner 4 Flyback Chronograph, from Alpina, started at $4,895 on a leather strap, utilizing the same movement.

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Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Manufacture

When Frederique Constant released the Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Manufacture a few months ago, it seemed to turn a lot of heads. Staying true to the brand’s philosophy of creating accessible luxury timepieces, the watch boasted a new in-house caliber (more of a variation, to be picky) and a decidedly Patek-y look for a relatively low price point. Coming in just below $4k, the watch offered a lot of value for an in-house movement, and an aesthetic that often costs an arm and a leg to obtain. It also showed off an eye-catching flip-open case back, which gave it some unexpected panache.
The last time we reviewed an FC it was the spiritual cousin of this watch, the Slimline Moonphase, which used a similar movement, and achieved high points for style and finish. While the watch was a winner, one of the complaints a lot of people had about it was the 42mm diameter. While I found it still wore very well, the notion of a 42mm dress/formal watch with a very large dial is understandably a bit concerning. The Classic Moonphase comes in at a more palatable 40.5mm, but wears even smaller due to various design details. As such, it might just be the option for those turned off by the former’s size. Apart from that, the design itself offers a very attractive option in the under $5k market, so let’s take a closer look.
Coming in at 40.5 x 47 x 12.77mm (to top of sapphire), the Classic Moonphase is a robust dress/formal watch that wears a bit smaller than expected. The design, as the name indicates, is classic in styling with thick, near straight lugs coming out of a rounded case. The mid-case, bezel, sapphire and case back all elegantly curve, creating very attractive fluid surfaces that belie the 40mm diameter. It is, but once again, the smoothness of the sides makes it look and feel less so. More over, part of the thickness is thanks to the hunter case-back, a detail I particularly love.
he case is polished all around, which might actually make it look a bit smaller too (gloss and black tend to do that). While fitting of the style, some brushing would have been nice, particularly on the tops of the lugs. That said, the watch looks good enough as is.

The crown is onion-style, measuring about 6 x 4mm. It fits the classic style of the watch, and I was glad to see it was relatively small. Onion crowns can get a bit ornate for my taste, and also a bit uncomfortable, when they are large. My one gripe is that it’s a bit hard to pull out, so you need to dig a finger nail under it to make pop out of home position. Hand winding, conversely, is easy.
Flipping the watch over, you are met with a fairly plain piece of steel with a couple of etched markings. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that there is a hinge on one side, and a small flange on the other. Popping it open with your finger nail reveals a wide display window showing off the absolutely gorgeous movement within, as well as the perlage finishing on the inside of the cover.

The “hunter-style” back is a reference to old pocket watches, giving the watch a decidedly early 20th century feel. While a gimmick, I love it. Sure, it does protect the display window, which is nice, but clearly not a huge issue. What it does in practice that I like is really showcase the movement, which is likely a large reason one is interested in this watch. FC’s in-house caliber’s are beautifully designed and finished… a real selling point of the watch and brand. When the watch is off your wrist, you’ll be hard pressed not to open it up to admire the movement. And, if you’re the showing off type, when your non-watch friends take a look, their minds might just be blown.
Sticking with the theme, the dial of the Classic Moonphase has a tried and true design, closely resembling that of a 50’s Patek, as noted by WatchesbySJX. This is both the good and bad about the watch… it’s a great look and a design that is as handsome here on the FC as the Patek. Me, you and likely everyone we know (unless you are friends with Charlie Sheen) are not going to be getting their hands on the Patek, lest they have a few hundred grand to spare. Moreover, you’ll enjoy seeing this on your wrist, and it’s still in the end a sort-of “generic” look for the time period. Also, it might very well be the only reasons one is interested in this watch in the first place… But, a lack of originality is always unfortunate, and a bit of an issue with the brand in general.
Moving on, the dial consists of an elegant light silver sunburst surface which immediately gives the dial some depth and texture. The primary index consists of applied steel markers with a beautiful faceted shape. They glint in the light, and add some nice contrast to the fluid lines of the case. Around the outer edge of the dial is a minute/seconds index of lines and numerals, encircled by a thin black line. I quite like how this index adds something a bit sportier/more technical to the dial, keeping it from feeling too dressy. The index has numerals every 5 minutes/seconds as well as sub-seconds marks. Certainly a watch this style could have forgone this index for just the applied markers, but it works very well.

At 6 is the star of the show; the combined small-date index and moonphase. This area is actually virtually identical as to what was found on the Slimline Moonphase. As I liked it there, I like it here too. The center of the dial is indented a drop, then cutout to create the classic moonphase aperture. Around the window are numerals for the date in black. The moon disk is a dark metallic blue with brassy cutouts for the moon and stars. The occasional shock of blue light that reflects off of it adds to subtle, but luxurious feel of the watch.
Keeping with the Patek-esque origins, the hour and minute hands are broad dauphine style, with a slight bend for dimensionality. They are well proportioned and look good against the silver surface. The seconds hand is then a thin polished stick with a counterweight. The small hand that points to the date is actually more of a leaf shape, and is the same that was found on the Slimline, where the hour and minutes are also leafs. While I don’t think it looks bad, another dauphine hand might have matched better…also, knowing it’s on both makes me feel like they chose an existing hand to save cost.
Powering the Classic Moonphase is the “new” FC-715 caliber. The difference between the 715 and 705 found in the Slimline is the central seconds. So, variation on a caliber, new caliber…you choose. Either way, it’s a gorgeous movement, as previously noted, and an uncommon value for an in-house movement. The FC-715 is a 26-jewel automatic with manual wind, hacking seconds, small pointer date, moonphase and a frequency of 28,800 bph. One of the great features of these movements is that the moonphase is set via the crown. In first position, one direction changes the date, the other progresses the moonphase disk. While it’s likely not going to be set to exacting astronomical standards, eyeballing the moon via the Watchville app’s handy clock is easy enough to do.
Features aside, looking at these movements is a genuine pleasure. The design of the movement is simple and elegant, with a large, central balance with bridge and a central winding plate. While the gear train is mostly hidden, the large surfaces of circular Cote de Geneve and perlage that are studded with blue screws give you more than enough to enjoy. The skeletonized gold-tone rotor finishes the movement nicely. Trust me, if you have one of their watches in your possession, you’ll spend a lot of time looking at the movement. It’s honestly one of my favorite looking movements, certainly in the price range we discuss.
The Classic Moonphase comes on a black Gator strap with matching black stitch for a fairly sleek and conservative look. The strap is nicely made, tapering a couple of millimeters towards the fairly generic buckle. I think I might have liked an off-white contrast stitch more than just black as this is just a bit too formal for my tastes. That said, I’m glad the watch comes with genuine Gator.

The watch wears very well. The second I strapped it on, it just clicked right into place. Yes, it a bit bulkier than you might expect, but it works. The movement inside is large, so the diameter is limited by that, and the added cover adds some millimeters in height, but the stout design looks and feels good. And, as I said in the case section, it does look and feel smaller than the numbers suggest. As a slightly larger dress watch, it has a nice masculine heft, and is a great watch for everyday formality, like a dressier office job, than just a watch to break out for special occasions. Certainly, if you have a larger wrist, say 8″ and up, this might seem plenty small on your wrist regardless.
Aesthetically, it’s hard to complain about a watch with such clean, classic looks. As someone who veers more towards sport and military watches, this type of design isn’t what I typically gravitate towards, but once on my wrist, I get it and I like it. It’s simply a sophisticated look. One that has gravitas and modesty. The moonphase then adds some complexity to the design, rounding it out to be a great looking piece. If I wore suits on the regular, I’d definitely want a watch like this in my collection. As a jeans and boots type of guy, it’s a bit less of a fit, but I’d still wear it an awful lot.
The Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Manufacture is a gorgeous watch with a gorgeous movement that people with Patek tastes, but not wallets, will definitely find interesting. It’s a damn handsome watch, in steel or rose gold, that has two great features in the in-house moon phase movement and the hunter caseback. Essentially both aren’t needed elements, but both do add to the look and feel of the watch. While I still wish that Frederique Constant would develop a more unique design vocabulary, as their movements deserve to be showcased by original designs, the Classic is so enjoyable to wear and look at, that you kind of don’t care when it’s on. Sure, purists might have a gripe, but for those of us who aren’t aspiring to own six-figure timepieces, and just want to wear something nice, this will fit the bill.
With that said at $3,995 MSRP, the Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Manufacture is far from inexpensive. While the price you actually pay would likely be lower than that through an AD, it’s still a watch you’re going to really want to love to buy. If you’re looking for something this style, want an in-house movement and like moon phases, their really isn’t any competition. And for an in-house automatic moonphase, the price is still very good compared to the competition.

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Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture

An iconic model from Frederique Constant’s Manufacture, the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture has been given an 18-carat rose gold case for the first time, produced in a limited edition of 88 pieces only. For the occasion, this collector’s timepiece features an exclusive, modern dial for the frequent traveller. Success is no accident. Achievements made in watchmaking come down to a combination of elements that Frederique Constant has been fine tuning for over 30 years. Element number one: a useful complication. In this regard, the ability to permanently display world time is an undeniable asset for those who travel internationally. Element number two: ease of use. For an everyday watch, everything has been designed so that the latter and its complication can be adjusted quickly and intuitively, without risk of error. Element number three: the movement. The part most prized by collectors gains considerable value when stamped “Manufacture”. Frederique Constant, a fully integrated manufacture, has already brought out 29 calibres, all of them developed, produced, assembled and inspected within its workshops. Finally, element number four: design. The simple, classic and timeless design of a timepiece allows it to stand the test of trends and time. Frederique Constant has been synonymous with Swiss Made elegance from the very beginning. A Classic that lives up to its name The new Classic Worldtimer Manufacture illustrates this delicate balance. It was added to the Maison’s collections some 10 years ago. The balance struck between the technical, aesthetic and practical immediately impressed watch enthusiasts from all over the world. In a few short years, the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture has established itself as one of the most important timepieces by Frederique Constant. A landmark limited edition The version unveiled today is aimed at discerning collectors. Beyond the balance it embodies, the new Classic Worldtimer Manufacture stands out for its 18-carat rose gold case, with no more than 88 limited edition timepieces on offer. Such preciousness is rare at Frederique Constant. Incidentally, this is the first time in the history of the Manufacture that such a case has been offered for this timepiece. A sophisticated look For this latest version, Frederique Constant has opted for an intense blue dial reminiscent of the ocean and in keeping with the distinguished rose gold case. The continents emerge from the dial in relief, their anthracite grey outlines carved with the greatest precision. The date counter at 6 o’clock is decorated with a sunray guilloché pattern, a traditional finish in Fine Watchmaking. Hovering over it are four hands coordinating with the rose gold; the hour and minute hands and index hour markers are tinged with luminescent material to make them easier to read in low light. Around this miniature world map unfolds the Worldtimer flange, indicating the 24 world time zones and their 24 principal cities. To ensure the dial can be easily read, the 12 daytime hours appear in red, while the 12 night-time hours appear in grey. Carefully preserved DNA The ease of setting and using Frederique Constant timepieces is intrinsic to the Brand. All the features of the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture can be adjusted using the crown, (hours, minutes, date, Worldtimer) eliminating the need for push buttons that could detract from its sleek 42 mm case. As for all Frederique Constant Manufacture collection timepieces, the FC-718 movement in the new Classic Worldtimer Manufacture has been decorated with fine perlage decoration visible through a sapphire crystal caseback that is guaranteed water-resistant to 3 ATM. The informed observer will admire the blued screws in the movement and the rose gold-plated hollowed-out oscillating weight adorned with vertical satin-finishing and “Frederique Constant Manufacture” engraving.
Frederique Constant introduces a new Classic Worldtimer Manufacture variation in a dark grey dial. The Worldtimer timepiece is a must-have for many watch aficionados allowing them to keep track of time everywhere in the world at once. After the first Frederique Constant Worldtimer launch in 2012, the watch stood proudly as one of the brand’s best-selling Manufacture watches. Since then, the Worldtimer has come in a range of 11 models featuring a wide color palette.
In 2019, yet another color variation of this elegant and sophisticated traveling watch is unveiled: a dark grey design of the world map finely etched onto to the dial and the twenty-four cities on its outer rim make one wish for globe-trotting. The date by hand at 6 o’clock makes the perfect addition to the Worldtimer function and further enhances the aesthetic of the watch. The indexes on each hour add to the dial’s readability, offering additional comfort when glancing at the time.
Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture
The new Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture comes in two models featuring a 42mm case in rose-gold-plated stainless steel or in stainless steel both limited to 718 pieces each. The FC-718 caliber is an extraordinary piece of machinery; not only is it in-house designed, developed and produced, but its Worldtimer functions as well as the date are all adjustable via the crown, with no additional push-buttons. To easily set the watch, one must choose between three settings; the first lets the user wind the watch by turning the crown upwards; the second allows to set the date and city by turning the crown upwards and downwards respectively; and the third position enables the user to set the time by turning the crown downwards. The timepiece displays two separate discs, one featuring a 24h day-night indicator and a second one with the twenty-four cities. As a Manufacture movement, the FC-718 caliber is decorated with Perlage and circular Côtes de Genève and holds a 42-hour power reserve. The dark grey timepiece is complete with a dark grey alligator leather strap with white stitches.

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Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture

One of the most noticeable trends in technical watchmaking since the end of the Second World War has been the evolution of watches with higher and higher frequency oscillators. A pendulum clock might have a pendulum that beats once per second. A watch has a balance, which can swing back and forth much more rapidly – a modern watch movement usually runs at 28,800 beats per hour, or eight beats per second. Some movements (the Zenith El Primero, for instance) can beat even faster, at 36,000 beats per hour. The new Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture, from Frederique Constant, has a new type of oscillator, which runs at 40Hz – that’s a staggering 288,000 beats per hour. The watch was introduced in March, and even in the aftermath of Watches & Wonders, it’s still one of the most technically interesting watches of the year.
Any watch or clock is, at its most basic, an oscillator (the pendulum, a balance wheel) with a driving system (a mainspring in a watch, a falling weight in a pendulum clock) and a mechanism that both counts the oscillations, and drives the oscillator. This is the escapement.
Above, you can see the mainspring barrel on the left. The barrel rotates under the impetus of the mainspring inside it, and the teeth on the barrel gear to the pinion of the center wheel. The gear train ends, on the right, at the escape wheel and lever. (The balance wheel isn’t shown, for clarity.) As the balance swings back and forth, it unlocks the lever once per swing, letting the gear train advance. The gearing is set up so that the center wheel turns once per hour, and drives the hour and minute hands.
So why would you like to have an oscillator that beats faster than 36,000 vph? The answer is that such an oscillator should be more stable – that is, less apt to drift from its expected frequency. If a balance wheel were to always beat at exactly its expected frequency, you would have a perfect watch, but in reality, a number of factors can cause the frequency of a balance to vary, making the watch sometimes too slow, and sometimes too fast. Frequency varies when the oscillator is affected by outside forces, which can be aging lubricant in the watch itself, or changes in temperature, or the presence of magnetic fields, or physical shocks and changes in the position of the watch. The reason quartz watches are generally so much more accurate than mechanical watches is that a quartz oscillator beats at a much higher frequency – the tuning-fork-shaped quartz crystal hums at 32,768 beats per second.
The Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture, on the other hand, uses a miniaturized version of the flexible one-piece oscillator design we first saw from Zenith, first in the Defy Lab, and then in the Defy Inventor. Rather than the usual combination of balance, balance spring, and lever, the monolithic oscillator in the Monolithic Manufacture uses a one-piece (hence, “monolithic”) silicon oscillator, which has integrated into it flexible central blades that allow it to oscillate, and an integrated lever. The oscillator has two weights mounted on it, which can be used to regulate the rate of the oscillator, just as rim weights on a balance can be used for the same purpose.

The connection between the Monolithic Manufacture and the Defy Inventor is of course, not a coincidence. Both were developed by a company called Flexous, under the direction of CEO Nima Tolou; Flexous was founded in 2012 and is a branch of surprisingly punctuated tech incubator YES!Delft.
The oscillator itself is a circular disk of silicon, and the blades, lever mechanism, and escape wheel are all silicon as well. Above, the escape wheel is at 12:00 (and is driven by the gear train, from the mainspring barrel) and on either side, you can see the teeth of the lever mechanism. The weights for adjusting rate are the two bars to the left and right, with grooves etched into the silicon to provide increments for the watchmaker. When running, the oscillator vibrates too fast for the naked eye to see individual vibrations, and the seconds hand advances 80 times per second, appearing to glide smoothly around the dial.
Conventional watchmaker’s electronic timing machines don’t work on an escapement that runs this fast, so the rate of the oscillator is adjusted with the help of a laser-controlled high-speed camera, capable of firing up to 250,000 times per second.
While a standard balance in a mechanical watch usually swings through an arc of around 300º, the Monolithic Oscillator vibrates in a much smaller arc – just 6º, which is par for the course for very high-frequency oscillators.
Aside from the greater rate stability offered by a high-frequency oscillator, the Monolithic Oscillator offers the same general advantages as other silicon components – the most significant, of course, is that, unlike standard escapement components, it’s completely unaffected by magnetism. The Monolithic Oscillator seems to be a solution, too, to the most divisive quality of the Defy Lab’s oscillator, which is its sheer size. The size isn’t so much a problem if you’re looking for visual drama but it does limit the degree to which the technology can find its way into a larger range of watches. If the Defy Lab was a proof-of-concept, the Monolithic Oscillator is a demonstration that flexible silicon oscillators need not be a niche product – at least, there are no insurmountable technical barriers. The Monolithic Oscillator even manages to deliver a very respectable 80-hour power reserve.
The greatest difference between the Monolithic Oscillator and the Zenith Oscillator is size. The Zenith Oscillator took up the entire diameter of the case, more or less; the Monolithic Oscillator, on the other hand, was developed in order to make the basic flexible oscillator technology fit into the space normally occupied by the conventional escapement, balance, and balance spring. Doing so helps keep the watches at a friendly size for daily wear, as the Monolithic Oscillator uses much less space – the Monolithic Manufacture is a very wearable 40mm in diameter, vs. 44mm for the slightly larger Zenith.

Another advantage to the one-piece silicon oscillator is a reduction in parts count. The oscillator has just three components – the oscillator itself, and the two adjustable weights. These replace, in a conventional watch, the balance, balance staff, balance spring, collet (which attaches the inner coil of the balance spring to the balance), balance stud (the fixing point of the outer coil), the four jewels in the antishock system, two antishock springs, and the lever, lever pivot and lever jewels … as well as, come to think of it, the two jewels for the lever pivots as well. You also don’t have to worry about oil deteriorating on the balance pivots or on the escape wheel teeth, which is a ubiquitous cause of long-term rate variation in a standard Swiss lever watch.
The fact that the oscillator has been significantly downsized also means more conventional aesthetics, which depending on your tastes may be a feature or a bug. The Zenith is a large, extroverted showcase for high-tech component manufacturing and it’s an extremely distracting watch to wear. I mean that in a good way – the high-speed vibration of the oscillator is mesmerizing to watch, albeit unsettling in its velocity. The Monolithic Oscillator, on the other hand, vibrates so quickly that it looks almost as if it’s standing still, and the reduced size means less visual impact as well. What you get back, though, is a watch capable of presenting its high-tech heart in a traditional package.
The watch is a limited edition in two different case materials. Steel models with a blue or white dial are $4,795, with 810 of each slated for production; the gold model is $15,995, in an edition of 81 watches. Pricing for the steel models, especially, reflects Frederique Constant’s longtime basic approach to watchmaking, which is to provide classic design at a relatively affordable price (while at the same time offering as much technically distinctive watchmaking as possible).
It’ll be interesting to see how customers react to this watch – it’s obviously an attempt to bring flexible silicon component technology more into the mainstream, perhaps more than would be possible with the Defy Lab. The latter is an intentionally tech-forward watch intended to put the new oscillator front and center. The Monolithic Manufacture, on the other hand, wants to offer the same advantages but in a more conventional package (and therefore one which, FC hopes, may have a broader appeal).
I remember in the early 2000s, when silicon components began to find their way more and more into conventional watches, how much hand-wringing there was amongst us grouchy traditionalists. The thought of, say, a Patek, with a silicon balance spring, raised my hackles in a big way, as it seemed completely inconsistent with the traditional craft, traditional materials approach to mechanical horology that I’ve always cherished. Nowadays, though, silicon has long since become an established part of watch technology, with silicon balance springs, levers, and escape wheels almost ubiquitous.

There’s no denying that in a lot of respects, silicon components offer advantages over conventional ones. In a conventional movement, the setting of jewels into the movement, adjustment of the pallet stones on the lever, poising (dynamic and static) of the balance, forming and pinning the balance spring, and so on, are all intrinsic elements of traditional watchmaking craft. Anything that threatens to replace them outright kind of gives me the willies. What I like about the approach to the material in the Monolithic Manufacture (and in the Defy Lab) is that they take advantage of properties silicon has that can’t be duplicated in conventional materials, to create something you can’t make using standard brass, steel, rubies, and oil.
Although there have been any number of experimental, concept, semi-experimental, and limited-edition watches with silicon components, the material’s aesthetic possibilities remain relatively unexplored. Here I run into some mixed feelings about the Monolithic Manufacture from a design standpoint. I generally don’t care for openings in the dial of a watch – there aren’t too many tourbillons, for instance, with open dials that no matter how good, I wouldn’t like even better if they just closed that dial up. However, the rationale for having an open dial on the Monolithic Manufacture is the same as for an open-dial tourbillon – if you want your watch to be a conversation piece, it’s nice to not have to take it off and peer through a display back to get the conversation started. I’d be curious to see how the oscillator, with its slick peacock-blue sheen, looks in a less conventionally turned-out timepiece. I like guilloché and pomme hands and Roman numerals as much as the next person, but the oscillator’s so high tech you kind of get the same feeling you’d get if a UFO landed at the Louvre.

The Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture is, if not immediately seductive, still a fascinating step in the evolution of silicon components. It would seem to have solved most if not all of the problems potentially raised by monobloc silicon oscillating systems, offering a great power reserve, and a smoothly gliding hour hand reminiscent of Spring Drive, or even a classic tuning fork Accutron. This should be an ideal system for a sports watch – low mass, high shock resistance, inherently antimagnetic, good rate stability – and it will be interesting to see if, after the production run of the Monolithic Manufacture is sold out, Frederique Constant sticks with it and deploys it more widely in its other collections.