You’ve Been Put On Notice - Frederique Constant’s Classics Manufacture Tourbillon To The Watchworld
5 min read
Would you ever imagine a brand that has just a 35-year lineage to come up with a tourbillon that competes against others in the same price range but has a 150-200 year lineage backing them? Moreover, a brand that has produced 30 in-house calibers in just 35 years! Well, if anyone can do it, it’s Frederique Constant.
The concept behind the brand remains just as daring today as it was in the past: produce products of exceptional quality and offer them at the most affordable prices. After three and a half decades, Frederique Constant has emerged as one of the leading watch brands globally, largely due to remarkable timepieces like the Classics Tourbillon Manufacture, which was unveiled earlier this year at Watches & Wonders Geneva, solidifying its reputation. But year after year, they need to prove themselves.
In conversation with Niels Eggerding, Managing Director at Frederique Constant, he said, “We’re not trying to reposition the brand. But again, few Maisons have been able to produce in-house calibers at this speed, and also a perpetual calendar with an in-house movement at an affordable price point like we did in 2017! Hence, we can position ourselves in the premium segment.”
It’s not an easy feat to produce in-house calibers but Frederique Constant took to it for the main reason - independence allows the brand to chart its own path and seize opportunities for expansion without constraints as well as be immensely creative.
Setting the stage for tourbillons?
With the launch of Classics Manufacture Tourbillon at Watches And Wonders 2023, what is Frederique Constant trying to achieve? Was this a befitting response for the innumerable critics it received when they launched the Classics Heart Beat Manufacture in 2022? The truth is - In 2008, they embarked on a groundbreaking journey by creating their first tourbillon, which was a remarkable achievement at the time. This exceptional timepiece was meticulously crafted in limited quantities, commanding a high price of 40,000 euros, making it relatively accessible compared to other tourbillon watches. Building on this success, they continued to push boundaries by introducing a tourbillon perpetual calendar, priced at around 25,000 euros.
However, their ambition didn't stop there. They envisioned making a more simplified tourbillon watch available to a wider audience by producing it in larger volumes. This decision was not a difficult one, but the real challenge lay in preparing our workshop to handle the increased production required. They aimed to manufacture approximately 700 to 900 pieces and offer them at an industry-leading price of around $20,000, making it the most accessible tourbillon in the market. And so they did!
Moving beyond the price and into the technical prowess
Apart from a fitting dress watch at an accessible price point, this Tourbillon timepiece is a symbolic act of fine watchmaking. The watch features a fully polished three-part case with an onion crown and subtly tapered straight lugs, resulting in a refined aesthetic. Its dimensions of 39mm in diameter and 10.99mm in thickness make it highly wearable. What sets it apart is the rarity of a 39mm case in the industry, as tourbillon watches typically lean towards larger sizes like 41mm or 42mm. The case is equipped with sapphire crystals on both sides, and it is accompanied by a black alligator leather strap adorned with a matching rose gold deployant clasp.
The dial exudes elegance, showcasing a deep grey sunburst finish as the backdrop for rose gold-plated indices and lance hands. Positioned at 6 o'clock, a prominent aperture dominates the lower half of the dial, offering a captivating view of the tourbillon, which serves as the watch's centerpiece. Interestingly, Frederique Constant has incorporated a proper seconds hand for the tourbillon, allowing it to function as a running seconds indicator—an unusual but not unprecedented feature. Through the dial's aperture, one can also admire the striking curved rose gold bridge, blued screws, and the silicon escapement wheel, all adding to the visual allure.
The self-winding movement powering the watch is the Calibre FC-980, introduced 15 years ago. It boasts a 38-hour power reserve, operating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. While some may argue that the power reserve could be improved, the brand is actively working to enhance it to a more substantial 72 hours in their future timepieces.
But the real challenge here is with $28000 in your pockets, would you opt for this Tourbillon? Let us leave you with some food for thought: When considering the market for a Swiss tourbillon watch with a solid gold automatic movement, it's important to note that the typical starting price is around $71,000 for models such as the H. Moser Endeavour Tourbillon. However, there are more affordable options available, such as a hand-wound tourbillon from IWC Schaffhausen priced at $66,400.
a deployment clasp
In this context, Frederique Constant stands out by offering genuine value with their timepiece and a limited-edition release of just 150 timepieces. What do you think?
